Microsoft Print to PDF printer is a useful feature on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices. Its not a physical printer but a driver based Virtual printer which can be used to convert documents to PDF files. For example. A Microsoft Word file can be converted to a PDF file using this printer, Or if you want to print a web page to PDF using this printer.
Microsoft Print to PDF printer is built into Windows 10 and Windows 11. You can go to Control Panel -> Devices and Printers and then check the printer should be listed there under Printers.
If you do not see the printer listed there, then you may need to enable this feature on your device. I will see how you can add Microsoft Print to PDF printer back to your device in case its missing.
Install Microsoft Print to PDF printer in Windows 10/11
Microsoft Print to PDF printer can be installed on Windows 10/11 device from optional features which are pre-installed on a Windows device. Let’s check the steps:
- Go to Start 🪟-> Search for optionalfeatures.
- Or Press Windows🪟 + R together to open a Run box. Then type optionalfeatures in Run box and press Enter.
- From Turn Windows features on or off screen, Select / Check “Microsoft Print to PDF” if its unchecked and press OK button.
- If this feature is already enabled then Uncheck it and click on OK to uninstall Microsoft Print to PDF printer.
- Restart your Device.
- Go to optionalfeatures and Check “Microsoft Print to PDF” again to Re-Install it. This should resolve and bring back Microsoft Print to PDF printer.
Uninstall and Re-Install Microsoft Print to PDF using command prompt
If you are not a fan of graphical user interface and want to use command prompt to troubleshoot Microsoft Print to PDF then you can use Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM.exe) command line tool which is an in-built tool on windows devices to manage windows images.
- Go to Start 🪟 -> Search for Command Prompt.
- Right click on Command Prompt and click on Run as administrator.
- Type below command to Uninstall / Disable Microsoft Print to PDF feature on windows 10/11.
dism /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features" /NoRestart- Type below command to Install / Enable Microsoft Print to PDF feature on windows 10/11
dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features" /NoRestart- Please check if Microsoft Print to PDF issue has been fixed now. If not, please restart your device once and check once again.
Uninstall and Re-Install Microsoft Print to PDF using Powershell
If you want to use Powershell console instead of command prompt then there are native powershell commands available for Uninstalling / Disabling and Re-Installing / Enabling Microsoft Print to PDF on your device.
- Go to Start 🪟-> Search for Powershell
- Right click Powershell and select Run as administrator.
- Type below command to Uninstall / Disable Microsoft Print to PDF feature on windows 10/11
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -online -FeatureName Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features- Type below command to Install / Enable Microsoft Print to PDF feature on windows 10/11.
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features"
What is Microsoft Print to PDF Driver files location
Microsoft Print to PDF driver files location can be found by using below steps:
- Press Windows🪟+ R together to open a Run box.
- Type printui.exe /s and press Enter.
- Go to Drivers tab and select Microsoft Print to PDF and then click on Properties.
- Driver path property information shows the location of Microsoft Print to PDF driver. Copy the path and open it in File Explorer to view the driver files. The Driver Path on my system shows as: C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\prnms009.inf_amd64_620c281895426e89
- prnms009.inf is the driver file for Microsoft Print to PDF. You can also install the driver by right-clicking on this file and selecting Install.
Are there any third-Party PDF Printers
As Microsoft Print to PDF is an in-built windows feature. That would be the preferred option for most as this does not require any software installation and is by default provided in Windows 10/11.
However, If you want to use the third-party PDF printers, then below is the list of PDF writers available for you to download:
Conclusion
Microsoft Print to PDF is really a useful tool to convert any document to PDF. This is a free solution which is installed by default with your windows 10 or windows 11 operating system. In this blog post, we have troubleshooted Microsoft Print to PDF Issues by re-installing the Micrososft Print to PDF by using various methods including command line.
