Reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF in Windows 11

This post shows students and new users how to easily reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF printer in Windows 11 if it was mistakenly deleted.

Over the years, Windows has included a virtual printer that allows users to print any page to a PDF-compatible document. This is very useful for many without physical printers. With this feature, you can grab any document and quickly save it in PDF format simply by printing it to the PDF printer.

If you mistakenly delete the Microsoft Print to the PDF printer, getting it back may not be as easy as going to the printer settings page and reinstalling it.

In earlier versions of Windows, users would go to the printer setting pane and reinstall it. I believe it’s not that simple in Windows 11.

For some new users, heading to the new Windows 11 System settings pane can be scary. However, we will show you how to quickly reinstall the missing PDF printer without going to the main settings pane.

To get started reinstalling Microsoft Print to PDF printer in Windows 11, follow the steps below:

How to install Microsoft Print to PDF printer in Windows 11

As mentioned above, simply re-adding the missing PDF printer from the printer settings pane might not work as expected. You’ll have to run the commands below to reinstall the missing printer.

First, open the Command Prompt as administrator. To do that, click Start, then search for and open the “Command Prompt” app as administrator.

When the app opens, run the commands below to uninstall or turn off the PDF printer feature. We’ll want to run this command to turn off the printer so it can be reinstalled fully.

But first, stop the print spooler.

net stop spooler
dism /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features" /NoRestart

After running the commands above, run the next command below to reinstall or enable Microsoft Print to PDF printer.

dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features" /NoRestart
net start spooler

The command above will reinstall and enable the PDF printer. After enabling the printer, start the print spooler, which should get the printer back.

If it doesn’t work right away, restart your computer, then try again.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Reinstalling the Microsoft Print to PDF printer in Windows 11 is straightforward with the right steps.
• Using the Command Prompt for installation ensures that any issues are resolved properly.
• If the printer does not appear immediately after installation, a quick system restart may resolve the problem.
• This feature is essential for users who rely on PDF documents for their work or studies.
• Always remember to manage the print spooler service when reinstalling virtual printers.