This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
“Waiting for printer connection” pop up started coming up a couple of weeks ago and has been causing multiple issues.
Excel and Word randomly do not open, and then when I open the program again it tells me the file is already in use yet nothing is open. Task manager shows nothing open or running. I have to restart my computer each time to use the document or workbook and I sometimes I need to do this more than once before it will decide to randomly work.
I cannot print new documents or workbooks, it becomes unresponsive and then the program has to close. I can only print from saved documents, which o can’t always open!
MYOB cannot print now, I have to save as a pdf and then print. I know MYOB isn’t “Microsoft” but this only started when this pop up started. I have never experienced this issue before.
This is happening on all four computers and started at the exact same time.
I have tried turning off all network sharing connections and still no change.
This is really impacting my day to day operations ans these programs are all I use. It causing a significant loss of time.
Can someone please help?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Yes, turning off allowing windows to manage default solved it. My problem was probably related to adding a new printer that Windows decided was the default even though it's not available when I'm at the office. The piece of code that just "gets stuck" when the printer isn't available needs to be updated...
This is most likely happening because Windows is attempting to connect your document to a printer whose port settings are such that it requires the printer to be present and accessible. So, to fix this, go to control panel, select devices and printers. If you have no default printer set, then launch Windows Settings, go to Devices, then Printers and Scanners. From here, uncheck the box which says "Allow Windows to manage my default printer".
If you DO have a default printer set, then either you need to switch on that printer and make it available OR select another default printer OR right click your default printer, select Printer Properties, go to the Ports tab. From there, you need to change the port settings. In my case I was connected to an Epson printer via an IPP port. Change it to another type of port. I suggest creating a new one by clicking the Add Port button or you could re-Configure the port via the Configure Port button. OR you could just choose another Printer from Devices & Printers window. In my case I had TWO connections to my Epson Printer. One via the network which used a different port configuration. Therefore, I suspect that ultimately, it is a it is a port configuration that is causing the issue. What or how exactly, I have not been able to investigate yet. but at least you have some direction to fix this issue. It is likely that this is also following a Windows Update that is changing how these ports work.
Hope this helps!
I believe, after 2 years, this worked for me too. I still see it occasionally, but it goes away on it's own.
Hi Neil,
Thanks very much for your reply. Yes, once I realized it would only print a PDF I switched the default back to my original printer. Unfortunately, upon doing that, the problem came back. It seems at least in my case that my Windows 11 computer is having trouble reading and interpreting the documents I'm trying to print as fast as my computer is accessing the document. And they aren't anything exotic, just simple .rtf documents I have. I don't see any fix for me, and honestly today was the first day I noticed it. I'd guess at it being a Windows Update gone wrong, but don't know for sure. I tried updating printer drivers, and even went to HP to get their software for my printer. Nothing works. Why does it show this popup only when I open my .rtf files.
I toyed with the idea of rolling back my system in "restore" to an earlier date to see if it goes away. My Windows 7 computer to this day has ZERO issues printing, so it's clearly a Windows 11 connection issue. If it were only HP printers having this problem, then maybe I'd say the printer software. The problem somehow rests in Windows.
Thanks very much for getting in touch, I appreciate it!
Russ
Yes it solved the popup but wouldn't allow me to print basic word documents unless I changed them to pdf, so where is the great solution here?
