Windows Fax and Scan, Cannot print faxes to printer

Of course I am having the same issue as everyone else. I have a temporary workaround until Microsoft fixes this issue.

Windows Fax and scan stores the incoming faxes in the following location listed below.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows NT\MSFax\Inbox

Once you go to the location you can see all the faxes there and print them, or convert them to a pdf if you have adobe pdf printer installed.

To view the folder you must follow the directions below first. Once you follow the permissions instructions, you can make a shortcut on the desktop to make it easy to get to in the future.

Go to windows explorer go click on the C drive, click on program data, then microsoft, then windows NT, then msfax (then you have to grant permission to view folder), then you see all the folders the fax program uses, then click on Inbox (then you have to grant permission to view the folder). Now you can view all your faxes!!!! then you can print them or use a pdf program to convert them.

what you can do is create a shortcut on your desktop so it is easy to get to this location until the fix is done.

Right click on the desktop and select new, then shortcut. insert

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows NT\MSFax\Inbox

in the "type the location of the item"

then label the shortcut to What you want ie. Incoming Faxes.

you can change the icon if you like.

If this doesn't work then you have to follow the instructions at the top to allow permissions to the folders first. Once you allow the permissions follow making the shortcut again and it will work.

Use this work around until Microsoft fixes this problem.

Hope this helps everyone

So I went to my Windows Update history and backed out the last update done on my computer, I believe it was installed 09/16/22 and was called: 2022-09 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 21H1 for x64-based Systems (KB5017308).
Then this morning I had someone send me a fax. I CAN PRINT IT! I still can't print the faxes that I received prior to removing this update.

Now I need to contact everyone that I received faxes from that I can't access and see if they can refax. Fingers crossed that this was the fix.

Then need to figure out how to keep this update from installing again.

Update this afternoon: I have received other faxes in today and everything is working as it should. I also received notification that Windows want to load that same update to my computer again tonight. I downloaded the Microsoft App Show or Hide Updates. I hope it keeps the update from reloading again. Hopefully they will get a fix for this update.

In layman's terms, as most of you know, Microsoft broke Windows Fax and Scan with an update around 9/16/22, and have not fixed it as of this writing. All functions of Windows Fax and Scan are still working other than its ability to print new faxes received after 9/16/22.

My work-around (I got the idea from others here) is I right click the line-item for the fax that I want to print and select "Save As", and save it to a folder I created on my Desktop which I named Received Faxes for Printing. It creates a TIF file and drops it there. I set Windows Photo Viewer as the default program to open TIF files when I double click them, and print them from there.

It is a "Dixie Two-Step" because now you have two places you need to delete old faxes from when you want to get rid of them, but it works for the few faxes we get.

Update: 12/13/2022 Windows Fax and Scan still can't print new faxes, but I simplified how I handle accessing fax files for printing and other housecleaning purposes using ideas I found in this thread (mainly based on Shauz 239's suggestion).

I drilled down to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows NT\MSFax\Inbox. I got a message that says

I clicked CONTINUE to get permanent access. I then created a shortcut to this folder on my Desktop, changed the icon to look like a fax machine, and labeled it Received Faxes. It takes me right to my received faxes. I sort the files by date to make the latest easy to find. Since I had already set Windows Photo Viewer as the default program to open TIF files when I double-click them, I can easily view, page through, print, and delete faxes from one spot. No more "Dixie Two-Step"! FYI: this method allows you to view and print multiple page faxes.

Not that I have a fix, but just want to note same issue here. Fax and Scan was working ok, but now every computer at work can no longer print from Fax and Scan. Click print, no errors but nothing prints. Print to PDF results in a 0 byte file. Problem started about a week ago, All client computers are Windows 11 with one Windows Server 2022 Standard.

The fact that other people are experiencing the same issue, in roughly the same time frame, makes me suspect a Windows Update issue.

We are having a similar issue. I'm running Windows 10, started within the past week. Sending and Receiving faxes work fine, but when I print a fax I received in Windows Fax and Scan to my HP printer, nothing happens - no error message, no print job appears in the print queue. All other apps print fine to the printer, and the "Print Test Page" works fine from the printer's properties dialog.

Also, If I print a fax to the "Microsoft Print to PDF" printer, it asks me for the filename as usual, but the pdf that is created is 0 bytes long (it's empty.) Again, other apps and the Test Page work fine while printing to this printer.

And yes, I have restarted the computer multiple times, but no change. This problem appears to be in the Windows Fax and Scan application and not the Windows print subsystem. Any suggestions?

Thank you!