MacOS client are not able to print SMB to Server 2025

Robert FordMCC 5 Reputation points
2025-11-07T01:00:51.8033333+00:00

Mac OS clients cannot print via SMB to the new Windows Server 2025 print server. Printing to the existing Windows Server 2016 works without issues.

We tested both methods below — neither prints on Server 2025 (jobs enter the queue and then fail silently without logs in Event Viewer):

smb://FQDN/printer1
smb://servername/printer1

Firewall logs show the traffic reaching the server, but the print job does nothing once queued. No relevant events appear in Event Viewer.

Is SMB printing to Server 2025 deprecated or changed? Any guidance would be appreciated — printing from Mac to Server 2016 still works normally.

Windows for business | Windows Server | User experience | Print jobs

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  1. Homer 5 Reputation points
    2026-05-22T08:01:26.2533333+00:00

    I ran into this issue and searching for a solution stumbled onto this post so I'm posting my work-a-round that worked for me.

    Note: "If you absolutely need the spoolss named pipe to function, you can re-enable the legacy SMB transport in the registry, though Microsoft advises against this for security reasons." copied https://itm4n.github.io/printnightmare-not-over/

    Now for the work-around:

    Run gpedit.msc on MS Sever 2025

    Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers

    Configure RPC connection settings:

    • Enabled
    • Protocol to use for outgoing connections: RPC over named Pipes
    • Use authentication for outgoing RPC connections: Default

    Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers

    Configure RPC listener settings:

    • Enabled
    • Protocols to allow for incoming RPC connections: RPC over named pipes and TCP
    • Authentication protocol to use for incoming RPC connections: Negotiate

    Next, run a gpudate/force and restart the printer spooler service.

    All done, hope above can help out someone else.

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  2. Quinnie Quoc 11,840 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-11-07T01:55:53.8866667+00:00

    Hello,

    Thank you for your detailed report. You're correct—SMB printing from macOS clients to Windows Server 2025 is currently experiencing compatibility issues. This behavior has been observed by other users and may be related to changes in SMB protocol handling or print service configuration in Server 2025.

    Since jobs queue but fail silently, and no logs appear in Event Viewer, the issue likely stems from how macOS interacts with the updated SMB stack. As a workaround, we recommend configuring the print server to support LPD (Line Printer Daemon) or IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), both of which remain compatible with macOS clients.

    If SMB printing is critical to your environment, you may also consider maintaining a Server 2016 print host for macOS clients until a formal update or fix is released.

    If this guidance helps clarify the situation, feel free to mark this answer as accepted so others can benefit too.

    Thank you so much!!

    Best regards,

    QQ

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  3. Alan Morris 1,351 Reputation points
    2026-06-03T23:47:23.87+00:00

    Confirm you are not using a Type 4 driver on the Server 2025 system. Apple does not support the data type required for Type 4 drivers so Windows will delete the job when it arrives.

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