Why does the default number of copies to print keep changing?

Kovalevich, Sean 25 Reputation points
2026-01-06T16:38:11.6133333+00:00

I recently moved to Windows 11. When I go to print documents the number of copies to print doesn't always default to 1 copy. Most of the time it is 2 copies. Sometimes it is one copy. Is Windows trying to "guess" or "remember" how many copies I want? This is annoying because now I have to remember to check every time I print. In the print dialog I can go into Properties > Advanced and change Copy Count from 2 to 1 but it goes right back the next time. If I go to Settings >Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & Scanners >HP Universal Printing PCL 6-1 > Printer Properties > Advanced > Printing Details > Advanced, it shows Copy Count to be 1. This is the same printer I've always used before. Is there a way to force it to always default to 1 copy across all applications?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers
Answer accepted by question author
Marcelo Mendoza 10,740 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-01-07T15:49:30.67+00:00

Hi Kovalevich,

Thanks for the detailed context that really helps. What you’re running into is a situation where application managed print preferences are overriding the Windows or printer driver defaults. In Windows 11 many applications, including Adobe Acrobat and line‑of‑business software like Exact Macola are still allowed to manage and remember their own print settings for compatibility reasons. This means an application may reuse its last‑known copy count or apply an internal default which results in the behavior you’re seeing where the number of copies alternates between one and two even though the printer’s system‑level default is set to one.

To stabilize this the first thing to do is ensure the printer itself is truly locked to a single copy at the driver level. In Settings under Bluetooth and devices, go to Printers and scanners, select the HP Universal Printing PCL 6‑1 queue, open Printer Properties and then Printing Defaults on the Advanced tab. Make sure Copies is explicitly set to one there. In Printing Preferences or Device Settings, disable Mopier Mode if it is enabled, turn off any Job Storage or Private Job options unless you actively use them and uncheck “Enable advanced printing features” under the Advanced settings. These options can cause the driver to handle copy counts at the device level rather than honoring application requests consistently which often leads to duplicate prints.

If that does not fully resolve the issue clearing out cached printing data helps remove stale settings that Windows or applications may be reusing. Removing the printer completely from Printers and scanners, stopping the Print Spooler service, clearing the contents of the spooler directory, restarting the service and then reinstalling the printer forces Windows to rebuild the print configuration from scratch. When reinstalling it’s best to use the latest HP‑recommended Windows 11 driver for your exact printer model instead of a generic Universal PCL driver if one is available as vendor‑specific drivers are usually better at enforcing a consistent default copy count.

Adobe Acrobat often needs its own adjustment as well since it can store print dialog presets independently of Windows. Inside Acrobat or Reader go to Preferences and locate the section for Documents or Printing that controls print dialog presets. Configure it to always use default settings instead of reusing the last settings and enable the option to use the system print dialog if available. After that open the Print dialog once, set Copies to one and let Acrobat save that state. This prevents Acrobat’s “remember last settings” behavior from reintroducing two copies on subsequent print jobs.

Exact Macola and similar ERP or accounting applications frequently maintain per‑report or per‑user print defaults internally. Within Macola’s print or form setup screens look for Copy Count or Print Defaults options tied to each report or layout and set them to one copy or to inherit Windows defaults where possible. If Macola maintains per‑user printing profiles resetting or clearing those profiles can also prevent the application from injecting its own copy count regardless of the Windows or driver settings.

On systems that are managed or locked down Windows policy settings can further reduce variability. Disabling advanced printing features through Group Policy under User Configuration for Printers reinforces the driver‑level setting and limits how much control applications have over job rendering and copy handling. If a print server is involved keeping the “Render print jobs on client computers” behavior consistent often by disabling it can also produce more predictable results.

Finally it’s worth checking a few common quirks that frequently cause two copies to print. Some drivers link collate or duplex shortcuts to preset copy counts so reviewing or removing custom print shortcuts in Printing Preferences can help. Also make sure you don’t have multiple queues for the same device as different queues can have different defaults. After making these changes test printing from a simple app like Notepad first, then Edge, Office, Acrobat and Exact Macola. If all of them consistently default to one copy you can be confident the issue is resolved, if a specific app still shows two that app’s internal print settings are the place to focus next.

Regards,

Marcelo

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  1. Marcelo Mendoza 10,740 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-01-06T17:46:34.5+00:00

    Hi Kovalevich,

    Thank you for reaching out about the unexpected behavior you are seeing with the default print copy count after moving to Windows eleven I understand that you are noticing the number of copies randomly changing between one and two even though the printer properties show the default is correctly set to one copy. I can see how this would be frustrating especially when it results in extra prints and requires you to double check the setting every time you print a document.

    This behavior typically occurs because many Windows applications rely on application specific print preferences rather than the system wide or printer default settings and Windows eleven continues to support application managed printing for compatibility reasons. In this situation an app may remember its own last used print settings including copy count and override whatever is configured in Printers and Scanners.

    To reduce this behavior you can try clearing cached print preferences by removing the printer entirely then restarting the Print Spooler service and reinstalling the printer using the manufacturer recommended driver rather than a Universal PCL driver. Reinstalling the printer forces Windows and applications to rebuild their default printing configuration and vendor specific drivers are generally better at honoring a single consistent default copy count. While this does not guarantee the copy count will never change across all applications it often significantly reduces how often this occurs.

    To better narrow this down could you let me know whether the copy count changes happen in all applications or only in specific ones such as browsers or Office apps.

    I hope this answer is helpful if you have further questions feel free to reply back

    Regards,

    Marcelo

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  2. AI answer

    2026-01-06T16:38:20.0433333+00:00

    The issue you're experiencing with the default number of copies changing in Windows 11 is related to a known problem where Windows may not consistently retain the print settings you've configured. Specifically, there is a known issue where Windows defaults to 1 copy even if the printer administrator sets the default to more than 1 copy. This can lead to unexpected behavior in the print dialog, where the number of copies may revert to a different value than intended.

    To mitigate this, it is recommended to manually select the proper number of copies each time you print, as Windows may not remember the last used setting. Unfortunately, there is no built-in way to force it to always default to 1 copy across all applications due to this known issue.

    References:

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