How To Fix Error 0x00000bc4 No printers were found error in Windows 11

In this article, I will offer a few solutions to fix the error 0x00000bc4, No printers were found. It is an error that users often encounter when printing on Windows 11/10 computers. Fortunately, you can fix it with some simple ways below.

What causes printer error 0x00000bc4?

By default, Windows 11 22H2, and newer, are prevented from finding your desired printer. If you try to add the printer manually, the error 0x00000bc4 may appear. To solve this problem, you need to change the Group Policy settings or edit the Registry.

In addition, error 0x000000bc4 can also appear due to the following reasons:

User is trying to add a wireless printer
There is a problem with the wireless connection between the computer and the printer
The printer spooler has an error

How to fix error 0x00000bc4, No printers were found

1. Change Group Policy settings

1. First, press Windown Key + R to open Run then type gpedit.msc and then press Enter to open Group Policy Editor.

2. In the Group Policy Editor and find the following setting in the Computer Configuration section:

Administrative Templates > Printers > Configure RPC connection settings.

3. Double-click Configure RPC connection settings to open the settings menu then select Enabled. In the box below, go to the Protocol to use for outoging RPC connections setting, click the drop-down arrow and select RPC over named pipes.

4. After selecting, click OK to save the settings. Restart the computer and try to see if the error is fixed.

2. Tweak the Registry

If your computer does not have Group Policy Edit (gpedit.msc), you can fix error 0x00000bc4 by changing some values in Registry Editor. Note, you should back up data before making changes in the Registry.

1. Press Windows Key + R to open Run then type regedit and press Enter to open Registry Editor.

2. Access the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC

3. Right-click the RpcOverNamesPipes key and select Modify.

4. Enter 1 in the Value box and then click OK to save the changes.

5. Apply the same way to change the value of the RpcOverTcp key (default) to 0.

6. Close Registry Editor and restart the computer.

3. Clear and reset the printer spooler (Printer Spooler)

If the solutions above don't work, you can try clearing and resetting the printer spooler. This will clear stuck print jobs and thus may fix the problem.

1. Press Windows Key + R to open Run then type services.msc and then press Enter to open the Services window.

2. Scroll down and right-click Print Spooler and select Stop.

3. Next, go to the following folder and delete all the contents inside the folder:

C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

4. Now right click on Print Spooler and restart it.

4. Run the Printer troubleshooter

You can also try Microsoft's default troubleshooting tool to see if that helps. How to run the Printer troubleshooter as follows:

1. Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.

2. Scroll down and click Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters.

3. Select Run next to Printer.

4. After the process is complete, restart your computer to see if the printer error has been resolved.

Why is my printer not showing up in Devices and Printers?

You can fix the printer not showing up in Devices and Printers by downloading and installing the latest driver for the printer. However, you can also try clearing and resetting the printer spooler (step 2) to resolve this issue.

What is Error 740 when adding a network printer?

Most of the time, the cause of Error 740 is the lack of administrator rights. You can fix it by installing software for the printer under admin rights.

Why is my computer suddenly not recognizing the printer?

Try to check the functions of the printer and computer if suddenly the two devices no longer recognize each other. In addition, updating the driver is also a solution that you can try.