Fix: Microsoft Print to PDF missing In Windows 10/11

Microsoft Print to PDF Printer

The Microsoft Print to PDF printer is a useful feature on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices. It’s not a physical printer but a driver-based virtual printer, which can be used to convert documents to PDF files. For example, a Microsoft Word file can be converted to a PDF file using this printer, or if you want to print a web page to PDF using this printer.

The Microsoft Print to PDF printer is built into Windows 10 and Windows 11. You can find it by navigating to Control Panel -> Devices and Printers and checking for the printer in the list under Printers.

If you do not see the printer listed there, you may need to enable this feature on your device. I will guide you on how to add the Microsoft Print to PDF printer back to your device in case it’s missing.

Table of Contents

Install Microsoft Print to PDF printer on Windows 10/11

The Microsoft Print to PDF printer can be installed on a Windows 10/11 device from the optional features that come pre-installed on Windows. Let’s go through the steps:

Open optionalfeatures from run dialog box Install Microsoft Print to PDF optional windows feature

Uninstall and Reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF through Command Prompt

If you do not prefer a graphical user interface and prefer using the command prompt to troubleshoot Microsoft Print to PDF, you can utilize the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM.exe) command-line tool. This built-in tool on Windows devices is designed to manage Windows images.

Command to Uninstall/Disable Microsoft Print to PDF

dism /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features" /NoRestart

Command to Install/Enable Microsoft Print to PDF

dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features" /NoRestart

Microsoft Print to PDF feature enable and disable using command prompt

Uninstall and Reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF through Powershell

If you prefer using the PowerShell console instead of the command prompt, there are native PowerShell commands available for uninstalling/disabling and reinstalling/enabling Microsoft Print to PDF on your device.

Command to Uninstall/Disable Microsoft Print to PDF

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -online -FeatureName Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features

Command to Install/Enable Microsoft Print to PDF

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features"

Powershell to enable or disable Microsoft Print to PDF printer

Locating the File Path for Microsoft Print to PDF Driver Files

Microsoft Print to PDF driver files location can be found by following the steps below:

  1. Press Windows🪟 + R together to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type printui.exe /s and press Enter.
  1. Navigate to the ‘Drivers‘ tab, select ‘Microsoft Print to PDF‘, and then click on Properties.
  1. The ‘Driver Path‘ property information reveals the location of the Microsoft Print to PDF driver. Copy the path and open it in File Explorer to view the driver files. On my system, the Driver Path is displayed as: C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\prnms009.inf_amd64_620c281895426e89
  1. The driver file for Microsoft Print to PDF is prnms009.inf. You can install the driver by right-clicking on this file and selectingInstall‘.

Alternatives to Microsoft Print to PDF Printer

As Microsoft Print to PDF is an in-built Windows feature, it is the preferred option for most users. This doesn’t require any software installation and is provided by default in Windows 10/11.

However, if you prefer using third-party PDF printers, below is a list of available PDF writers for you to download:

Conclusion

Microsoft Print to PDF is a highly useful tool for converting documents to PDF format. This free solution comes pre-installed with your Windows 10 or Windows 11 operating system. In this blog post, we have troubleshooted Microsoft Print to PDF issues by reinstalling it using various methods, including the command line.