How to fix 0x00000bc4 "No printers were found" error in Windows?

Error 0x00000bc4 means your PC asked the computer that shares the printer for its printer list and got no answer. Most often Windows 11 22H2 or later talks over RPC over TCP and the other PC does not accept it. Check that the host is reachable, then match the RPC settings on both PCs.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What error 0x00000bc4 "No printers were found" means

The full message reads "Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000bc4)." and below it "No printers were found." It shows in a box titled Printers. You see it when you open a computer under Network in File Explorer and double-click its shared printer, or when you add that printer by its path.

The code is exact. 0xBC4 is 3012 in decimal, and Microsoft's list of system error codes names 3012 ERROR_PRINTER_NOT_FOUND. Its text is the line you see: "No printers were found". Your PC asked the host for the printer and got an empty answer or none at all. The printer itself is usually fine: it often still prints from the host.

Why Windows says no printers were found: causes of 0x00000bc4, ranked

Before a shared printer can be added, your PC asks the host's Print Spooler for the printer over a remote procedure call (RPC). 0x00000bc4 is the result when that call does not get through or the host answers with nothing. These are the causes, from common to rare.

• Why the Windows 11 change ranks so high. Microsoft says Windows 11 version 22H2 changed how computers talk during printing. By default, clients use RPC over TCP, and RPC over named pipes is still there but turned off.
• Why the host matters too. By default a Windows 11 22H2 or later PC listens for incoming print connections over RPC over TCP only. Microsoft names firewall rules that block this traffic as the most common issue.
• What users report. On Microsoft Q&A, a Windows 11 Home 22H2 user got 0x00000bc4 with every network printer shared by Windows 10 PCs. Setting the client to named pipes alone did not help, so the host side needed a look as well.

Error 0x00000bc4 on Windows 11 and Windows 10

The message is the same on both systems. What differs is which side uses the new RPC defaults. Microsoft's article applies to Windows 11 version 22H2 and later, so the fixes you need depend on which PC runs it.

How to fix error 0x00000bc4 "No printers were found": seven fixes in order

Fix 1 makes sure the host can be reached at all. Fix 2 to Fix 4 match the print RPC settings of the two PCs, which solves most cases since Windows 11 22H2. Fix 5 and Fix 6 skip the call that fails, and Fix 7 clears a stuck spooler.

Fix 1. Check that your PC can reach the host and that the printer is shared

5 minutesLow riskFor everyone, first. Especially when \\HostName does not open or the host is a PC that sleeps or moved to another network.

"No printers were found" is also what you get when the host does not answer at all. A host on another network profile, with sharing off or asleep, returns no printer list, and every later fix depends on this one.

1. On the host, open the printer's Printer properties, go to the Sharing tab and check that Share this printer is ticked. Note the Share name.
2. On both PCs, open Settings > Network & internet, select your connection and set the network profile to Private.
3. On both PCs, open Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings and turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing.
4. Make sure both PCs are on the same local network and the host is awake and signed in.
5. On your PC, type \\HostName in the File Explorer address bar. Sign in with an account that exists on the host if Windows asks.
6. When the printer is listed, right-click it and select Connect, or add it as \\HostName\ShareName in Printers & scanners > Add device > Add manually.

Fix 2. Windows 11 22H2 and later: switch your PC to RPC over named pipes

10 minutesRead the warningYour PC runs Windows 11 22H2 or later, the host opens in File Explorer, and the host is an older Windows. Needs an administrator.

Since 22H2, your PC asks the host over RPC over TCP. An older host, or a firewall in between, may not take that call, so the list comes back empty. Named pipes make your PC ask the older way, through the file sharing the host already allows.

On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education: Group Policy. Open the Local Group Policy Editor as shown in Open the Local Group Policy Editor.

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers.
3. Double-click Configure RPC connection settings and select Enabled.
4. Under Protocol to use for outgoing RPC connections, select RPC over named pipes. Leave the authentication setting on Default.
5. Select OK, restart the PC and connect to the printer again as in Fix 1, step 6.

On Windows 11 Home: one command. Home has no Group Policy editor. Run Microsoft's command in Terminal (Admin), then restart the PC.

Your PC: use RPC over named pipes for print connections (1 = named pipes, not set = RPC over TCP)

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC" /v RpcUseNamedPipeProtocol /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Fix 3. On the host: let RPC over TCP through the firewall

15 minutesRead the warningYou can change the PC that shares the printer, several clients fail, or Fix 2 did not help. Needs an administrator on the host.

This is the route Microsoft recommends. A Windows 11 22H2 or later client calls the host over RPC over TCP, and Microsoft says the most common issue is a firewall rule that blocks it. With the ports open, the host can answer with its printer list.

1. On the host, make sure the RPC Endpoint Mapper port 135 and the ports 49152 to 65535 are allowed in from your local network.
2. If a third-party firewall or security suite runs on the host, check its rules. For one test only, pause it and turn it back on right after: Turn off Microsoft Defender protection for a moment.
3. To use one fixed port instead of the high range, open Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers > Configure RPC over TCP port, enable it and enter the port.
4. Allow that one port through the host's firewall from your local network.
5. Restart Print Spooler on the host, then connect from your PC again.

The fixed port on Windows 11 Home, Microsoft's command. Replace <port number>; the highest allowed is 65535.

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC" /v RpcTcpPort /t REG_DWORD /d <port number> /f

Fix 4. On a Windows 11 host: listen on named pipes and TCP

10 minutesRead the warningThe host runs Windows 11 22H2 or later, and Windows 10 PCs or clients switched to named pipes in Fix 2 cannot connect. Needs an administrator on the host.

By default a Windows 11 22H2 or later host listens for print connections on RPC over TCP only. A client that asks over named pipes finds no one listening and gets an empty answer. Adding named pipes on the host serves both kinds of client.

1. On Windows 11 Pro or later, open the Group Policy editor and go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers.
2. Double-click Configure RPC listener settings and select Enabled.
3. Set the protocols to allow to RpcOverNamedPipesAndTcp and select OK.
4. On Windows 11 Home, run the command below in Terminal (Admin) instead.
5. Restart the host, then connect from the client again.

Host: listen for print connections on named pipes and on TCP

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC" /v RpcProtocols /t REG_DWORD /d 0x7 /f

Fix 5. Add a network printer by its IP address instead of through another PC

10 minutesLow riskThe printer has its own Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection and was shared through another PC only out of habit.

A printer with its own network port does not need a host. Added by IP address, it gets a TCP/IP port and a driver on your PC, so there is no RPC call to another computer that can come back with "No printers were found".

1. Find the printer's IP address on its control panel or on a network status page it prints.
2. Download the current driver for the model and your Windows from the printer maker's website and install it.
3. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select Add device, then Add manually.
4. Choose Add a printer using an IP address or hostname and select Next.
5. Type the IP address, pick the driver and print a test page.
6. Remove the old shared copy of the printer from Printers & scanners.

Fix 6. Add the shared printer on a local port that points to the share

15 minutesLow riskYou cannot change the host, and Fix 2 did not help. The printer is shared by another PC. Needs an administrator on your PC.

A normal connection asks the host's spooler for the printer over print RPC, the call that comes back empty. A local port named after the share uses your own driver and queue and only sends finished jobs to the share, so that call is not made.

1. Install the printer maker's driver for the model on your PC.
2. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select Add device, then Add manually. On Windows 10 select Add a printer or scanner, then The printer that I want isn't listed.
3. Choose Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings and select Next.
4. Choose Create a new port, set Type of port to Local Port and select Next.
5. Type \\HostName\ShareName as the port name and select OK.
6. Pick the printer model or select Have Disk and point to the driver, then print a test page.

Fix 7. Restart Print Spooler and clear stuck jobs on both PCs

5 minutesLow riskIt worked before and nothing changed, or a restart of the host helps for a while. Needs an administrator.

The printer list comes from the host's Print Spooler service. A spooler that hangs on a broken job may not answer your PC, and the result is an empty list. Clearing the spool folder and restarting the service gives it a clean start.

1. Type cmd in the Windows search box, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Select Yes.
2. Type net stop spooler and press Enter.
3. Type del /Q %systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\* and press Enter. This deletes jobs that are waiting to print.
4. Type net start spooler and press Enter.
5. Do the same on the host, then connect from your PC again.

Prefer the Services window? Restart Print Spooler there instead: Check and restart Windows services.

Still getting error 0x00000bc4? Where to look next

The box only says that no printer came back. Windows writes more in its logs and settings. Collect these facts before you change anything else, and send them along if you ask your IT department, the printer maker or Microsoft for help.

• Is it hardware? Almost never. If the printer prints from the host, the printer and its cable are fine. The failure sits between the two PCs.
• Old registry values. Some older guides tell you to create RpcOverNamedPipes and RpcOverTcp. Those are names of options in the policy, not registry values Microsoft documents. The values are the ones in the table above.
• What to send to support: both Windows versions, how the printer is connected, the path you used, the RPC values on both PCs and the PrintService events from the time of the error.

How to keep error 0x00000bc4 from coming back

The error comes back when one PC moves to a new Windows 11 version, when a network is set to Public, or when a firewall rule changes. A few habits keep shared printing working.

Frequently asked questions

What does "Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000bc4)" mean?

It is Windows system error 3012, named ERROR_PRINTER_NOT_FOUND, and its text is "No printers were found." Your PC asked another computer or a print server for a shared printer and got no usable answer. Since Windows 11 version 22H2 the usual reason is that the two PCs use different RPC methods for printing, or a firewall blocks RPC over TCP. Start with Fix 1 to make sure the host can be reached.

How do I fix 0x00000bc4 on Windows 11?

First check that \\HostName opens in File Explorer (Fix 1). Then match the print RPC settings: on your Windows 11 PC, enable Configure RPC connection settings with RPC over named pipes, or on Home set RpcUseNamedPipeProtocol to 1 (Fix 2). The route Microsoft recommends is to allow port 135 and ports 49152 to 65535 into the host from your local network (Fix 3).

How do I fix 0x00000bc4 on Windows 10?

The Windows 11 22H2 change does not apply to a Windows 10 client, so look at the host. If the host runs Windows 11 22H2 or later, it listens on RPC over TCP only by default. Let it listen on named pipes too with RpcProtocols set to 0x7 (Fix 4), or open RPC over TCP on it (Fix 3). Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025.

Why did 0x00000bc4 start after I upgraded to Windows 11?

Because Windows 11 version 22H2 changed print connections between computers. Your PC now asks the host over RPC over TCP by default, and named pipes, the older method, are turned off. If the host is an older Windows or a firewall blocks the TCP ports, the request fails and Windows reports that no printers were found. Fix 2 changes your PC, and Fix 3 changes the host.

Is 0x80070bc4 the same error as 0x00000bc4?

Yes. 0x80070bc4 is the same Windows error 3012 wrapped in the HRESULT form that some programs and logs use. The prefix 0x8007 marks a Windows error, and BC4 is the code itself. The meaning, "No printers were found", and the fixes on this page are the same. If you see it while adding a shared printer, follow the fixes in the same order.

What does "Windows cannot connect to the printer. No printers were found" mean?

It is the same failure seen in the Add a printer wizard or the Connect to Printer box instead of File Explorer. Windows reached for the printer path you typed and the host returned nothing. Check the path \\HostName\ShareName and the share name on the host first (Fix 1), then the RPC settings in Fix 2 to Fix 4. A printer with its own network port is easier to add by IP address (Fix 5).

Is uninstalling a Windows update a good fix for 0x00000bc4?

No. Since Windows 11 22H2, the cause is a change in default settings, not a faulty monthly update, and Microsoft gives settings to adjust it. Removing security updates leaves your PC exposed and the change comes back with the next update. Match the RPC settings with Fix 2 to Fix 4 instead. Older guides suggested pausing updates; that only delays the problem.

Does the printer troubleshooter fix 0x00000bc4?

Rarely. The troubleshooter checks the spooler and the printers already on your PC, but it does not change the print RPC settings that cause most cases, and it cannot open ports on the host. On newer Windows 11 releases the old Run the troubleshooter button may also look different or be gone. Restarting Print Spooler yourself (Fix 7) covers the part it would do, and Fix 1 to Fix 4 cover the rest.

Do I need to change the client or the host?

It depends on which PC runs Windows 11 22H2 or later. If only your PC does, change your PC (Fix 2) or open TCP on the host (Fix 3). If only the host does, change the host (Fix 3 or Fix 4). If both do, opening RPC over TCP on the host from your local network is the route Microsoft recommends. The chart near the top of this page shows the choice.

Erro 0x00000bc4: is there a fix in Portuguese?

This page is in English, but the error is the same in every language: "Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000bc4). No printers were found." The steps work on a Portuguese Windows, with the menu names in Portuguese. The quickest checks are Fix 1 for sharing and Fix 2 for the RPC setting. The registry commands in Fix 2 to Fix 4 are the same in every language.