Microsoft Print to PDF Broken After Windows Update—Here’s What’s Going On

Microsoft’s June update has quietly broken one of Windows’ most-used features—Print to PDF. For many users, it’s just… gone. Microsoft knows. And yes, there’s a fix—sort of.

A Handy Tool That Quietly Vanished

Printing a document to PDF on Windows used to be simple. Open your file, hit Print, select “Microsoft Print to PDF” instead of a real printer, and boom—you’ve got a PDF. No need to download anything, no online tools, no fuss.

But now, for many users, that option has simply disappeared.

After installing update KB5055627—rolled out as part of the June 10 patch—Windows users began reporting the sudden absence of the Print to PDF feature. Microsoft acknowledged the issue on its support page for KB5060842, confirming the problem stems from the update affecting the virtual printer’s availability and functionality.

What’s Broken and Why

The issue is more than just a missing option—it’s a system-level glitch. Here’s what’s going wrong:

Two things are happening:

• The “Microsoft Print to PDF” printer vanishes from Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.

• Enabling the feature manually throws an error: 0x800f0922.

This error appears when Windows attempts to reinstall the virtual printer driver, usually located in:
C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository

Some users have reported that even if the feature seems installed, it doesn’t work. Files don’t get created, or printing fails silently.

It’s frustrating. Especially because, well, it was working just fine before.

Microsoft’s Official Workaround (Yes, It’s a Bit Clunky)

Microsoft hasn’t pushed out a full fix just yet. But if you’re running into trouble, they’ve offered a couple of manual solutions on their support page.

The first is straightforward:

1. Press Windows + R

2. Type: optional features

3. Hit Enter

4. In the dialog, find and enable Microsoft Print to PDF

If that doesn’t help, there’s a PowerShell workaround. Here’s how to do it:

• Open PowerShell as Administrator.

• Run the following two commands (yes, both):

Microsoft warns the second command may throw the same error again—but weirdly, it might still work afterward. Go figure.

Who’s Affected?

It’s unclear how widespread the bug is. Not every machine running the update has reported problems. But Microsoft has confirmed it on the record, so it’s not just an isolated case.

Anecdotal evidence from Reddit threads and Microsoft’s Feedback Hub suggests that it’s affecting a variety of system configurations, particularly:

• Devices running Windows 10 version 22H2

• Users who recently reinstalled Windows or performed a system reset

• Machines with custom group policies or update restrictions

One person noted that reinstalling the driver manually via Device Manager didn’t help. Another tried deleting registry keys. Neither worked.

Here’s What You Can Do (Besides Waiting)

If you’re tired of fiddling with PowerShell and optional features, you do have alternatives. And to be honest, they might actually be better—especially if you work with PDFs regularly.

Some solid third-party PDF printers and editors include:

• PDF24 Creator: Lightweight, free, and reliable.

• CutePDF Writer: Hasn’t changed much in years, but still works.

• Foxit PDF Editor: More than just printing—offers editing, annotation, merging, and more.

Third-party tools often give you options the built-in Microsoft one doesn’t, like merging PDFs, compressing them, or encrypting with a password.

One of our writers recently reviewed a dozen free PDF editors and landed on a clear winner—so it might be time to make the switch.

Historical Bugs and Microsoft’s Update Record

Let’s be real—this isn’t the first time a Windows update messed with something basic. If we had a dollar for every time a patch broke printers or network adapters, well, we could probably buy Adobe Acrobat.

Here’s a quick table of notable Windows update mishaps over the last few years:

So yeah, history repeats. But this time it hit a feature that many office workers, students, and remote teams rely on every day.

Not a Dealbreaker, But Definitely a Headache

For most people, losing Print to PDF isn’t the end of the world. But it’s a paper cut—the kind that sneaks up on you in a workday and throws off your flow. You’re trying to send a form, submit an invoice, or just save a receipt, and suddenly the thing you took for granted is… gone.

And sure, there are workarounds. But not everyone is comfortable poking around in PowerShell. Not everyone wants to download more software just to save a PDF.

You know how it goes: it’s not broken until you need it.

Patch Expected Soon, But No Official ETA Yet

Microsoft hasn’t said when a full fix will roll out. But given that it’s been added to the official known issues list, it’s probably a priority.

Until then, those stuck without the feature can either try the fixes—or start auditioning third-party tools.