Fix: Operation failed with error code 0x0000011b (for Windows 10/11)

Shared printers are common in both work and home environments. However, since 2021, there have been numerous reports of issues with shared printers, displaying the error message "The operation failed. Error 0x0000011b." As of this article's publication, Microsoft has not released a comprehensive fix for this issue. This article will outline some solutions that have proven effective.

What does the error code '0x0000011b' mean?

This issue pertains to a printer connectivity error. It occurs when a personal computer fails to connect to a printer that is shared on another computer, subsequently preventing printing tasks from being executed. The shared printer appears to be functioning normally and accessible on the remote computer. This problem may also arise when attempting to download printer drivers. It is not specific to either Windows 10 or Windows 11; both operating systems can be affected by this issue.

Causes of the 0x0000011b Error Code

Microsoft released a security patch to protect Windows 10 and 11 from the Windows Print Spooler Spoofing vulnerability, which ended up causing a remote code execution bug. The affected patches are KB5005565 and KB5005568. These patches impacted the ability to connect to a printer remotely over a shared network and required administrator privileges.

How to fix the 0x0000011b error code?

To address the Spooler issue, a couple of effective temporary fixes have been approved to resolve this problem. A quick solution is to allow managed users to install printer drivers. Alternatively, you can restore the default settings of the Windows Print Spooler patch by disabling it. Here are the detailed steps for both methods.

Method 1: Reinstall Printer Driver Without Admin Privileges
As mentioned, when the 0x0000011b error occurs, only connections with admin privileges can print to the target printer. To resolve this, you'll need to modify a registry key. Follow these steps:

Press the Windows key + R to open the Registry Editor.

2. Search for “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint” at the top.

• Change the default to 0.
• Click OK.

Method 2: Revert the Settings Changed by the Update Patch

Please see the step-by-step guide below.

1. Open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to the "Print" section by going to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print, or you can just search for it at the top.
3. Edit the "Default" file and set its value to 0.

Method 3: Uninstall the Update

The other is to uninstall the offending patch, reversing the change it made, while leaving the vulnerability that it was supposed to fix. But that may be a temporary measure, until Microsoft issues an official fix.

The fix is easy, according to the instructions. Simply go to Settings > Update & Security > View installed updates, and uninstall KB5005565.

1. Open Settings from the Windows Start button. 2. Go to Update & Security. 3. Click on View update history. 4. Under the Uninstall updates option, search for KB5005565.

These methods work for both Windows 10 and 11. Now that you know the cause, applying any fix is straightforward. The first two methods are temporary fixes and the problem may reappear. The KB uninstallation method is risky but addresses the issue at its core.