Windows 10 has more printer issues, but there's already a fix

By Sean Endicott
published

A new update addresses printing issues caused by a previous update to Windows 10.

Surface Laptop 3 15
Surface Laptop 3 15 (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • A new set of Windows 10 printer issues recently appeared for some people.
  • The issues are caused by an update that was meant to address other printing issues.
  • You can install the update now on affected PCs.

Yet another printing bug affects some Windows 10 PCs that have recently been updated. The March Windows 10 Update (Windows 10 KB50000802 (opens in new tab)) caused some PCs to crash when trying to print to certain types of devices. Microsoft fixed that issue, but the fix seems to have created other printer-related issues.

Now, Microsoft has yet another fix that fixes the last fix. The update is outlined in a Microsoft doc (opens in new tab).

Out-of-band update to address unexpected results when printing from some apps or to some printers Microsoft identified an issue that affects Windows 10 devices which applied the March 2021 security update released March 9, 2021 and the out-of-band updates released March 15, 2021, and a resolution has been expedited. Affected devices might receive unexpected results when printing from some apps or to some printers. Issues might include missing or solid color graphics, misalignment/formatting issues, or printing of blank pages/labels. An out-of-band optional update is now available on the Microsoft Update Catalog and on Windows Update.

Microsoft only recommends downloading the update if you're experiencing the issue. It doesn't appear to be worth grabbing if you don't run into any printer problems. If you do need to download it, you can use the following links:

  • Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows Server, version 20H2 (KB5001649 (opens in new tab))
  • Windows 10, version 2004 and Windows Server, version 2004 (KB5001649 (opens in new tab))
  • Windows 10, version 1909 and Windows Server, version 1909 (KB5001648 (opens in new tab))
  • Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019 (KB5001638 (opens in new tab))
  • Windows 10, version 1803 (KB5001634 (opens in new tab))
  • Windows 10, version 1607 and Windows Server 2016 (KB5001633 (opens in new tab))
  • Windows 10, version 1507 (KB5001631 (opens in new tab))
Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com (opens in new tab).