Fix Missing Printers in Adobe Acrobat Reader Print Dialog
Question details
The user is unable to find their installed printers in the Adobe Acrobat Reader print dialog despite them being available in other applications.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Opening a PDF file in Acrobat Reader and attempting to print it.
- Observed behavior
- Available system printers are missing from the destination list when the print dialog is opened for the first time, even though they function in Microsoft Word and Excel.
Verify that your printer is turned on, properly connected to your network or PC, and can successfully print a test page from Microsoft Word or a web browser.
Restart Acrobat Reader and the Windows Print Spooler
Restarting the application and the computer's printing service forces Acrobat Reader to rescan for available system printers.
Acrobat Reader may occasionally fail to initialize the Windows Print Spooler data during its first launch. A quick restart of the application or the system usually resolves this miscommunication.
Completely exit Adobe Acrobat Reader and ensure it is not running in the background.
Rebooting your computer will automatically refresh the Windows Print Spooler, which handles the list of available printers.
Open your PDF file again, click on 'File', and select 'Print'. Check the printer dropdown list to see if the missing printers have been restored.
Repair or Update Acrobat Reader
Use the built-in repair tool to fix corrupted installation files or update the software to patch known printing bugs.
Print PDFs Effortlessly with WPS Office
If Acrobat Reader continues to struggle with printer recognition, use WPS Office as a reliable alternative. Its built-in, fast PDF reader flawlessly detects all system printers, ensuring your documents are printed without any hassle.
- 1. Install WPS Office: Download and install the free WPS Office suite from the official website.
- 2. Open Your PDF: Right-click your PDF document, hover over 'Open with', and choose WPS Office from the context menu.
- 3. Access Print Settings: Click the Print icon on the top toolbar or simply press 'Ctrl + P' to launch the print dialog.
- 4. Select Printer and Print: Choose the desired printer from the fully-populated dropdown list and click 'Print' to complete the task.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my printers appear in Word but not in Acrobat Reader?
Acrobat Reader uses a specialized print dialog that can sometimes time out or fail to load system printer profiles upon its initial launch, whereas Microsoft Word communicates directly with Windows services in real-time.
How can I manually restart the Print Spooler in Windows?
Press 'Win + R' on your keyboard, type 'services.msc', and hit Enter. Scroll through the list to find 'Print Spooler', right-click it, and choose 'Restart'. Restarting this service often fixes missing printers in PDF readers.
Can I use WPS Office to read and print PDFs for free?
Yes, WPS Office includes a fast and comprehensive PDF Reader and Editor. You can view, annotate, and print PDF files seamlessly without needing any extra plugins or subscriptions.
