How to Fix Acrobat DC Cannot Find an Installed Printer
Question details
The user is unable to select their preferred installed printer from the print dialog in Acrobat DC, despite the printer functioning correctly in other applications.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to print a PDF document using a preferred printer.
- Observed behavior
- Acrobat DC only displays an older, incorrect printer in the print dialog and fails to list the actively installed printer that is recognized by the rest of the system.
Before troubleshooting Acrobat DC, ensure that your printer is turned on, properly connected to your computer or network, and set as the default printer in your operating system's hardware settings.
Verify and Refresh System-Level Printer Installation
Acrobat DC relies on the operating system's print spooler to display available printers. Verifying the installation at the system level and refreshing the connection usually resolves the issue.
Acrobat normally displays all printers installed and supported by the operating system. It does not natively discriminate or exclude specific active printers.
If a printer works in other apps but is missing in Acrobat, the system's print spooler or the specific printer driver may need to be refreshed so Acrobat can properly detect it upon launch.
Completely exit Adobe Acrobat DC to ensure it queries the system for printers fresh upon its next launch.
Navigate to your computer's control panel or system settings. On Windows, go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners. On Mac, go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
Locate the missing printer in the list. Ensure it does not say 'Offline' or have an error status. If it has duplicates, remove the older entries.
Right-click the preferred printer and select 'Set as default printer'. This forces the operating system to prioritize this printer for applications.
Reopen your PDF document in Acrobat DC, press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on Mac), and check the printer drop-down menu to see if the missing printer is now available.
Print PDF Documents Without Printer Errors Using WPS Office
If Acrobat DC persistently fails to recognize your printer, you can use WPS Office as a fast and reliable alternative. Its built-in PDF reader perfectly interacts with all your system printers, ensuring you can print your documents immediately without advanced troubleshooting.
- 1. Download and Install: Download WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your computer.
- 2. Open Your PDF: Right-click the PDF file you need to print, choose 'Open With', and select WPS Office.
- 3. Access the Print Menu: Click the 'Print' icon on the top toolbar or press the Ctrl+P keyboard shortcut.
- 4. Select Printer and Print: Choose your preferred printer from the drop-down list (which WPS Office automatically detects from your OS) and click 'Print'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my printer show up in Word but not in Acrobat DC?
Acrobat DC uses specific driver protocols to render complex graphical and text elements in PDFs. If a printer's driver is outdated, basic applications like Word might still communicate with it, but Acrobat may fail to recognize it as a supported device.
How do I force Acrobat DC to refresh its printer list?
Acrobat DC queries the operating system for available printers only during its launch sequence. To refresh the list, you must completely close Acrobat DC and reopen it.
Can a corrupted Acrobat installation cause missing printers?
Yes, if the internal files that Acrobat uses to communicate with the operating system's print spooler become corrupted, it may fail to display newly installed printers. You can often resolve this by selecting 'Repair Installation' from the Help menu in Acrobat.
