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🧹 Clean Removal and Re Add

Remove a Shared Printer Completely and Add It Back the Clean Way

You removed the printer, added it back, and got the same 0x0000011b. That is because the icon is only the surface — the saved connection and the driver copy stayed behind. Here is the full removal, in the order that actually clears it.

✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows 10 / 11⏱️ 8 minute read
🎥 The video shows the remove and re-add sequence — this page adds the driver-store step it depends on

A shared-printer connection on a client PC has three layers: the queue you see, the driver package stored on the PC, and the spooler's memory of both. Deleting the queue leaves the other two untouched, so the 'new' connection quietly reuses the same possibly stale driver — and fails the same way. Work through all three layers once, properly, and the re-add becomes a genuinely fresh connection.

Print Server Properties — driver store (example)

printui /s /t2  —  Drivers tab

OfficePrinter driver (x64)Old version still stored
Remove button greyed outA queue still uses this driver
Remove driver and driver packageThe choice that actually cleans

👆 The driver store most quick fixes never open (recreated panel; entries are examples)

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Step One — Remove the Queue Everywhere It Exists

  1. Settings → Bluetooth and devices → Printers and scanners → the shared printer → Remove
  2. Also check the old Control Panel → Devices and Printers; a duplicate entry there keeps the driver in use
  3. Cancel or delete any stuck jobs in the queue first — a queue with pending jobs resists removal
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Step Two — Remove the Driver Package From the Store

  1. Press Windows + R, type printui /s /t2, open the Drivers tab
  2. Select the driver for that printer model and choose Remove → Remove driver and driver package
  3. If removal is refused, a queue still references the driver — go back to step one, or restart the Print Spooler and try again

Honest expectation: on a healthy PC this step alone does not fix 0x0000011b, because that error is a security-level refusal, not a driver fault. This cleanup earns its place when the error survives patch matching — then a stale driver is the next real suspect, and now it is gone.

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Step Three — Clear Stuck Spool Files

  1. Open services.msc and Stop the Print Spooler
  2. Open C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete any leftover job files inside (the folder itself stays)
  3. Start the Print Spooler again

Only files in that one folder. Never delete anything else under the spool directory, and never do this on the host while the office is mid-print-run.

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Step Four — Add It Back as a Fresh Connection

  1. Press Windows + R and type the share path, for example \\HOST-PC\OfficePrinter, then double-click the printer to connect
  2. Windows now pulls a fresh driver copy from the host — watch it complete instead of assuming
  3. Print a test page and confirm the queue shows no error state

If the connection still returns 0x0000011b after patch matching and this clean rebuild, the disagreement really is the security level — return to the update comparison, because the driver was never the culprit.

🔴 Order matters: patch level first, cleanup second. A perfectly cleaned client connecting to a mismatched host fails identically. This page is the second act, not a substitute for bringing both PCs to the same update level.

🎥 Watch the Full Fix Step by Step

Watch the video for the on-screen flow of removing and reconnecting, then use this checklist to make sure the driver store step is not skipped.

▶️ Watch Full Video
❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Windows refuse to remove the driver package?

Because a printer queue still uses it, or the spooler holds it loaded. Remove every queue for that model first, restart the Print Spooler, and the Remove driver and driver package option will succeed.

Will this delete the printer for other users of the same PC?

Removing the queue removes that connection for the current user; driver package removal affects the machine. On a shared office PC, warn the other users and redo the connection under each account that needs it.

Is the Local Port trick with the UNC path a better fix?

Adding the share as a Local Port pointing at the UNC path can sidestep some connection errors and is a legitimate workaround for stubborn cases. But it hides rather than resolves a patch mismatch, so keep it as plan B after the update levels agree.

This guide is based on the Technical Anshu printer error 0x0000011b fix video • Stuck on a step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply 🙏