On Windows 11, starting on version 22H2, the network printing service has changed from “RPC over Named Pipes” to “RPC over TCP.” According to Microsoft, the new change should help improve the security of printers as it enforces more recent and more secure communication methods.
The only caveat is that the communication change may affect how the system connects to printers for the different operations. As a result, the company also provides various methods to customize print service communication settings, including the Group Policy Editor or the Registry Editor to switch to “RPC over Named Pipes” for printing communication and spooler server.
It’s important to note that this change should not affect home printers connected directly to the computer. On the other hand, issues could arise for organizations using print servers. For this reason, Microsoft has also published documentation to help administrators revert to the previous settings.
If you must change the settings back to “RPC over Named Pipes” using the Group Policy Editor on Windows 11, use these instructions:
- To switch from “RPC over Named Pipes” to “RPC over TCP” through Group Policy, enable and select the “RPC over Named Pipes” option for the “Configure RPC connection settings” policy on Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers.
- To enable listening for incoming connections on “RPC over Named Pipes,” enable and change “Protocols to allow for incoming RPC connections” to “RPC over named pipes and TCP.”
- To use a specific port for RPC over TCP communication, enable and specify the port in the “Configure RPC over TCP port” policy.
- To enforce Kerberos authentication, enable and set the “Configure RPC listener settings” policy to allow Kerberos.
If you want to change the settings through the Registry, you can use these instructions:
- To switch the network print settings through the Registry, open Command Prompt (admin) and run this command:
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC" /v RpcUseNamedPipeProtocol /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f - To enable listening for incoming connections, open Command Prompt (admin) and run this command:
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC" /v RpcProtocols /t REG_DWORD /d 0x7 /f - To use a specific port through the Registry, open Command Prompt (admin) and run this command:
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC" /v RpcTcpPort /t REG_DWORD /d <port number> /f - To enforce Kerberos authentication, open Command Prompt (admin) and run this command:
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC" /v ForceKerberosForRpc /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
You can check the Microsoft documentation for additional information. If you are dealing with printer problems, you can troubleshoot and fix virtually any problem with these instructions.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].