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Error 0x80070005: Access is denied when adding a printer

Error 0x80070005 means Windows refused a printer or driver install because something lacked permission. Here is how to find and fix the block.

Updated

What this error means

0x80070005 is the longer code format of Windows error 5, "Access is denied". When it appears while you add a printer, connect to a shared one or install a driver, some part of the process was refused permission: your account, the installer, the Print Spooler's own folders, or security software stepping in. The printer itself is almost never the problem. The fix is about who, or what, is allowed to make changes on the PC.

Common causes

  • Your account isn't an administrator, or the installer wasn't run with admin rights
  • Windows only lets administrators install drivers for shared printers by default
  • A half-finished driver install left files Windows can't overwrite
  • Antivirus or Controlled folder access blocking the installer
  • Damaged permissions on the Print Spooler's folders, or a work policy that restricts printer installs

How to fix it

Start with the first fix. They’re ordered from safest and quickest to most involved.

Fixes for Windows

0 of 7 steps tried

  1. Run the install as an administrator

    Check your account type in Settings > Accounts > Your info; administrator accounts are labeled Administrator under the name. If you're adding the printer through Settings, sign in with an administrator account or enter admin credentials when User Account Control asks. If you're running a driver installer you downloaded, right-click the file and choose Run as administrator. Being signed in as an administrator doesn't make every program run with full rights, so this step matters even on your own PC.

  2. Install the driver before connecting to a shared printer

    Since a 2021 security update, Windows only lets administrators install a driver that comes from a printer shared by another PC, and anyone else gets an access error. Download the driver for your model and Windows version from the manufacturer's official support site, ideally the same version the host PC uses, and install it once as an administrator. Then connect to the shared printer. With the driver already in place, standard accounts on the same PC can connect and print.

  3. Restart the Print Spooler and clear old jobs

    Search for cmd, right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator. Run net stop spooler, then the command below to delete leftover job files, then net start spooler. A stuck job or a spooler holding files open can make an install fail with an access error. Queued print jobs are deleted, so send them again afterwards.

    del /Q /F "%systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.*"

  4. Remove a half-installed driver and try again

    A failed install can leave a driver package behind that is locked or incomplete. Remove the printer in Printers & scanners, then press Win + R and run the command below to open Print Server Properties on the Drivers tab. Select the printer's driver, click Remove and choose Remove driver and driver package. If Windows says the driver is in use, restart the PC and try again, then reinstall as an administrator.

    printui /s /t2

  5. Check whether security software blocked the install

    Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history and look for a block at the time of the error. If Controlled folder access is on (under Ransomware protection), it can stop an installer writing files; allow that specific installer rather than switching the feature off. With third-party antivirus, check its quarantine or log. If you must pause protection to finish an install, do it only for the few minutes the installer runs, only for an installer from the manufacturer's official site, and switch protection straight back on.

  6. Check permissions on the spool folder (Advanced)

    Changing permissions on system folders incorrectly can stop printing altogether, so only check this if the steps above didn't help. In File Explorer, go to C:\Windows\System32\spool, right-click the PRINTERS folder and choose Properties > Security. SYSTEM and Administrators should both have Full control, because the Print Spooler runs as SYSTEM. If SYSTEM is missing or limited, click Edit and allow it Full control. Don't give Everyone or Users extra rights here; that weakens security without fixing the error.

  7. Ask your IT team on a work or school PC

    Managed PCs often have policies that block driver installs or only allow printers from approved print servers, and 0x80070005 is what you see when one of those rules applies. Don't try to work around the policy. Ask your IT team to deploy the printer or approve the driver.

Common questions

Can I turn off the rule that requires administrator rights for printer drivers?

Microsoft documents a registry value that relaxes it, but doing so reopens a known route for attacks through the print system. Installing the driver once as an administrator solves the problem without lowering security.

Is 0x80070005 the same as Access is denied?

Yes. It's the same error shown as a code, typically in the message "Operation failed with error 0x80070005". If the block comes from sharing permissions on the host PC rather than your own, the steps for "Access is denied" on shared printers also apply.

Why does it fail when I am already an administrator?

User Account Control runs programs with standard rights until you approve elevation, so an installer started normally may still be refused. Use Run as administrator, and check security software and the host PC's sharing permissions if it still fails.

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