What is ‘Printer error 0x8000ffff’ in Windows 10?

If you are experiencing ‘Printer error 0x8000ffff’ error in your Windows 10/11 computer when your Printer fails to do printing job, then you are in right-place for the solution. Here, you will be guided with easy steps/methods to resolve the issue. Let’s starts the discussion.

‘Printer error 0x8000ffff’ error – Catastrophic failure: It is common Windows Problem considered as Printer error. This Printer error is usually appeared when the printer fails to do printing job in your Windows 10/11 computer. This error is appeared with messege saying ‘Operation could not be completed (error 0x8000ffff), Catastrophic failure’.

One possible reason behind this Printer error can be the issue with printer hardware and its connection. You should make sure your printer hardware is in working condition like make you’re your printer have properly installed ink cartridge and have enough paper for printing on it. Also, make sure your printer device is properly connected to your Windows 10/11 computer and your printer is detected your Windows computer in ‘Printer and Devices’ or ‘Printers & Scanner’ in your computer’s settings.

If you have investigated that there is no issue with printer device hardware and its connection but still you are facing the issue, it might possible something went wrong in your Windows computer that’s causing Printer error 0x8000ffff Catastrophic failure while trying printing operation. The possible reasons behind this issue can be outdated/corrupted printer driver, print spooler service not running properly, printer is not properly installed and others.

Sometimes, this printer can be occurred due to some temporary glitch in your Windows computer and printer device. You can just restart both Windows computer and printer device in order to fix the issue. However, it is possible to resolve the issue with our instructions. Let’s go for the solution.

How to fix Printer error 0x8000ffff Catastrophic failure in Windows 10/11?

Method 1: Fix ‘Printer error 0x8000ffff’ error with ‘PC Repair Tool’

‘PC Repair Tool’ is easy & quick way to find and fix BSOD errors, DLL errors, EXE errors, problems with programs/applications, malware or viruses issues, system files or registry issues, and other system issues with just few clicks. You can get this tool through button/link below.

⇓ Get PC Repair Tool

Method 2: Update Printer Driver in Windows PC

Corrupted/outdated printer driver could be one possible reason behind the issue. You can update the printer driver in order to fix the issue.

Step 1: Open ‘Device Manager’ in Windows 10 via Windows Search Box and expand ‘Printers’ or ‘Print Queues’ category

Step 2: Right-click on your printer device, and select ‘Update Driver’. Follow on-screen instructions to finish update. Once done, restart your computer to see the changes.

Download or reinstall Printer driver update in Windows 10 [Automatically]

You can also try to update all Windows drivers including printer drivers with ‘Automatic Driver Update Tool’. You can get this tool through button/link below.

⇓ Get Automatic Driver Update Tool

Method 3: Run ‘Printer’ troubleshooter

Windows 10 build-in ‘Printer’ troubleshooter can resolve the issue. Let’s try.

Step 1: Open ‘Settings’ App in Windows 10 via Windows Search Box and go to ‘Update & Security > Troubleshooter > Additional Troubleshooters’

Step 2: Find and select ‘Printer’ troubleshooter, and click on ‘Run the troubleshooter’ button. Follow on-screen instructions to finish troubleshooting and once done, please check if the error is resolved.

Method 4: Restart ‘Print Spooler’ service in Windows 10

One possible way to fix the issue is to stop ‘Print Spooler’ service in Windows 10 and then restart the service.

Step 1: Press ‘Windows + R’ keys on keyboard, type ‘services.msc’ in the opened ‘Run’ window and hit ‘Ok’ button to open ‘Services’ window

Step 2: In the opened window, find and right-click on ‘Print Spooler’ service, and select ‘Stop’ to stop the service.

Step 3: After few seconds/minutes, right-click on ‘Print Spooler’ service again, and select ‘Start’ or ‘Restart’ option to restart the service. Once done, check if the issue is resolved.

Method 5: Reinstall the printer

If the issue is still persist, then you can reinstall the printer in your Windows 10 computer and check if it works for you.

Step 1: At first, disconnect your printer from computer, and uninstall all the printer related software from your computer.

Step 2: Now, connect your printer to computer and turn ON your printer

Step 3: Now, open ‘Settings’ App in Windows 10 via Windows Search and go to ‘Devices > Printers & Scanners’, in right-pane, click on ‘Plus (+)’ sign saying ‘Add a printer or scanner’ and wait for while the system searches for your printer

Step 4: Once your device completes the searching process, select your printer from list of devices appear and click ‘Add Device’ button. Once the printer is installed, try printing in  your Windows 10 computer and check if the issue is resolved.

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you on How to fix Printer error 0x8000ffff Catastrophic failure error in Windows 10/11 with easy steps/methods. We discussed here that this printer prevents you from doing printing job in your Windows computer possibly due to corrupted/outdated printer driver, print spooler service not running properly, and printer is not installed properly in your computer. You can read & follow our instructions to resolve the issue. That’s all. For any suggestions or queries, please write on comment box below.