Office crashes when using virtual printers: Causes, solutions, and prevention

Working with Office suite programs is an essential part of everyday life for millions of users, whether in business or personal settings. However, some users have encountered a particularly frustrating issue: Office closes unexpectedly when trying to print using virtual printers, or in scenarios involving networked printers. This failure can cause data loss and hinder workflow, leading to immediate solutions.

When Office (Become, Excel, PowerPoint…) closes automatically when interacting with virtual or network printers, this is not an isolated failureVarious users have reported similar issues, both on specialized forums and on technical support pages. The causes and solutions can vary, ranging from driver conflicts to internal file corruption, incompatibility issues, or incorrect configurations. In this article, we'll take an in-depth look at all the possible causes, proven solutions, and prevention methods so you can get back to work normally..

Why does Office close when printing to virtual or network printers?

One of the situations that most disconcerts users is Office, especially Word or Excel, automatically closes when trying to print to virtual printers (as PDF, XPS, or similar), or when dealing with network printers. The problem is aggravated if it occurs recurrently or unpredictably, as it can affect all programs in the suite, causing the loss of documents or unsaved information.

Based on the various reports and solutions published in forums, official support and specialized websites, The most common causes of Office closing unexpectedly when using virtual or network printers are the following::

• Conflicts between virtual printer drivers/network printers and OfficeIt is common for older or unstable driver versions to cause incompatibilities and crashes.
• Corrupted files in the Spool folder (print spooler manager) Windows), which can crash the Print Spooler service and cause applications to close when attempting to print.
• Connection issues When the network printer is not available or properly configured, especially in environments with multiple computers connected by different networks (WiFi/cable).
• Office add-ins that interfere with printing, causing crashes or unexpected shutdowns when launching print jobs.
• Compatibility errors between Office and Windows versions, especially after major updates to the operating system or Office itself.
• Corrupted Office files, whether the document itself or internal components after a previous unsaved closure.

How to identify the source of the Office shutdown error

Before we rush into applying solutions, it is important narrow down the source of the problem:

• Does auto-close only occur in one Office application? If it only affects Word, Excel, or PowerPoint individually, it could be an incompatible add-in or corruption specific to that program.
• Does the shutdown occur when printing to all printers or just a specific virtual/network printer? Try changing the default printer or printing to a different printer.
• Did the problem start after a Windows, Office, or printer driver update? Check for date mismatches and reinstall previous versions if necessary.
• Does it only happen in certain documents? If the error occurs only with some files, those files are likely corrupted and need to be repaired.
• Does the loss of connection or shutdown of the network printer coincide with the shutdown? This situation, reported in forums, can cause Office to close because it doesn't correctly detect the assigned printer and doesn't know how to handle the error.

Technical causes: conflict with drivers and Spooler service

One of the Most common technical causes of Office closing when using virtual printers It's a driver conflict. Drivers for virtual printers (such as PDF or XPS) and network printers may be outdated or incompatible with your version of Office or Windows. This can cause Office to be unable to properly communicate with the driver when you send a print job and may close to prevent serious errors. Correctly configure printer and network drivers helps prevent these inconveniences.

Furthermore, corrupted files in the Spool folder (usually located in %systemroot%\System32\Spool\Printers) can cause the Print Spooler service to crash. When this service isn't responding correctly, any application attempting to print (including Office) may automatically close. This happens especially if there are orphaned files, corrupted .SPL or .SHD files, or if antivirus software interferes by constantly scanning this folder.

Step-by-Step Solution: How to Fix Office Crash When Printing to Virtual Printers

Several Effective procedures to resolve unexpected Office shutdowns related to virtual or network printersLet's break down each of them:

1. Update and verify printer drivers

• Download the latest version of the driver for your virtual or network printer from the official website of the manufacturer.
• If you still have problems after updating, try using the generic driver included with Windows (in the case of physical printers) or a recognized alternative for virtual printers.
• On network printers, make sure that all computers use the same network driver and that the printer is correctly accessible on the local network.

2. Clean the Print Spool folder

• Accede to %systemroot%\System32\Spool\Printers and deletes all old files. You must first stop the Print Spooler service (from services.msc), delete the files and restart the service.
• Too many orphaned files in this folder cause errors in the print service, affecting Office and other applications.

3. Disable advanced printing features

• In the printer properties, go to the “Advanced Options” or “Advanced” tab and uncheck the “Enable advanced printing features” box. Sometimes these functions, which are unnecessary for most users, cause incompatibilities with Office and virtual drivers.

4. Check and repair your Office installation

• In the Control Panel, go to “Programs and Features,” find Office, right-click, and choose “Change.”
• Choose “Quick repair” (or online repair if the first one doesn't resolve the issue), and follow the wizard to restore damaged files or corrupted settings.
• Then check if the problem persists when printing to the virtual or network printer.

5. Repair damaged Office files

Sometimes an unexpected shutdown of Office can leave documents incomplete or damaged. There are third-party tools, such as EaseUS Fixo, that allow you to repair damaged Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents for this type of error. The process is usually simple: add the files and choose the repair option.

6. Start Office in safe mode

• Use the key combination Windows + R, writes excel.exe /safe, winword.exe /safe o powerpnt.exe /safe as appropriate, and press Enter.
• El safe mode Disables add-ons and custom settings that may be causing the automatic shutdown.
• If the problem disappears like this, the source is likely third-party add-ons; disable all of them and re-enable them one by one to identify the culprit.

7. Disable conditional formatting rules and COM add-ins (Excel in particular)

• In Excel, go to “File > Options > Add-ins,” select “COM Add-ins,” and click “Go.”
• Uncheck all add-ins and accept. Restart Excel and try again.
• If you're using conditional formatting rules on a specific file, temporarily delete them from "Conditional Formatting > Clear Rules from Entire Sheet" to rule out that as the cause of the closure.

Special scenarios: Office in networks and multi-user environments

According to user forums, When Office is installed on computers connected to different networks (cable and WiFi), and a network printer is used, printing errors may occur that result in Word or Excel closing.This is usually due to connectivity issues (for example, if the printer is turned off or not accessible from the computer you are trying to print from).

Recommendations in these cases:

• Make sure all computers see the network printer and have access permissions..
• Set the printer as “shared” from the main computer and check that it is active.
• Avoid sending printouts if the printer or host computer is turned off; Word may close automatically if it doesn't detect the printer.

Preventing and recovering files after unexpected shutdowns

The most serious consequence of closing Office when printing is the loss of unsaved documents. However, Microsoft Office includes mechanisms such as “Automatic Recovery”:

• Upon reopening Office after an unexpected shutdown, look for the file recovery panel; it will usually appear on the left side. Select the files and save them with "Save As."
• To manually search for unsaved files, go to “File > Open > Recent Workbooks” and find the “Recover Unsaved Workbooks” option.
• Remember activate auto-save (AutoSave) if you work with important documents.

Review and optimization of printing-related system services

In corporate environments or with print servers, The Print Spooler service is keyThere are good practices to ensure proper operation and prevent Office from crashing:

• Check that only RpcSs is the active dependency of the Spooler service in the Windows Registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Spooler). For more details, see the Windows WSB sandbox.
• Check your Spool folder periodically to delete old or corrupted files.
• If you're using antivirus software, add exclusions for .SHD and .SPL files, and the Spool folder path to prevent unwanted print crashes.
• On virtual or lab printers, you can test the NUL port to simulate print jobs without affecting the paper or other jobs in progress.

Information gathering and error auditing on printers

If the problem persists despite everything, It may be useful to enable error auditing on printers to identify access or permission failures on specific printers. This can be done from the "Security" tab of the printer properties, adding auditing for the users or groups concerned, and selecting the error checkbox for the appropriate actions.

Additional tips for a stable printing environment with Office

• Keep your Office and Windows always up to date, both the system and the printer drivers (virtual, network and physical).
• Avoid installing unnecessary add-ons and disable them all to prevent incompatibilities.
• Check the connectivity of your network printers before you begin working with important documents.
• Make regular backups of your files, especially if your workflow depends on frequently printing Office documents.

Troubleshooting Office crashes while printing requires an approach that includes updating, repairing, and managing issues. Temporary files, in addition to proper network and driver configuration. By following these steps and maintaining a clean and updated environment, you'll significantly reduce errors and ensure a more stable and secure printing experience, protecting your work and preventing data loss.

Related article:

How to share folders between the host and virtual machines in Hyper-V

Isaac

Passionate writer about the world of bytes and technology in general. I love sharing my knowledge through writing, and that's what I'll do on this blog, show you all the most interesting things about gadgets, software, hardware, tech trends, and more. My goal is to help you navigate the digital world in a simple and entertaining way.