The error Your printer has experienced an unexpected configuration problem (0x800706b5) stops a working printer in its tracks. You can usually still scan or print from a phone, but the document refuses to print from your PC. The cause is almost always on the Windows side, with corrupted or outdated printer drivers, a stalled Print Spooler service, or a conflicting background program being the usual culprits.

Quick answer: Remove the printer from Control Panel and add it again. If the error returns, stop the Print Spooler service, delete everything inside C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, restart the service, then reinstall the latest driver from your printer maker.

What error 0x800706b5 means for printing

The 0x800706b5 code appears next to the configuration message when Windows cannot hand a job to the printer correctly. It is one of a family of related codes that show up with the same wording. The fixes below apply across them, but knowing the variant can hint at the underlying cause.

Error code	Common cause
0x800706b5	Driver or Windows Update component problem
0x80070002	Misconfigured or missing printer files
0x8007007e	Spool folder contents need clearing
0x80004005	Generic configuration failure; reinstall printer
0x80070709	Driver conflict after reinstalling
0x000003e3	I/O operation aborted during printing

Note: The same 0x800706b5 code also shows up for Xbox Game Pass and Windows Update problems. The steps here are written only for the printing version of the error.

Remove and re-add the printer

The fastest fix is to delete the printer and set it up fresh. This clears a broken configuration without touching anything else.

Open Control Panel and go to Devices and Printers. Right-click your printer and choose Remove device.

Add the printer again so Windows rebuilds its settings. If the printer prints normally afterward, the problem is solved. If the message returns, move to the driver fixes below.

Run the Printer Troubleshooter

Windows 11 and 10 include a built-in printer troubleshooter that checks for the most common faults and applies automatic fixes. It is a low-risk first step that often clears the configuration error on its own.

Open the troubleshooter for printers from Windows settings and let it scan.

Apply any fix it recommends, then try printing again. You will know it worked when the document prints without the 0x800706b5 message.

HP printer owners can run the dedicated HP Print and Scan Doctor, which detects the printer, checks the connection, and offers a one-click Fix Printing option. You can download it from HP support.

Update, uninstall, and reinstall the printer driver

A corrupted or outdated driver is the most common reason behind this error. Drivers connect the printer hardware to Windows, and a broken one cannot pass jobs through correctly. Start by updating, then do a clean reinstall if the message persists.

Press Win + X and open Device Manager. Expand the Print queues node.

Right-click your printer driver and choose Update driver, then select Search automatically for drivers and let Windows install the best match.

If the error continues, right-click the printer driver again and choose Uninstall device.

Visit your printer manufacturer’s website, download the latest full driver package for your exact model, and run the installer. Reconnect the USB cable only if the setup asks for it.

Tip: For a deeper cleanup, open Run, type printui.exe /s (note the space before the slash), open the Drivers tab, and remove any leftover entry for your printer before reinstalling. This stops an old driver from clashing with the new one.

Clear the print queue and spooler files

Stuck jobs in the spool folder can keep the printer in a bad state. Clearing them and restarting the Print Spooler service resets the queue and often clears the configuration error.

Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. Find Print Spooler, right-click it, and choose Stop.

Open File Explorer and go to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. Select everything inside and delete it.

Return to the Services window, right-click Print Spooler, and choose Start. Try printing again to confirm the queue is clear.

If you prefer the command line, you can stop and start the service with two commands.

net stop spooler
net start spooler

Install pending Windows updates

The 0x800706b5 code is frequently tied to a Windows Update component that has not finished installing. If updates were downloaded but not applied, the printer can fail until your PC completes them.

Right-click the Start button and look for an Update and restart option in the shutdown menu, then let the pending updates install during the reboot.

After Windows finishes, print a test page. If the document prints, the missing update was the cause.

To catch corrupted system files at the same time, open Command Prompt as administrator and run the System File Checker.

sfc /scannow

Let the scan reach 100 percent. It replaces damaged Windows files with cached copies and reports when repairs are done.

Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot state

A third-party program running in the background can interfere with printing. A Clean Boot starts Windows with only essential services so you can rule that out.

Press Win + R, type msconfig, open the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services, then disable the remaining ones. Use Task Manager’s Startup tab to disable startup apps.

Restart and try printing. If the error is gone, re-enable services and startup apps a few at a time, rebooting between rounds, until the conflicting program reappears with the error. Uninstall that program once you find it.

Most people clear 0x800706b5 by removing and re-adding the printer or by doing a clean driver reinstall, so start there before moving to the spooler reset and Clean Boot checks. You will know the fix has held when a document prints from your PC without the configuration message returning. If every step fails and only your computer triggers the error while phone printing still works, the printer may need service from its manufacturer.