macOS printing fails after Windows server upgrade

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Level 1

4 points

macOS printing fails after Windows server upgrade

Good day

I have upgraded the Windows print server from Windows 2016 to Windows 2025. And since that upgrade Apple Mac users are unable to print to the Windows print queue. Printing goes through smb and you need to authenticate, so IPP and LPD printing is not an option.

The below entries were observed repeatedly in the macOS CUPS logs:

rpc_open_printer: RPC error 0x16c9a034

RpcOpenPrinterEx returned 0xc002001d

Unable to connect to printer

/usr/libexec/cups/backend/smb

Backend returned status 1 (failed)

Printer stopped due to backend errors

Has anybody come across errors like this and what did you do to solve it?

Regards,

Ciska

MacBook Pro (M2 Max, 2023)

Posted on May 15, 2026 7:08 AM

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Answer 1

MrHoffman

Level 10

155,213 points

May 15, 2026 7:33 AM in response to ciska101

Use your Microsoft Windows Server support, and escalate this to Microsoft.

The Windows Server forums have some troubleshooting suggestions:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/3855886/windows-2025-server-and-printer-sharing

(and the Windows Server forums are likely a better place for help with Windows Server too, given nothing changed on the Apple side of this configuration.)

Reddit too has some suggestions, particularly that last bit about SMB Kerberos hardening seems potentially relevant:

https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1sv4qox/windows_server_2025_cus_broke_macos_printing_smb/

I’d also ask what’s in the Windows Server SMB RPC and related logs here too, but don’t bother posting that as I am also wildly unfamiliar with configuring and troubleshooting Windows Server, and with Windows Server authentication. (And probably wouldn’t have Windows Server even doing any of this, either.)

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