Print management on Windows is a central way to manage your printers and printing options. You can use print management to control which users have access to printers, as well as set printing preferences such as paper size and quality. However, sometimes you may find the print management console missing from your computer. In most cases, the problem occurs after updating Windows to the latest version.

Here are some potential solutions to help you resolve the issue.

1. Restart Your Computer

If you're getting an error when trying to open Printmanagement.msc, try restarting your computer. This might fix the problem if it's simply a glitch.

2. Add the Print Management Feature Manually

In case restarting doesn't work, open the Start menu and search for "Printmanagement.msc". If it doesn't show up in the search results, it seems that the Print Management feature isn't installed on your computer. In that case, you will have to manually add it. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click on Start and select Settings from the Power User menu.
  2. Select Apps from the left side of the Settings window.
  3. In the right pane, click on Optional features.
    Installing Print Management Via Optional Feature
  4. Next to "Add an optional feature", click View features.
    Add an optional feature
  5. Search for "Print Management" in the next dialog box.
  6. Once you find it, click on the Print Management checkbox.
  7. Click Next > Install to add the feature.
    Install Print Management

The process will take a while, so after it has been added, you can check that the problem still exists. If yes, try the next solution on the list.

3. Clear the Printer Spooler Files

Windows uses a print spooler to manage all the print jobs that are waiting to be sent to your printer. Over time, the spooler can fill up with old or corrupt files, which can cause errors. So, if you're getting an error when trying to open Printmanagement.msc, it might be because your print spooler is full.

To fix this, you'll need to clean out the print spooler. Here's how to clean it out and get things working again.

  1. Click on the Start menu and search for "Services."
  2. Select the result at the top of the list.
  3. In the Services window, scroll down and search for "Print Spooler."
  4. Once you find the application, double-click on it to open the Properties window.
  5. On the "General" tab, check if the "Service status" is Running. If yes, click the Stop button to stop it.
    Stop Print Spooler application
  6. When you are done making changes, click OK to save them.
  7. Now press Win + I on your keyboard to open the Run Command dialog box.
  8. Type %WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers in the dialog box and press Enter.
    Open Print Spooler files
  9. If this is your first time opening this folder, you may be prompted that you don't have permission to access it. Click Continue to grant permanent access to this folder.
  10. On the following screen, select and delete all contents of the folder.
  11. Now go back to Services and open the Print Spooler Properties window.
  12. Click the Start button to run the Service status. Also, make sure the "Startup type" dropdown menu is set to Automatic.
    Start Print Spooler application
  13. Finally, click Apply and then OK to save the changes.

If you have done all the steps above, it should fix the problem. If not, try the next solution.

4. Run SFC and DISM Scan

If Print Management goes missing on Windows due to corruption of system files, the next course of action is to run DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) and SFC (System File Checker). It scans all protected system files and replaces corrupted files with cached copies that are stored in compressed formats.

The steps below will guide you through running DISM and SFC scans:

  1. Click the Start menu and search for "Command Prompt."
  2. Right-click on the search result and select Run as administrator.
  3. If UAC appears on the screen, click Yes to open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
    SFC and DISM Scan
  4. Type the following command in the Command Prompt window and hit Enter:
            sfc /scannow
        

It may take some time for the scan to complete, so please be patient.

After the SFC scan is complete, run Deployment Image Servicing and Management to repair corrupted system images and restore system files. The steps are as follows:

  • Run Command Prompt as an administrator. If you need help with this, see how to run the Command Prompt as an administrator.
  • Type the following command into the command prompt and press Enter:
            DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
    Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

The process may take some time to complete. After you have executed the DISM command, restart your computer to see if the problem has been resolved.

5. Update the Printer Driver

If you still can't get it to work, it's likely that the printer driver you're using is outdated. In that case, updating your printer driver will solve the problem for you.

To update your printer driver, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click Start and select Device Manager. Alternatively, you can also use the Run command to open it. For this, press Win + R, type "devmgmt.msc," and press Enter.
  2. In Device Manager, find your printer under the "Print queues" category.
  3. Now right-click on your printer driver and choose Update driver from the context menu.
    Update Printer driver
  4. If you're prompted to choose how you want to search for drivers, select "Search automatically for drivers." Windows will then search for and install the latest drivers for your printer.

Once the drivers have been updated, try opening Print Management again. The "Printmanagement.msc not found" error should now be fixed. If updating your printer driver doesn't fix the problem, you can also try uninstalling and reinstalling your printer.

6. Check For Windows Update

An outdated Windows operating system can often result in printmanagement.msc error messages. So, if you continue to have this problem, Windows Update may help.

To run Windows Update, follow these steps:

  1. Press Win + I on your keyboard to open System Settings.
  2. Scroll down and click Windows Update in the left pane.
  3. Click Check for updates on the right to see if there are any updates.
  4. If new updates are available, they will begin downloading automatically.
  5. Once the update has been completed, restart your computer and check if it resolves your issue.

Having printer-related issues on your computer is common, but fortunately, the information above will help you resolve them. If none of these solutions work, you can try restoring Windows to an earlier point. This will revert any recent changes that might have caused the printmanagement.msc file to go missing.