Print spooler breaks when opening Microsoft word

Phillipus Jonck 0 Reputation points
2026-09-10T12:50:43.88+00:00

I've got a weird one that I can't solve and I'm hoping someone here has seen it before. On one Windows 11 PC, the Print Spooler service stops every single time Microsoft Word is opened. It doesn't matter if I open a document or just launch Word and leave it sitting there within about 10-15 seconds the spooler is gone. Excel, Adobe, Notepad and everything else work perfectly and print fine. Only Word breaks it.

It's not a crash in the normal sense. There's no Event 1000, no "faulting module name", nothing in the Application log, nothing in the System log from the Service Control Manager. The spoolsv.exe process just disappears cleanly. I set the service recovery to restart after 60 seconds and it does come back on its own, but the moment Word is opened again it dies again.

Things removed or cleaned up:

Removed the orphaned AnyDesk port (AD_Port) which was causing a pn64.dll missing module error

  • Fixed the Brother MFC port that had the MAC address set as the hostname instead of the IP

Reverted the WSD Port monitor from BIXOLON's APMon.dll back to WSDMon.dll

Removed the Seagull V3 Network Monitor

Removed both BIXOLON printers, their drivers, their ports (USB001, USB002), and the bixolon.inf driver package

Removed the Brother PC-FAX printer

Removed the Brother MFC printer

  • Removed all orphaned TCP/IP ports

Removed the BIXOLON registry entries under Print Monitors and Ports

Removed the Seagull driver folder from C:\Program Files\Seagull

  • Renamed Seagull_V3_NetMonDispatcher.dll to .bak
  • Cleared the spool folder (C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS) of any queued or stuck print jobs

Office-related things tried:

  • winword /safe still broke
  • winword /a still broke
  • Renamed Normal.dotm still broke
  • Renamed the Templates folder still broke
  • Renamed the Word STARTUP folder still broke
  • Quick Repair still broke
  • Online Repair still broke
  • Full uninstall and reinstall of Microsoft 365 still broke
  • Cleared the Office auth cache (OneAuth, IdentityCache) still broke

Diagnostic things done:

  • Enabled and checked the PrintService Operational log
  • Ran a live spooler watchdog logging thread counts every 2 seconds
  • Checked Event Viewer Application and System logs no spooler crash events
  • Checked spoolsv.exe loaded modules all Microsoft DLLs
  • Checked print providers only Microsoft's inetpp.dll and win32spl.dll
  • Paused ESET real-time protection and Device Control for 10 minutes still broke
  • Confirmed Excel, Adobe, and Notepad all work fine and print fine
  • Set spooler recovery to restart after 60 seconds confirmed it does restart on its own
  • Verified the spooler process terminates cleanly with no error, no faulting module, flat thread count (~16) right up to the moment it disappears Things removed or cleaned up:
    • Removed the orphaned AnyDesk port (AD_Port) which was causing a pn64.dll missing module error
    • Fixed the Brother MFC port that had the MAC address ([Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]) set as the hostname instead of the IP ([Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed])
    • Reverted the WSD Port monitor from BIXOLON's APMon.dll back to WSDMon.dll
    • Removed the Seagull V3 Network Monitor
    • Removed both BIXOLON printers, their drivers, their ports (USB001, USB002), and the bixolon.inf driver package
    • Removed the Brother PC-FAX printer
    • Removed the Brother MFC printer
    • Removed all orphaned TCP/IP ports
    • Removed the BIXOLON registry entries under Print Monitors and Ports
    • Removed the Seagull driver folder from C:\Program Files\Seagull
    • Renamed Seagull_V3_NetMonDispatcher.dll to .bak

I've run out of things to try short of a full Windows reinstall. If anyone has seen this exact pattern particularly after a recent Office update where Word specifically breaks the spooler while other Office apps are fine I'd really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Moved from Windows for business | Windows Client for IT Pros | User experience | Print, fax, and scan

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | Other | Windows
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  1. Xavier-D 12,600 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-11T05:51:27.82+00:00

    Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.  

    Hello Phillipus Jonck,

    You have already covered most of the normal Word, Office, printer-driver, port-monitor, spooler, and antivirus troubleshooting I would normally suggest.

    In particular, the fact that the Print Spooler terminates shortly after Word is opened, while Excel and other applications continue to work, makes this worth investigating diagnostically rather than repeating another Office repair or reinstall.

    Microsoft's general guidance confirms that outdated drivers or print components can cause the Print Spooler to stop responding, and it recommends checking the event logs for initialization problems. Microsoft also recommends collecting diagnostic data when the normal troubleshooting steps do not identify the cause.

    Microsoft: Troubleshoot Print Spooler service not running

    In your case, however, you have an additional complication: spoolsv.exe is apparently terminating without producing the normal Application Error/Event 1000 information that would identify a faulting module.

    Since you have already checked the PrintService Operational log and inspected the loaded spooler modules, I would avoid making further registry, port-monitor, or driver removals without evidence pointing to a specific component.

    At this stage, I think the most useful next step is to capture diagnostic data while reproducing the problem and escalate it to Microsoft Support for analysis. Here is how to contact support:

    Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.  

    1. Open a website link - Contact - Microsoft Support 
    2. In the box below "We're here to help", type Microsoft 365, click "Get Help", and then click "Contact Support" below. 
    3. In this section, you will need to sign in to your Microsoft account. 
    4. Select "Microsoft 365 and Office" under Products & Services, select "Technical Support" as the category, and click to confirm 
    5. You can select " Chat with a support agent in your web browser " to access the chat window. 

    When opening the support case, I would make the reproduction particularly clear:

    1. Start Windows with the Print Spooler running.
    2. Verify that another application can print.
    3. Open Word without opening a document.
    4. Wait until spoolsv.exe terminates.
    5. Note that the same behavior occurs with winword /safe and winword /a.
    6. Mention that Office Quick Repair, Online Repair, and a complete Microsoft 365 reinstall have already been performed.
    7. Mention that the third-party printer ports, monitors and drivers listed in your post have already been removed.

    I would also include the exact Microsoft 365 version/build and update channel and the Windows 11 version/OS build in the support case. That will help Microsoft determine whether the behavior corresponds to a particular build.

    I hope this helps move the investigation forward rather than sending you through troubleshooting you have already completed.

    Have a nice day.

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