“The Active Directory Domain Services Is Currently Unavailable”: How to Fix It

Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10, when printing, adding a printer or opening the printer list shows “The Active Directory Domain Services is currently unavailable”.

Why Windows mentions Active Directory

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) is the directory that companies and schools use to manage users, PCs and shared printers. On a work PC joined to a domain, Windows can search it for printers. A home PC isn’t part of any domain, so there’s nothing to search.

You see this message when something asks Windows to look in that directory and it can’t. The common triggers are:

• Clicking Find Printer in the classic Print dialog (for example in Notepad or older apps) on a PC that isn’t on a domain.
• The Print Spooler service is stopped or stuck, so the printer list can’t load and some apps show this misleading message instead.
• There’s no valid default printer, or a removed printer is still referenced.
• Your user account can’t read or write the printer settings stored in the registry.
• On a work PC, the PC can’t reach the company network (for example the VPN is off).

If you clicked “Find Printer” on a home PC

The Find Printer button only searches Active Directory. On a home PC it will always show this message, and nothing is broken. Close the dialog and add the printer the normal way:

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners (Windows 10: Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners).
2. Select Add device (Windows 10: Add a printer or scanner) and wait for your printer to appear.
3. If it doesn’t, select Add manually and add it by IP address or by its shared name.

Once the printer is installed, choose it from the printer list in the Print dialog instead of using Find Printer.

Fix 1: Restart the Print Spooler service

The Print Spooler manages every printer and print job. If it’s stopped or stuck, printer lists don’t load.

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Find Print Spooler, right-click it and select Restart (or Start if it’s stopped).
3. Double-click it and check that Startup type is Automatic.

Try printing again. If the spooler stops again by itself, a damaged printer driver is the usual cause; see Fix 4.

Fix 2: Set a default printer

If no valid default printer is set, some apps throw this error when they open the Print dialog.

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
2. Turn off Let Windows manage my default printer.
3. Select your printer and choose Set as default.

Fix 3: Clear stuck print jobs

A damaged job in the queue can keep the spooler from working. In an administrator Command Prompt, run:

net stop spooler
del /q /f %systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.*
net start spooler

This only deletes waiting print jobs, not your printers or documents. Send the document to the printer again afterwards.

Fix 4: Remove and re-add the printer

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer and choose Remove. Remove any duplicate or old printers you don’t use as well.
2. Download the latest driver package for your model from the printer maker’s support site.
3. Install it, or add the printer again with Add device, then print a test page.

If you print to a printer shared from another PC and get a connection error code instead, see printer error 0x0000011b or printer error 0x000003e3.

Fix 5: Fix permissions on the printer registry keys

Windows stores your printer list and default printer in your user’s part of the registry. If your account lost permission to those keys, for example after a profile migration or a cleanup tool, the printer list fails. Editing the registry carelessly can cause problems, so make a restore point first.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit and press Enter.
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion.
3. Right-click the Devices key and select Permissions.
4. Select your user name (add it with Add if it isn’t listed), tick Allow next to Full Control and select OK.
5. Repeat for the PrinterPorts and Windows keys in the same place.
6. Restart the PC and try printing again.

If permissions were already correct, change nothing. When Windows system files seem damaged too, run SFC and DISM as described in “Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation”.

On a work or school PC

If your PC is managed by a company or school, the message can be genuine: the PC can’t reach a domain controller to look up printers. Connect to the office network or VPN, restart, and try again. If it still fails, contact your IT team, because printer deployment is usually managed centrally.

The same message can also appear in the Remote Shutdown dialog (shutdown /i) when you browse for computers, because that list also comes from Active Directory. On a home network, type the computer name directly instead of browsing. If network names don’t resolve, see error 0x80070035: the network path was not found.

Related guides

• Printer error 0x0000011b: Windows cannot connect to the printer
• Printer error 0x000003e3: “Operation could not be completed”
• Error 0x80070035: the network path was not found
• Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation (SFC and DISM)

Official sources: for more detail, see Microsoft’s own documentation:

• Microsoft Support: Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows
• Microsoft Support: Fix shared printer connection problems in Windows

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install Active Directory to fix this?

No. Active Directory is a server product for company networks. Home PCs don’t need it; the fixes above make Windows stop depending on it.

Is my printer broken?

Almost never. The message comes from Windows, not the printer. If the printer prints a test page from its own buttons, the hardware is fine.

Why did it start after a Windows update?

Updates sometimes replace printer drivers or reset the default printer. Fixes 1, 2 and 4 cover that.

Can I still print while I fix this?

Often yes: if the printer appears in the normal printer list of the Print dialog, select it directly instead of searching.