Enhancing Remote Printing: Best Practices for the Terminal Server Printer Redirection Wizard

Troubleshooting the Terminal Server Printer Redirection Wizard: Common Fixes

Remote desktop environments often rely on printer redirection so users can print to local or network printers from a terminal server session. When the Terminal Server Printer Redirection Wizard fails or behaves unexpectedly, users can’t print, printers appear incorrectly, or sessions hang. This article walks through the most common causes and practical fixes you can apply quickly.

1. Verify basic connectivity and services

• Check network and USB: Ensure the client’s printer is powered, connected (USB or network), and reachable from the client machine.
• Restart print spoolers: On both client and server, restart the Print Spooler service.
  • Windows: open Services → find Print Spooler → Restart.
• Test local printing: Print a test page from the client locally to confirm the printer itself is functional.

2. Confirm RDP/terminal server settings

• Local resources redirection: In the Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc) client, under Local Resources → More…, ensure Printers is checked.
• Group Policy: On the server, check Group Policy settings:
  • Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Remote Desktop Services → Remote Desktop Session Host → Printer Redirection.
  • Ensure Do not allow client printer redirection is Disabled or Not Configured.
  • Check Redirect only the default client printer if present — disable if you need all client printers.
• RDP file settings: If using .rdp files, ensure they include:

  Code
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  redirectprinters:i:1 

3. Driver mismatches and driver isolation

• Use matching or universal drivers: Mismatched drivers commonly cause failure. Prefer using:
  • The same driver on server as on client, or
  • Microsoft’s universal print drivers (e.g., HP Universal Print Driver, Microsoft PSCRIPT or MS Publisher drivers) when compatible.
• Point and Print restrictions: Verify Group Policy under Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Printers for point-and-print behavior; allow installation of drivers from the client if trusted.
• Driver isolation: On Windows Server 2012 R2 and later, enable driver isolation to prevent a bad driver from crashing spooler:
  • Set problematic drivers to run in an isolated process via Print Management → Drivers → Properties → Job Isolation.

4. Permissions and security

• Printer permissions: Ensure the user has Print permission on the target printer.
• Session-based restrictions: Check that the terminal server does not restrict device redirection via local or remote policies.
• Firewall and SMB: If printer redirection relies on file shares (network printers), verify firewall rules permit SMB/RPC between server and client where needed.

5. Check event logs and spooler diagnostics

• Event Viewer: On the server, inspect:
  • Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → PrintService → Operational
  • System and Application logs for spooler or driver errors.
• Spooler dump/trace: For persistent issues, collect spooler service logs and enable verbose printing diagnostics for deeper analysis.

6. Common error scenarios and fixes

• Printers don’t appear in session
  • Ensure printers are set to redirect (mstsc settings).
  • Confirm the server’s RDS role services are configured correctly.
• Default printer not set or wrong
  • Disable policies that enforce server-side defaults; enable “Redirect only the default client printer” if appropriate.
• Printer appears but prints blank or corrupt
  • Replace driver with a universal PS/PDF driver or vendor-recommended driver.
  • Test printing from a different application to isolate driver vs. app issues.
• Slow logon due to printer mapping
  • Configure Session Printer policies to limit mapping or pre-install commonly used drivers on the server.
  • Use Group Policy Preferences to deploy printers instead of mapping every client printer.
• Print jobs stuck in queue
  • Restart Print Spooler; clear stuck jobs from C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS if necessary (stop spooler first).

7. Advanced options

• Use third-party redirection tools: If native redirection is unreliable, consider enterprise tools (e.g., ThinPrint, PrinterLogic) that offer stronger compression, driver management, and centralized control.
• Scripting fixes: Use PowerShell to enumerate and remove stale redirected printers:

  powershell
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  Get-Printer -ComputerName \(env</span><span>:COMPUTERNAME </span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(57, 58, 52);">|</span><span> </span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(57, 58, 52);">Where-Object</span><span> </span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(57, 58, 52);">{</span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(54, 172, 170);">\)_.Name -like “redirected*”} | Remove-Printer
  

• Apply OS and driver updates: Ensure both server and client receive relevant Windows updates and printer driver patches.

8. Quick checklist (apply in order)

1. Confirm local printing works.
2. Verify RDP “Printers” is enabled on client.
3. Restart Print Spooler on client and server.
4. Check Group Policy printer redirection settings.
5. Replace mismatched drivers with universal or matching drivers.
6. Review Event Viewer for errors.
7. Pre-install common drivers on server or use third-party solution.

If these steps don’t resolve the issue, gather Event Viewer errors, spooler logs, driver lists, and a description of the client OS and server OS versions — that information will guide deeper troubleshooting.