Error 0x000006F7 means RPC_X_BAD_STUB_DATA—“The stub received bad data.” It is a failed Remote Procedure Call (RPC) exchange, not a diagnosis of one particular broken part. The error is especially common when Windows cannot communicate with a shared printer after a Windows 11 update or when a print server, client, firewall, driver, or RPC protocol is incompatible.
Start with the built-in printer troubleshooter, a complete power cycle, cable or network checks, the shared-printer host, the correct driver, and the Print Spooler. Only after those checks should an administrator examine RPC ports, transport, authentication, or Group Policy. The steps below apply to Windows 11 and Windows 10; the RPC defaults described for Windows 11 apply to version 22H2 and later.
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What error 0x000006F7 means
Windows maps 0x000006F7 to RPC_X_BAD_STUB_DATA. In Microsoft’s error-code wording, “The stub received bad data.” RPC lets one Windows component request a service from another component, computer, or server. A stub converts the request and response into a format that can be transmitted; the error appears when the receiving stub cannot interpret the data it got.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe code does not identify a single defective device or file. The bad data can result from a damaged print queue, an incompatible driver, a blocked RPC connection, an authentication mismatch, a broken share, a protocol-policy change, or a physical network or USB problem. Treat it as a communication failure and isolate which connection is failing.
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Why shared printers are a frequent trigger
Windows 11 version 22H2 and later changed the default print-communication behavior. RPC over TCP is enabled by default, while RPC over named pipes is disabled by default. The change improves security, but a client and print server can stop communicating if a firewall blocks the TCP path, if an older environment expects named pipes, or if authentication and driver policies do not match.
A direct USB or direct TCP/IP installation uses a different path from a shared printer. That distinction is the fastest way to narrow the fault:
| Connection path | What a failure usually points toward | First isolation test |
|---|---|---|
| USB printer | Cable, USB port, local driver, spooler, or printer hardware | Try a known-good cable and another port, then add the printer locally |
| Direct TCP/IP printer | Printer IP reachability, network configuration, driver, or spooler | Install the printer by its IP address or hostname |
| Shared printer | Host share, client/server driver compatibility, firewall, RPC transport, or authentication | Open the host computer in File Explorer and test the share path |
Before changing anything: identify the failing path
Write down whether the printer is connected by USB to another computer, attached directly to your network, or installed through a path such as \ComputerName\PrinterShare. Note which computer is the print server, the printer’s exact model, your Windows edition and build, and whether the problem began after a Windows update or driver change.
- If only one client cannot print, concentrate first on that client’s driver, queue, credentials, and firewall.
- If every client fails while the host computer can print, inspect the share, host spooler, host driver, and RPC policy.
- If the host itself cannot print, repair the local USB or network connection, driver, queue, or printer before troubleshooting RPC.
- If a direct installation works but the shared path fails, the printer hardware is probably not the first place to look; focus on the host share and the client/server communication path.
Fix 0x000006F7 step by step
1. Run Microsoft’s printer troubleshooter
Windows 11 and Windows 10 provide an automated printer troubleshooter through the Get Help app.
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- Open Get Help from the Start menu.
- Search for printer troubleshooter or describe the printing problem.
- Allow the guided checks to examine the printer, queue, and related services.
- Apply the suggested repair, then print a test page.
If the troubleshooter reports that it cannot repair the issue, keep its findings and continue with the connection and driver checks below. Do not assume that a successful troubleshooter run proves a shared RPC path is healthy; test an actual print job.
2. Power-cycle the printer, host, and client
- Cancel any print dialog that is waiting.
- Turn off the printer.
- Unplug it for about 30 seconds.
- Reconnect power and turn the printer on.
- Restart the computer that shares the printer, if there is one.
- Restart the computer that is receiving 0x000006F7.
- Retry a small test page.
This clears transient device, network, and spooler states. It does not replace driver or policy repair when the problem returns consistently.
3. Check the physical and wireless connection
For a USB printer, make sure the cable is firmly seated at both ends. Try another known-good USB cable and another USB port. Avoid diagnosing a shared-printer RPC problem while the host computer cannot reliably see the printer locally.
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For a network printer, confirm that the printer is powered on and connected by Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Check that the client and the printer are on the intended local network rather than an isolated guest network. If the printer has a network status page or display, verify that it still has a valid address. A direct network installation can help determine whether the printer is reachable without involving a Windows share.
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4. Verify the shared-printer host
Use the computer physically connected to the printer as the first reference point.
- On the host, open Settings or Control Panel and open the list of printers.
- Open the printer’s Printer properties.
- Select the Sharing tab.
- Confirm Share this printer is enabled and record the exact share name.
- Confirm the host computer is powered on, signed in as required, and able to print locally.
- On the client, open File Explorer and enter
\ComputerNamein the address bar, replacingComputerNamewith the host’s name. - Confirm that the host and its shared printer appear. Then try the complete shared path, such as
\ComputerName\PrinterShare.
Both computers need to be on the same local network or on networks that the administrator has configured to permit the required traffic. If \ComputerName does not open, repair name resolution, network discovery, credentials, or firewall access before changing printer settings.
5. Remove and reinstall the exact printer driver
A damaged or mismatched driver can send data that the receiving print component cannot parse. Obtain the current driver intended for the exact printer model and your Windows architecture from the printer manufacturer or another approved source. Do not substitute a driver for a similar model merely because the name looks close.
- Disconnect the printer temporarily, or remove the shared installation from the affected client.
- Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners in Windows 11, or Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners in Windows 10.
- Select the affected printer and choose Remove.
- Open the manufacturer’s driver package for the exact model and Windows architecture.
- Install the driver, then add the printer again using the correct USB, TCP/IP, or shared path.
- Print a test page.
If the old driver remains registered and the error returns immediately, use the printer-management interface to remove the obsolete driver package, then restart the computer and reinstall the approved package. On a shared printer, the host and client may need compatible driver versions and architectures.
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6. Restart Print Spooler and clear stuck jobs
The Print Spooler stores and dispatches print jobs. A malformed or stuck job can keep producing the same communication error.
- Press Windows key + R, type
services.msc, and press Enter. - Find Print Spooler.
- Right-click it and choose Restart. If it is stopped, choose Start.
- Open the printer queue and cancel every pending job.
- Wait for the queue to empty, then submit one small test page.
If jobs immediately reappear, remove the printer and reinstall its driver before repeatedly restarting the service. On a shared installation, perform the same queue check on the host computer.
7. Check RPC and firewall reachability
For the documented TCP RPC path, Microsoft identifies TCP port 135 as the RPC Endpoint Mapper port. The mapper directs the request to the service’s dynamic RPC port. The commonly used dynamic range is 49152–65535, unless an administrator has configured a restricted range.
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- Port 135 is not blocked between the client and print server.
- The required dynamic RPC range, or the organization’s restricted range, is reachable.
- Windows Defender Firewall or another security appliance allows the approved printer-sharing traffic on the correct network profile.
- Rules apply in the direction required by the client-server arrangement.
Do not open the entire internet-facing firewall or create broad inbound rules as a test. Make the narrowest change permitted by the network’s security policy, test printing, and document or revert the change if it does not resolve the problem.
8. Review RPC transport and authentication policy only when necessary
Windows provides policy and registry controls for RPC over TCP, RPC over named pipes, a fixed TCP port, and Kerberos authentication. These settings are environment-dependent; there is no universal registry value that fixes every instance of 0x000006F7.
Use this order:
- Confirm the client and host are using compatible Windows builds, printer drivers, and security policies.
- Confirm that the TCP path and required ports are allowed.
- Check whether the organization intentionally uses a restricted RPC port range or a fixed port.
- Only if TCP is unavailable and the environment requires it, have an administrator evaluate named-pipe RPC. Named pipes are a fallback, not the default transport in Windows 11 version 22H2 and later.
- Review authentication requirements, including Kerberos-related policy, against the organization’s domain and account configuration.
Changing RPC authentication or disabling print security as a first response can create a larger security problem and may not address malformed data. Record the original policy, change one setting at a time, test, and restore the original value when the setting is not required.
9. Isolate the fault with a different installation method
Use a controlled comparison rather than changing several variables at once.
- On the affected computer, try adding the printer directly by USB if the printer supports USB.
- If it is a network printer, add it directly by TCP/IP or hostname rather than through the shared path.
- If direct installation succeeds but the shared installation fails, return to the host share, driver compatibility, firewall, RPC transport, and authentication checks.
- If USB, direct TCP/IP, and shared installation all fail, concentrate on the local driver, Print Spooler, Windows files, network connectivity, or printer hardware.
- Repeat the successful test from another client. A second working client helps show whether the fault is local to one computer.
Windows 11 and Windows 10 differences that matter
| Area | Windows 11 | Windows 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Printer troubleshooter | Use the automated printer troubleshooter in Get Help | Use the automated printer troubleshooter in Get Help |
| RPC print default | Version 22H2 and later use RPC over TCP by default; named pipes are disabled by default | Behavior depends more heavily on the installed build, policy, and server configuration |
| Printer settings path | Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners | Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners |
| Shared-printer diagnosis | Check the host share, TCP RPC reachability, drivers, and authentication | Check the same items, while accounting for the server’s and client’s policy defaults |
A Windows 10 client connecting to a newer Windows 11 host, or the reverse, can expose differences in driver packages and RPC policy. Treat the host and client as separate systems during diagnosis rather than assuming that matching product names imply matching defaults.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Editing the registry first: Microsoft’s documented controls are scenario-specific, and no one registry value is established as a universal 0x000006F7 fix.
- Blaming the printer hardware immediately: If direct printing works but the shared path fails, the problem is more likely in sharing, RPC, firewall, authentication, or the server-side driver.
- Opening every port: Port 135 and the dynamic range must be permitted only according to the network’s security design.
- Installing a generic or wrong-architecture driver: Use the exact model and Windows architecture.
- Ignoring the host computer: A client cannot use a share reliably when the host is asleep, offline, unable to print locally, or no longer sharing the queue.
- Changing multiple policies at once: You lose the ability to identify the setting that helped and may leave a weaker security configuration behind.
When the error still returns
Collect the exact step that fails, the printer model, Windows versions and builds on both computers, whether the printer works locally, whether \ComputerName opens, the driver version and architecture, and the firewall or RPC policy that was tested. Give those details to your administrator or support team.
If the error appears only after a specific Windows update, compare the host and client’s update history and verify that the printer manufacturer supports the installed driver. Avoid removing security updates or downgrading authentication solely to make a printer work; first use a supported driver, the documented TCP configuration, and policy-approved firewall rules.
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Quick decision checklist
- Get Help printer troubleshooter completed.
- Printer, host, and client power-cycled.
- USB cable/port or Wi-Fi/Ethernet connection verified.
- Host prints locally and has Share this printer enabled.
\ComputerNameopens from the client.- Exact model driver for the correct Windows architecture installed.
- Print Spooler restarted and stuck jobs cleared.
- Port 135 and the approved dynamic RPC range are reachable.
- RPC transport and authentication policies match the environment.
- Direct USB or TCP/IP installation compared with the shared path.
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