You hit Print on an Outlook email, and nothing happens. No preview, no dialog, no paper. Or the preview opens, then vanishes, or throws an error like "Cannot print unless an item is selected."
This is one of the more frustrating Outlook quirks, partly because the cause depends on which version you run. The new Outlook for Windows has its own set of printing bugs that the classic app does not, and attachments behave differently from message bodies.
Work through the fixes below in order. The first few are quick and resolve the most common cases, including the sneaky one where the print window simply opens behind Outlook and looks frozen.
Bring the Print Window Forward (It Opens Behind Outlook)
Start here, because it costs nothing and explains a surprising number of "nothing happened" reports. In Outlook, the print preview or print dialog can open behind the main window, so it looks like your click did nothing.
Minimize the main Outlook window. If the print preview was hiding behind it, it will now be visible. It was never frozen; it was just stacked underneath.
One related catch in new Outlook: the Print button on the top toolbar opens a preview that contains a second Print button. Users report that second button has a small clickable area, so position your cursor precisely on it before clicking.
Print From the Email's Own Window (New Outlook)
If you use the new Outlook for Windows and printing fails from the main conversation or message list, open the email in its own window first.
- 1.Double-click the email so it opens in a separate window.
- 2.Use the Print button on that window's ribbon, or press Ctrl+P.
- 3.If it still misbehaves, turn off conversation view in the main list, then use the ribbon Print button.
This works around a known interaction where print only succeeds once the message is in its own window rather than the list view.
Turn the Reading Pane Back On (New Outlook)
There is a verified new Outlook bug: printing from a popped-out email window does nothing when the Reading Pane is set to "Hide Reading Pane." Switching the pane on releases the lock.
- 1.Open Outlook Settings.
- 2.Click Mail.
- 3.Click Layout.
- 4.Scroll to the Reading Pane section.
- 5.Select any layout other than "Hide Reading Pane."
- 6.Click Save, then reopen or pop out the email and print again.
One caveat: at least one user reported they still could not print directly from the reading pane itself after this change, only from the opened or popped-out email. If that is you, combine this with the previous fix and print from the message's own window.
Select the Right Printer, Not a PDF Writer
A common cause is the wrong printer being selected. A virtual printer like Microsoft Print to PDF or XPS Document Writer may be chosen instead of your physical printer, so your "print" silently becomes a saved file.
In Outlook's Print dialog, confirm your actual physical printer is selected, not Microsoft Print to PDF or XPS Document Writer. While you are there, check your layout and page range, then print.
Print Through Outlook on the Web Instead
When the desktop app refuses to cooperate, the browser version is a fast, reliable fallback. It also sidesteps several desktop-only bugs.
- 1.Sign in to Outlook in a web browser and open the message.
- 2.Select Print at the top of the message, or press Ctrl+P.
- 3.In the browser print dialog, choose your printer, layout, and page range. (You can pick Microsoft Print to PDF here deliberately to save a copy.)
- 4.Select Print.
Test the Printer and Isolate the Cause
If multiple apps will not print, the problem is the printer, driver, or spooler, not Outlook. Microsoft's troubleshooting sequence isolates exactly where it breaks.
- 1.Open WordPad, type some text, and select File > Print. If this fails too, run Windows' "Fix printer connection and printing problems" guide; the issue is system-wide.
- 2.In your Office app, create a blank file, add text, save, and print it. If the new file prints but your original email or document does not, that specific message or file is corrupted.
- 3.Update the printer driver: open Device Manager, expand Printers, right-click your printer, and choose Update Driver (or install the latest driver from the manufacturer's website). Restart Outlook and try again.
Rename the OutlPrnt File (Classic Outlook)
Classic Outlook stores all print-style settings in a single file called OutlPrnt. When it corrupts, you get hangs, crashes, blank previews, or the "Cannot print unless an item is selected" error. Renaming it forces Outlook to rebuild a clean copy.
- 1.Close Outlook completely.
- 2.Press Windows Key + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Outlook, and press Enter.
- 3.Find the file named Outlprnt (it has no extension).
- 4.Right-click it and rename it to Outlprnt.old.
- 5.Reopen Outlook; it rebuilds a fresh file.
Note that this resets all custom print styles back to default, so any layouts you customized will be gone.
Disable Add-ins, Then Repair Office
A faulty COM add-in can quietly block printing. Safe Mode loads Outlook without add-ins so you can confirm and remove the culprit.
- 1.Press Win + R, type outlook /safe, and press Enter to launch in safe mode.
- 2.Go to File > Options > Add-Ins.
- 3.Next to "Manage: COM Add-ins," click Go.
- 4.Disable suspected add-ins one at a time, restart Outlook normally, and test.
If add-ins are not the problem, a corrupted Office installation might be. Run an Online Repair: follow "Repair an Office application," choose Online Repair, then try printing again.
Fix Attachment-Specific Print Errors
Attachments print through their associated app (Word, Adobe Reader, and so on), which introduces its own failures. Match your error to the fix below.
Word attachment showing "404 - File or directory not found" (or nothing) in new Outlook: open the document in the side-by-side preview, select Open in Word at the top (do not use the Open PDF button), choose Word on the web or the desktop app, and print from Word. This bug does not affect Excel or PowerPoint attachments, and it does not occur in Outlook on the web.
Quick Print PDF error "There was an error opening this document. This file cannot be found.": Quick Print can delete the temp PDF before Adobe Reader prints it. Open Registry Editor, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Options, create a key named Attachments if needed, and inside it create a DWORD (32-bit) named FileTrackIdle set to 15000. If the error persists, raise it to 30000, then 60000. Simpler still, save the attachment locally first, or open the email and print the attachment directly. To send an attachment to a non-default printer, open or download it first so you can change the printer in that app's own dialog.
Unblock Print to PDF on Work Accounts
On managed accounts, a mandatory sensitivity-labeling policy (introduced January 2024) can block Print to PDF. The clean fix is updating Office to Version 2407 or later, where it is resolved.
If you must unblock an older build, set a DWORD (32-bit) named disablepdfprotectioninoutlook to 1 under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences. After this, Print to PDF works, but you will get an alert that the file loses its sensitivity label. Alternatively, ask an administrator to relax the labeling policy.
On a Mac, Resume the Printer and Reset Preferences
Outlook for Mac printing failures usually trace to a paused printer, a stuck job, or corrupted printer preference files.
- 1.Install Apple updates: Apple menu > Software Update, then reboot.
- 2.Click the printer icon in the Dock; if a Resume button shows, the printer is paused, so click it, and clear stuck jobs with Delete Job.
- 3.Test a new document (File > New, add text, print); if it prints, your original is the problem, so try changing its font.
- 4.Remove and re-add the printer: System Preferences > Printers & Scanners, select it, click the minus to delete, then the plus to reinstall.
- 5.Still stuck? Control+click the device list and choose "Reset printing system."
- 6.As a last step, replace preference files: make a "Print Prefs" folder on the Desktop, open Library > Preferences (hold Option to reveal Library), move the com.apple.print.*.plist files into it, and restart the Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it look like nothing happens when I click Print in new Outlook?
The print preview or dialog often opens behind the main Outlook window. Minimize Outlook to bring it forward. If you are in the conversation list, open the email in its own window and print from there.
Where is Quick Print in the new Outlook for Windows?
Quick Print is currently unavailable in the new Outlook for Windows, so right-click > Quick Print guidance will not apply. To print, select a message, then use the Home tab > Print, or press Ctrl+P. To print an attachment, double-click it to open it, then print from there.
How do I print only part of an email in classic Outlook?
For specific pages, open the message, go to File > Print > Print Options, enter the page numbers under Page Range, and print. For a section, open the message, use the Message tab > More Move Actions > View in Browser, highlight the text in the page, select the arrow next to Print > Print, choose Selection under Page Range, then print.
My email prints partially blank. What is wrong?
Outlook blocks remote images by default for security, which can leave printouts incomplete. Download the images first, then print. Note that printing an image embedded in the message body directly is not supported; save the image first, or copy and paste it.
How do I know if it is Outlook or my printer at fault?
Print from another program like WordPad. If that fails, it is a Windows, driver, or spooler issue, so run Windows' printer troubleshooting guide. If only one email or file fails, create and print a fresh test file; success there means the original item is corrupted.
