Windows error 0x00000bc4 - no printers were found

What causes it

• The PC and printer are on different networks, VLANs or a guest Wi-Fi band
• Network discovery is switched off, or the connection is set to Public
• The printer is asleep in a deep power-saving state and not answering broadcasts
• Required services such as Function Discovery Provider Host are not running
• The printer only speaks a protocol Windows is not scanning for, such as raw port 9100 with mDNS disabled

How to fix it, in order

Work down the list and stop when the printer recovers. The steps are ordered from most likely and least invasive to last resort.

1. Set your network to Private

   Open Settings › Network & internet, click your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, and set Network profile type to Private. On a Public profile Windows deliberately hides discovery traffic, which makes network printers invisible. This one change resolves a large share of no-printers-found cases at home.

2. Wake the printer and print a network page

   Press a button on the printer's panel to wake it, then print a network configuration page from its menu. Confirm it shows an IPv4 address on the same subnet as your PC, typically matching the first three groups of numbers. If it shows 169.254.x.x, it never got an address from your router and needs to rejoin the network first.

3. Add the printer by IP instead of by discovery

   Go to Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device, let the search fail, then choose Add manually › Add a printer using an IP address or hostname. Choose TCP/IP Device and type the address from the configuration page. Skipping discovery entirely is the most reliable route on networks with client isolation.

4. Check for the 5 GHz and guest network trap

   Many printers only join 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. If your laptop is on the 5 GHz or 6 GHz band of a router that keeps bands separate, or on a guest SSID with client isolation, the two devices cannot see each other. Temporarily connect the PC to the same 2.4 GHz SSID as the printer and search again.

5. Start the discovery services

   Press Windows+R, type services.msc, press Enter, and confirm Function Discovery Provider Host and Function Discovery Resource Publication are Running. Set both to Automatic (Delayed Start) if they are disabled. These carry the WSD discovery Windows uses to populate the Add device list.

6. Enable network discovery and file sharing

   Open Control Panel › Network and Sharing Center › Change advanced sharing settings, and turn on Network discovery for the Private profile. Leave the Public profile locked down. Without this, the Add device search has almost nothing to listen to.

7. Temporarily test with the firewall off

   In Windows Security › Firewall & network protection, switch off the firewall for the Private network only, run the search again, then switch it straight back on regardless of the result. If the printer appears with the firewall off, add an inbound allowance for network discovery rather than leaving protection disabled.

8. Try a USB connection to isolate the fault

   Connect the printer to the PC with a USB cable and see whether Windows installs it. If it works over USB, the printer and driver are fine and the entire problem is network visibility. That result tells you to focus on the router and Wi-Fi configuration rather than on Windows.

Frequently asked questions