Skip to content
PrinterFixUp
0x0000052eMinor

Windows Printer Error 0x0000052e

What it means

"The user name or password is incorrect", seen when connecting to a printer shared from another computer. Nothing is wrong with the printer. Windows is being refused entry to the machine that shares it. The usual cause is a stored credential that has gone stale. Windows remembers the sign-in it used for that computer, and when the password there changes, or the account is removed, it keeps presenting the old one and never asks you for a new one. Clearing the stored entry is what forces it to ask again: open Credential Manager from the Start menu, choose Windows Credentials, find the entry for the computer sharing the printer, and remove it. Reconnect and Windows will prompt properly. When you are prompted, the form of the user name matters. Type the name of the sharing computer, a backslash, then the account name on that computer, like OFFICE-PC\\john. A bare user name is looked up on your own machine, which is why the correct password still fails. Two other cases produce it. If the sharing computer has an account with no password at all, Windows will refuse the connection regardless of what you type, and the fix is to set a password on that account. And if the printer is on a work domain you are not signed in to, no local credential will satisfy it. If none of that applies, connect by local port instead, which skips the credential exchange entirely: Add printer, then the printer I want is not listed, then Add a local printer, Create a new port, Local Port, and enter \\COMPUTERNAME\PrinterShareName as the port name.

Guides that cover this kind of fault

A guide written for 0x0000052e itself is still being checked against the manufacturer's documentation. These cover the same underlying problem and are filed under wifi & network.

Common questions

What does the 0x0000052e error mean on a printer?

"The user name or password is incorrect", seen when connecting to a printer shared from another computer. Nothing is wrong with the printer. Windows is being refused entry to the machine that shares it. The usual cause is a stored credential that has gone stale. Windows remembers the sign-in it used for that computer, and when the password there changes, or the account is removed, it keeps presenting the old one and never asks you for a new one. Clearing the stored entry is what forces it to ask again: open Credential Manager from the Start menu, choose Windows Credentials, find the entry for the computer sharing the printer, and remove it. Reconnect and Windows will prompt properly. When you are prompted, the form of the user name matters. Type the name of the sharing computer, a backslash, then the account name on that computer, like OFFICE-PC\\john. A bare user name is looked up on your own machine, which is why the correct password still fails. Two other cases produce it. If the sharing computer has an account with no password at all, Windows will refuse the connection regardless of what you type, and the fix is to set a password on that account. And if the printer is on a work domain you are not signed in to, no local credential will satisfy it. If none of that applies, connect by local port instead, which skips the credential exchange entirely: Add printer, then the printer I want is not listed, then Add a local printer, Create a new port, Local Port, and enter \\COMPUTERNAME\PrinterShareName as the port name.

Is the 0x0000052e error serious?

Not usually. Codes at this level normally clear once the condition they describe is dealt with, and a printer that carries on working afterwards has nothing further wrong with it.

Different code or problem?

Switch off and unplug a printer before reaching inside it. If a fault involves the power supply or internal electronics, or the machine is under warranty, contact the manufacturer or a qualified technician. Full disclaimer. Brand and code names are trademarks of their owners; PrinterFixUp is independent and unaffiliated.