What this means

Error 0x0000052e means Windows tried to connect to the computer sharing your printer, but the username or password was rejected. Your hardware is fine. The printer is not broken.

Do not waste time checking cables or reinstalling drivers. The host computer simply does not recognize the login details your computer is sending.

This usually happens after you change your Microsoft account password on the host computer. Your system still has the old password stored, so network authentication fails because those credentials are outdated.

Common causes

  • Stored Windows credentials for the host computer are outdated.
  • The password for the host computer account was recently changed.
  • Windows Credential Manager holds conflicting login tokens for the host machine.
  • The network profile on one of the computers changed from private to public.
  • A Windows Hello PIN was used instead of the actual user account password.
  • File and printer sharing is disabled on the host computer.
  • The username format is missing the host computer name prefix.

What to check first

  1. 1Confirm you can ping the host computer from the client computer.
  2. 2Verify whether the password on the host computer was recently changed.
  3. 3Check that both computers are connected to the same local network.

Step-by-step fix

  1. 1

    Clear Credential Manager

    Open Control Panel on your computer and select Credential Manager. Click on Windows Credentials. Look for any entries related to the host computer name or IP address and click Remove.

  2. 2

    Enter Host Credentials Manually

    Try connecting to the shared printer again. When prompted for network credentials, enter the exact local username and password of the host computer, using the format hostname\username.

  3. 3

    Check Network Profile

    Open Windows settings and check your network status. Ensure your connection profile is set to Private. Public profiles block printer sharing by default.

  4. 4

    Connect Using IP Address

    Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows key plus R. Type two backslashes followed by the host computer IP address and press enter. Enter credentials when prompted, then try connecting to the printer.

  5. 5

    Restart Print Spooler

    Open the Services app from the Start menu. Scroll down to Print Spooler, right click it, and select Restart. Do this on both the client and host computers.

  6. 6

    Verify Account Password

    Log out of the host computer and log back in using your password to confirm it is correct and not locked out.

  7. 7

    Enable Network Discovery

    Go to Network and Sharing Center on the host computer, click Change advanced sharing settings, and ensure Network discovery and file and printer sharing are turned on.

  8. 8

    Re-add Printer via TCP/IP

    If sharing continues to fail, bypass Windows sharing and add the printer directly using its IP address as a local TCP/IP printer port.

    This requires knowing the static IP address of the printer if it is a network printer, or sharing it properly from the host.

When to contact a professional

Call IT if your host computer is bound to a corporate domain controller with strict group policies blocking credential caching. Get help if Active Directory authentication sync fails repeatedly. Do not try to bypass these security controls. You will take down the office network.