Fix RDP Printer Redirection Adding Hundreds of Duplicate Queues on Windows 11

When you connect to a remote desktop session and your local printer is redirected, Windows 11 may create a new print queue for every connection instead of reusing the existing one. Over time, this results in hundreds of duplicate printer queues under the redirected printer name, cluttering Devices and Printers and slowing down printer management. The root cause is a combination of RDP printer redirection caching behavior and a missing or corrupted printer driver mapping. This article explains why the duplicates appear and provides two reliable methods to remove them and prevent future occurrences.

Why RDP Printer Redirection Creates Duplicate Queues on Windows 11

Remote Desktop Protocol printer redirection works by mapping a local printer to the remote session using a printer provider named “Remote Desktop Easy Print.” Each time you connect, Windows 11 checks whether a queue for that printer already exists under the session. If the printer driver on the remote machine does not match the driver used in the previous session, or if the cached printer entry is corrupted, Windows creates a new queue with a slightly different name. The new queue appends a number or session identifier to distinguish it from previous ones.

Over many connections, this behavior leads to dozens or even hundreds of queues named “PrinterName (redirected 1),” “PrinterName (redirected 2),” and so on. The problem is more common when:

• The local printer driver is updated frequently
• The remote session is disconnected improperly instead of logged off
• Multiple users share the same remote desktop server
• The remote machine has a different printer driver version than the local machine

The duplicate queues do not affect printing functionality directly, but they slow down printer enumeration in applications and make it difficult to find the correct printer. In extreme cases, the Print Spooler service may become unresponsive.

Steps to Remove Existing Duplicate Printer Queues

You can delete all duplicate redirected printer queues using the Print Management console. This method removes the queues without uninstalling the local printer driver.

1. Open Print Management as Administrator
   Press Win + R, type printmanagement.msc, and press Enter. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.
2. Navigate to Custom Filters
   In the left pane, expand Custom Filters and click All Printers. This shows every printer queue on the system, including redirected ones.
3. Sort by the Port column
   Click the Port column header to sort the list. Redirected printers typically use a port named TS### or session##. All duplicate queues will share the same port pattern.
4. Select and delete duplicate queues
   Hold Ctrl and click each duplicate queue. Right-click the selection and choose Delete. Confirm the deletion in the dialog box. Do not delete the original local printer queue.
5. Restart the Print Spooler
   Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. Find Print Spooler, right-click it, and select Restart. This clears any remaining references.

After these steps, open Devices and Printers to verify that only one redirected queue remains. If duplicates reappear after the next RDP connection, proceed to the prevention methods below.

Prevent Future Duplicate Queues with Group Policy

The most effective way to stop Windows 11 from creating duplicate queues is to disable automatic client printer redirection in Group Policy. This setting forces RDP to use a single printer provider and prevents new queues from being created on each connection.

1. Open Local Group Policy Editor
   Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. If you are on Windows 11 Home edition, you need to enable gpedit manually or use the Registry method in the next section.
2. Navigate to the Printer Redirection policy
   Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Printer Redirection.
3. Enable the “Do not allow client printer redirection” policy
   Double-click Do not allow client printer redirection. Select Enabled, then click OK. This prevents RDP from redirecting any local printers to the remote session.
4. Optionally set a default printer policy
   Double-click Do not set default printer. Select Enabled, then click OK. This stops RDP from changing the default printer in the remote session.
5. Apply the policy
   Close the Group Policy Editor. Open a Command Prompt as administrator and run gpupdate /force. Restart the computer to apply changes.

After enabling this policy, no new printer queues will be created during RDP sessions. Existing duplicates remain until you delete them using the Print Management method above.

Alternative Prevention via Registry

If Group Policy is not available on your Windows 11 edition, you can achieve the same result by editing the registry. This method disables printer redirection at the system level.

1. Open Registry Editor
   Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes if UAC prompts.
2. Navigate to the Terminal Services key
   Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services. If the Terminal Services key does not exist, right-click the Windows NT key, select New > Key, and name it Terminal Services.
3. Create the fDisablePrinterRedirection DWORD
   Right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it fDisablePrinterRedirection. Double-click it and set the value to 1. Click OK.
4. Optionally disable default printer setting
   Create another DWORD named fDisableDefaultPrinter and set it to 1. This prevents RDP from changing the default printer.
5. Restart the computer
   Close Registry Editor and restart your PC. The changes take effect after reboot.

To re-enable printer redirection later, set both DWORD values to 0 or delete them.

Common Issues with RDP Printer Redirection on Windows 11

Print Spooler crashes when deleting duplicate queues

If the Print Spooler stops responding while you delete queues, stop the spooler service first. Open Services, right-click Print Spooler, and select Stop. Then manually delete the queue entries from C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. Restart the spooler.

Duplicates reappear after every RDP session

This indicates that the printer driver on the remote machine is mismatched or the cached provider entry is corrupted. Use the Group Policy or Registry method above to disable redirection. Then re-enable it only after verifying that the driver versions match.

Printers not listed in remote session after disabling redirection

When you disable printer redirection, no local printers appear in the remote session. If you need to print from the remote session, use the Remote Desktop Easy Print driver manually. On the remote machine, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and add a printer using the Add a printer or scanner option. Select Remote Desktop Easy Print from the list.

RDP Printer Redirection Settings: Behavior Comparison

Setting	Enabled	Disabled
Client printer redirection	All local printers are available in the remote session; duplicate queues may form	No local printers appear; no duplicate queues are created
Do not set default printer	RDP never changes the default printer; reduces queue creation triggers	RDP may set the redirected printer as default each session
Use Remote Desktop Easy Print driver	Uses a single driver for all redirected printers; reduces driver mismatch duplicates	Uses the local printer driver; more likely to create duplicate queues

Disabling client printer redirection is the only setting that completely stops duplicate queue creation. The other settings reduce but do not eliminate the problem.

You now know how to remove hundreds of duplicate RDP printer queues on Windows 11 using the Print Management console. To prevent the issue permanently, apply the Group Policy or Registry change to disable printer redirection. For advanced users, consider enabling the Remote Desktop Easy Print driver as a middle ground that allows printing without creating duplicates.