November 2026 Windows Security Updates Can Break Printing of Documents With Invisible Images

The known issue covers both client and server Windows. BleepingComputer reports that it affects users attempting to print documents with images that have zero height or width on server (Windows Server 2016 or later) and client (Windows 10 or later) devices. Microsoft says it is still investigating. It has not released a fix or published a workaround.

What Microsoft has confirmed​

Microsoft's known-issue text, which Susan Bradley reposted on AskWoody on November 11, says printing might fail after the November 2026 security update, or any later update, when a document contains an image rendered with a height or width of zero at the selected print resolution.

Why would a document contain an image you can't see? Microsoft gives three examples:

• "Invisible" images used as a watermark
• Images used for layout anchoring
• Document-generation tools that insert image objects even when there is no actual graphic

The third case matters most for support desks. The Register notes that Microsoft says document-generation tools can insert them even when no graphic is visible. A user can hit this bug without ever adding a picture. The image may have come from a reporting system, a mail-merge pipeline or a template built years ago.

Microsoft has narrowed down the code path but hasn't confined the problem to it: "The issue was observed when printing Microsoft Word documents using the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI), but printing from other applications might also be affected." Word over GDI is the confirmed case. Other applications that print through GDI could also be affected. For now, Microsoft's only next step is investigation, with more information to come.

Section summary: The failure depends on what is in the document, specifically zero-dimension images. Word printing through GDI is confirmed, other apps may be affected, and no fix or workaround exists yet.

Affected Windows versions and KBs​

The Register reports that according to the notification (WI1549472), most versions of Windows are affected, from the latest Windows 11 26H2 through Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2016. Windows Server from 2025 to 2016 is also affected.

The table below comes from Microsoft's notification as reposted on AskWoody. Every row currently lists no resolving KB.

Microsoft's own update pages confirm several of these. KB5132061 shipped on November 10 for Windows 11 26H2, 25H2 and 24H2 as OS builds 26300.9974, 26200.9974 and 26100.9974. KB5131291 is build 14393.9688 for Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB. Note that 2016 LTSB support ended October 13, 2026, so those devices only get this update if they are enrolled in Extended Security Updates. IT-Connect's patch table also lists November 2026 | KB5132061 | KB5131087 for Windows 11 24H2/25H2/26H2 and 23H2, which matches Microsoft's mapping. Windows 10 22H2 and 21H2 receive KB5131096 through ESU, and IT-Connect describes it as the first update of the second year of the ESU program.

The wording "or later updates" in Microsoft's notice matters. Skipping November's patch and installing December's will not avoid the bug unless Microsoft says a later release fixes it.

Don't confuse it with the other November printing note​

The November release notes also mention a separate printing item. KB5132061 and KB5131291 both list a fix for an October 2026 bug: adding a printer published in Active Directory through Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Add device could fail with error 87, "The parameter is incorrect." Microsoft says that bug generally did not affect existing printers or printing.

That bug is fixed and unrelated. If a user can add printers without trouble but one particular document won't print, the zero-dimension image issue is the more likely explanation.

Practical triage for admins and help desks​

There is no official mitigation, so the useful work right now is diagnosis. The following is general troubleshooting practice applied to Microsoft's description. None of it is Microsoft guidance.

1. Confirm the build. Check winver or Settings > Windows Update > Update history and match the installed KB to the table. If the November update isn't installed, look for another cause.
2. Narrow it to the document. If other documents print fine on the same printer and only certain files fail, that fits Microsoft's description. If every print job fails, it probably doesn't.
3. Look at where the document came from. Files from document generators, templates or watermarked forms are the likeliest to carry invisible image objects.
4. Check other applications. Microsoft says apps other than Word may be affected, so a failure outside Word doesn't rule this issue out.
5. Escalate with details. Record the OS build, KB, application and a sample file if policy allows. That will help when Microsoft publishes a resolution.

A caution on rollbacks: Microsoft has not recommended uninstalling the update, and doing so removes a full month of security fixes. If your fleet is badly affected, weigh that decision against your risk posture. It is not a default fix.

Section summary: Check the KB first, then whether the failure follows a specific document. Treat a rollback as a risk decision you make deliberately, not as a fix.

A busy month for November patch fallout​

The printing bug is one of several November problems. Microsoft also warned that "Affected devices might encounter error 0x80041008, Invalid parameter (SWbemObjectEx), when running commands to activate Windows, configure Key Management Service (KMS), or manage product keys," The Register says the printing problem remains under investigation, but Microsoft says a fix for the activation issue is due in the coming days. Also this week, Microsoft confirmed that Windows updates released since October's Patch Tuesday cause SQL Server performance and stability problems. Separately, some Windows 11 devices that installed the October 2026 preview update can't install the November update. Microsoft lists error codes 0x80070306, 0x800f0989 and 0x800f0993 for that problem and says an automatic repair is rolling out to internet-connected devices that use Windows Update.

Printing has broken after updates before. In 2025, one Windows update made USB printers print random text and a later one broke Print to PDF. In August 2026, .NET Framework cumulative updates broke printing and PDF export in WPF apps. Those were separate bugs with separate causes, and there's no evidence the November problem is related to any of them. They do show that print paths regularly break after updates and need regression testing.

Analysis: a narrow bug that can still hurt​

On paper the trigger sounds rare. Who prints zero-pixel images on purpose? In practice, generated documents are common in organizations: invoices, contracts, HR forms and reports from line-of-business systems. One template that contains an invisible anchor image could mean hundreds of failed print jobs, and nobody in the office would recognize what it has in common.

The phrase "at the selected printing resolution" adds a complication. It suggests that whether an image counts as zero-sized may depend on the print settings, so the same file might print at one resolution and fail at another. Microsoft hasn't explained the mechanism, so treat that as a reasonable reading of its wording, not a confirmed behavior.

Microsoft's notice doesn't say how many users are affected, name specific vendors or drivers, or give a timeline for a fix. Until it does:

• Home users: If a specific Word document won't print after this week's update, this issue is a likely cause. Watch for Microsoft's fix.
• Businesses: Test printing from document-generation and reporting workflows on patched machines before the next deployment ring goes out.
• Everyone: Keep the security update installed unless you have a documented reason to remove it. The patch fixes real vulnerabilities, while the printing bug only affects documents containing zero-sized images.

WindowsForum will update its coverage when Microsoft posts a resolved KB for this issue. Readers dealing with the activation errors or the October-preview install failures can find related discussion in the forum's Windows Update and Windows Server sections.