Configure Print Driver Isolation via Registry

Print driver isolation improves system stability by executing printer drivers in a dedicated process (PrintIsolationHost.exe) separate from the main Print Spooler service (spoolsv.exe). This guide explains how to configure Windows Registry (regedit) to force print drivers to always run in an isolated process, preventing faulty drivers from crashing the entire print subsystem.

Method 1: Enable Driver Isolation Globally via Policy Key

To force all compatible print drivers on the system to run in isolated processes, configure the global printer policy in the Windows Registry.

  1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.

  2. Navigate to the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers

    (If the Printers key does not exist under Windows NT, right-click Windows NT, select New > Key, and name it Printers.)

  3. Right-click the Printers key, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it:

    DriverIsolationExecutionPolicy

  4. Double-click DriverIsolationExecutionPolicy and set its Value data:

    • 1 = Execute print drivers in isolated processes (Always Isolate).
    • 0 = Default behavior.

  5. Click OK.

Method 2: Configure Isolation for a Specific Print Driver

To isolate an individual print driver without altering system-wide policy:

  1. In the Registry Editor, navigate to your system architecture’s driver environment path:

    • For 64-bit systems:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x64\Drivers\Version-3

    • For 32-bit systems:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3

  2. Locate and select the subkey matching the name of the target printer driver.

  3. In the right pane, locate the PrinterDriverAttributes DWORD value. (If it does not exist, right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it PrinterDriverAttributes.)

  4. Double-click PrinterDriverAttributes, set the Base to Hexadecimal, and add 1 or 2 to the existing value depending on the desired isolation mode:

    • 1 (or bitflag 0x00000001 added): Shared isolation (runs in a shared isolated process with other drivers).
    • 2 (or bitflag 0x00000002 added): Completely isolated (runs in its own independent process).

  5. Click OK.

Restart the Print Spooler Service

For the registry changes to take effect, restart the Windows Print Spooler:

  1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

  2. Run the following commands:

    net stop spooler
net start spooler

Once restarted, the configured drivers will run under PrintIsolationHost.exe, visible in the Windows Task Manager.