Microsoft Edge won’t print from an older workplace site, even though the page opens in IE mode. That’s frustrating when you need a printout now. Microsoft documents IE mode and Edge’s printing feature separately, so getting IE mode to work and fixing a print failure can require different checks.
Symptoms: The older site opens, but its print button does nothing. The page may also look different from what coworkers see.
Why it happens: IE mode applies to sites set up to use it. Opening a site in Edge alone doesn’t mean it’s in IE mode.
Verify: Check for the Internet Explorer icon again, then try printing. If the icon still doesn’t appear on a work computer, give IT the site address. Ask whether the site belongs in the organization’s IE mode configuration.
Keep the same printer selected for these tests. The results point to the next fix.
Fixing Edge Print Failures in IE Mode
If the print dialog won’t open or freezes on every Edge page, use general Microsoft Edge printing troubleshooting. The steps below focus on the affected IE mode site. Microsoft recommends comparing pages and applications to narrow down Edge print problems.
Symptoms: The website’s Print button does nothing, or Ctrl + P opens a dialog but produces no usable printout.
Why it happens: A site’s own print button may work differently than Edge’s built-in print command, depending on how the site is built. Edge’s print dialog also lets you check the selected printer.
Verify: Print a short page or one page of the document. If all three methods fail on this site, compare pages in Fix #3. Microsoft documents Edge’s print controls.
Page-Specific Printing Issues
Symptoms: One IE mode page prints blank, loses content, or never sends a job. Other pages appear normal.
Why it happens: Graphics, fonts, code, or styling on a page can interfere with printing.
Verify: If other Edge pages print but one site page doesn’t, record that page’s address and what happens. The site’s support team or your IT team can use the comparison to check its print layout or print button. If no Edge page prints, move to Fix #4.
Printer Selection and Network Checks
Symptoms: The print dialog opens, but the job goes to the wrong device, stays queued, or never reaches your network printer.
Why it happens: Edge may have a different printer selected than you expect. If another application can’t print either, the problem extends beyond IE mode.
Verify: If Word prints to the intended device but Edge doesn’t, first repeat the test on another Edge page (Fix #3). If only the IE mode site fails, continue with Fix #5; if every Edge page fails, use the general Edge printing guide linked above.
If Word also fails, check whether the printer is connected and ready before changing Edge settings. For a network printer, tell IT its displayed name and whether other people can print to it. Mention if your PC uses a USB Wi-Fi adapter or dock to connect to the network. That detail can help IT trace an intermittent fault.
Software Updates and Browser Sessions
Symptoms: Multiple Edge pages fail to print, or the configured site no longer starts in IE mode.
Why it happens: Microsoft lists outdated Windows or Edge software as a possible reason IE mode doesn’t start. Restarting Edge is a basic troubleshooting step that clears the current browser session before another test, though it isn’t guaranteed to resolve a specific IE mode or printing issue.
Verify: Reopen the site, confirm the Internet Explorer icon appears, and print a short page. If IE mode still doesn’t start on a managed computer, ask IT to check the site configuration.
Driver and Connection Troubleshooting
Symptoms: The same printer fails from Edge and another application, or jobs from both stay queued.
Why it happens: A printer connection or driver problem can affect every application, including Edge’s IE mode pages.
Verify: Once the other application prints, retry the IE mode page. If the printer still fails everywhere, keep checking its connection or driver. Changing the site’s IE mode settings is unlikely to fix that result. See Microsoft’s Edge print troubleshooting for broader printer checks.
Organizational Policies and Managed Controls
Symptoms: Printing is unavailable on a work computer, an IE mode setting can’t be changed, or a network printer fails only for certain users or devices.
Why it happens: Your organization can control which sites open in IE mode and how Edge prints. Edge policies include PrintingEnabled and UseSystemPrintDialog, but neither is a universal fix for a network-printer failure. If PrintingEnabled is disabled, Edge blocks printing entirely, so that’s worth checking first; UseSystemPrintDialog only switches Edge to the Windows system print dialog instead of its own preview. IT needs to compare your test results with the organization’s settings. See Microsoft’s IE mode deployment documentation and Edge policy reference.
Verify: After IT makes a change, repeat the same page and application tests. The results show whether it fixed the IE mode site alone or printing more broadly.
Diagnostic Testing and Error Identification
No single error message identifies every IE mode printing problem. Copy the exact wording you see when you report a failure.
If an error dialog appears, copy its message exactly. “Printer error” may leave out wording IT needs to tell a printer problem from an Edge restriction.
The site address is not configured for IE mode. On an applicable non-Enterprise device, compare the address under Internet Explorer mode pages with the page that fails. On a managed device, ask IT to check its site configuration. Look for the Internet Explorer icon on the page you have open.
The print dialog targets another printer. Read the printer name each time you retry. A job sent to the wrong printer can look like a failed attempt.
The tests use different printers. Select the same printer for the IE mode page, another Edge page, and another application. Otherwise, the results can’t reliably show whether that printer is the problem.
A managed control is treated as a personal setting. If an IE mode or printing option is unavailable on a work PC, report it to IT. Don’t assume you can change an organization policy in Edge’s settings.
For a workplace site, send IT the site address, whether the Internet Explorer icon appears, and the printer name. Include the exact error text or symptom and the results from another Edge page and application. Say whether it’s a network printer and whether coworkers are affected. IT can use those details to check the site list, connection, driver, and applicable policies.
For broader Edge printing trouble, use Microsoft’s print troubleshooting page. If printing works elsewhere and only one older site fails, contact the site’s support team or your help desk. Give them the affected page address and describe what appears in print preview.
Fix #2 is the quickest check when the site’s Print button fails. If another application also can’t print, use Fix #6 to check the printer connection or driver. If only a managed site fails, give IT your test results so they can check its configuration and policies.
| Test | Result | Where to look next |
|---|---|---|
| Print the affected IE mode page | It alone fails | The page or its site print button |
| Print another page from Edge | Both Edge pages fail | Edge printing or its printer selection |
| Print from another application, such as Word | That also fails | The printer, connection, or driver |
| Print to a different available printer | One printer alone fails | That printer or its network connection |
| What you see | What it can mean | First check |
|---|---|---|
| No Internet Explorer icon beside the address bar | The page may not be in IE mode | Use Fix #1 |
| The website’s print button does nothing | The site’s print action may be failing | Open Edge’s Print command in Fix #2 |
| A blank or incomplete print preview | The affected page may not print correctly | Compare another page in Fix #3 |
| The wrong printer appears in the dialog | The current printer selection needs checking | Use Fix #4 |
| The job stays queued from multiple applications | The printer, connection, or driver may be involved | Use Fix #6 |
| A printing control is unavailable on a work PC | An organization setting may be involved | Give IT the results from Fix #7 |
