Problem when printing from Excel online, Word online

[MarkusSten]

Hi!

When combining the settings "Always download PDF files" with setting standard PDF viewer to Acrobat reader it seems like printing stops working in Excel online aswell as Word online.

When trying to print Excel files:
I get "This content is blocked. Contact the site owner to fix the issue." when previewing the file. When printing the file it automatically converts the excel file to pdf and saves it to pc. I get no print dialog window to choose printer. And why it converts excel file to PDF i have no clue, i do not have Microsoft Print to PDF as default printer.

When trying to print Word files, the print dialog window does not show. All i get is this window:

As soon as i disable either of these settings it starts working as normally again. I confirmed this on multiple users/PCs and on Edge aswell as Chrome.

I've also tried setting different printers to default, no change. I do NOT have Microsoft print to PDF as default printer.

Anyone know anything more about this behaviour? Surely it must be a bug?

[#2]

Hi can you share screenshot of the error? Has this been working previously? When did the issue start? What is the behavior on a different device? What is the behavior when using in-private window?

[#3]

@MVPromise 

The only "error" im getting is when im previewing the Excel file before printing it. 

After proceeding to print the file it converts the Excel file to .PDF and saves it locally on PC.

I've only been able to test this on 4 different PC, 4 different users. All getting the same behaviour.

When using inprivate mode it works as expected. But im guessing its because it automatically turns off "Download PDF files" in edge settings.

I dont know exactly when it stopped working. I have a user that complains it stopped working a couple of weeks ago.

[#4]

What happens if you open the Excel file in the desktop app? I'm wondering if someone hasn't been messing around with application policies and the outcome of the policies is that the only Printer available to Office web apps is the print to PDF..

[#5]

If i open it in the desktop app it works as expected. If i turn off either "Download PDF" in the browser setting or change default app for PDF files to Microsoft Edge it starts working in Excel online app aswell, i can then preview file, and i get the print dialog window to choose what printer to use, different size etc.

[#6]

Hi Marcus
Are you in charge of the AIP/RMS/DLP policies. I have an alarm bell going off in my head related to a setting that allows you only to print from a Managed App and I don't think the DC reader is in that list. If you open the excel file in the desktop app is their any sign of a classification label on the file.

[#7]

Hi Peter! Yes, however we dont use any AIP/RMS/DLP policies that limits this kind of behaviour. However, we did turn on web app restrictions CA policys that requires managed device to print from SharePoint/Outlook/Teams. But we did turn off this and try again, and it still didint work.

Even if it was the CA policy that caused this, why does excel automatically converts it to PDF? Why does my PDF settings change a behaviour of a Excel/Word file?

[#8]

I have a theory 😊 albeit a very tentative one. Did you sign out and sign back in after switching off that CAP and how did you disable the CAP?

[#9]

We put my user under excluded, waited 24 hours and tried again. Yes, i did sign out and sign in again. But why does it print to PDF!? Its an Excelfile!

[#10]

We have now tried this in an different tenant, with no CA/AIP rules active and we get the same result.

I have also recreated this on my personal PC and personal free Microsoft account.

Have you tried to recreate this?
Steps to recreate:
Set Acrobat Reader to default app to read .PDF files
Set PDF files to download automatically in browser (Edge or Chrome)
Create new excel file in excel online
Go to file > Print or CTRL+P
The preview window should say "This content is blocked. Contact the site owner to fix the issue."
When proceeding to Print, no dialog window pops up and it just saves it as a PDF to download folder on PC.

[#11]

I am also getting this same issue. Was it ever fixed?

[#12]

Did anyone manage to find a fix for this?
We have 200 employees who all have Adobe set as their default PDF reader to allow them to digitally sign documents
We spent many man hours perfecting the GPO's for the entire business to get certain users to open PDF's in certain situations using certain software, and now people cannot print when Adobe is set as their default PDF editor.

Microsoft, can you assist please?