Why is print preview so slow in Word?

Print preview renders every page at print resolution, which is CPU-intensive for documents with many images, complex formatting, or embedded objects. Printer driver issues can also cause delays.

Fix: Word Print Preview Is Very Slow

Why Print Preview Is Slow

Print preview must render every page at full resolution, which is much more demanding than normal editing view.

解决步骤

Step 1: Disable Background Printing

Go to File > Options > Advanced
Scroll to the Print section
Uncheck Print in background
Click OK

Step 2: Update Printer Drivers

Open Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners
Click your default printer > Manage > Printer properties > Advanced
Click New Driver to update, or visit the manufacturer’s website

Step 3: Compress Document Images

Click any image > Picture Format > Compress Pictures
Apply to all pictures at 150 ppi
Save and try print preview again

Step 4: Change Default Printer

Sometimes a specific printer driver is the bottleneck:

Go to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners
Set Microsoft Print to PDF as the default printer
Open Print Preview — if it’s fast now, the issue is your printer driver

快速解决方案

Export to PDF with File > Save As > PDF and preview the PDF in your PDF reader instead. This is often faster for large documents.