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Print queue stuck: restart the Print Spooler service

Step 1 of 3

Press Win + R, type services.msc, click OK

The Services window opens.

The simulation shows Windows in English, like most laptops.

  1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, click OK

    The Services window opens.

    WinR

  2. Right-click Print Spooler and choose Restart

    This restarts the service that handles every print job.

    services.mscPrint SpoolerRestart

  3. Still stuck? Stop it, empty the queue folder, then Start

    Stop Print Spooler, delete what is inside C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, then Start it again.

    Delete only what is inside PRINTERS, not the folder itself.

From basic to technician

FixPrinter won't print
TechnicianPrint queue stuck: restart the Print Spooler serviceYou are here
TechnicianPrinter still has errors: remove and reinstall its driver
Technician fixes (advanced)

The simple steps didn’t help? A technician would try these next, in this order. Stop as soon as the problem is fixed. Commands marked “as administrator”: right-click Start › Terminal (Admin).

  1. Do it all in one go (as administrator)

    Stops the spooler, deletes the stuck queue files and starts it again. The last line should say Running. Every document waiting to print is cleared, so print again afterwards.

    Stop-Service Spooler -Force
Remove-Item "$env:windir\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*" -Force
Start-Service Spooler
Get-Service Spooler

  2. See printers, their ports and waiting jobs

    Read-only. Replace the printer name with yours from the first list. PortName shows how it is connected: USB001 = cable, an IP address or WSD-… = network.

    Get-Printer | Select-Object Name, PrinterStatus, PortName, DriverName
Get-PrintJob -PrinterName "EPSON L3210 Series"

  3. Make sure the spooler starts with Windows (as administrator)

    If someone set it to Disabled or Manual, printers vanish after every restart. Automatic is the normal setting.

    Set-Service Spooler -StartupType Automatic

  4. Find which driver crashes the spooler

    Event Viewer › Windows Logs › Application: look for errors from “Application Error” with spoolsv.exe. The faulting module name (often a .dll from the printer maker) tells you which driver to remove in Print Server Properties › Drivers.

  5. Open the printer driver list directly

    Opens Print Server Properties on the Drivers tab, where you can remove a broken driver and its package.

    printui /s /t2
Technical details (for the curious)

What the Print Spooler is

The Windows service that receives documents from apps, stores them briefly as files in spool\PRINTERS, then sends them to the printer driver one by one.

Why the queue gets stuck

One damaged queue file blocks every document behind it, and Cancel can’t remove it. Stopping the Spooler releases the file so it can be deleted.

Spooler keeps stopping

If Print Spooler keeps stopping by itself, a printer driver is usually broken. Remove the old driver (guide “remove and reinstall the printer driver”).

Coming soon

Still not fixed?

In the next update you can tell us what happened, and our AI helper will suggest another way. Until then, restart the device and go through the steps once more.