Clear a Stuck Print Queue in Windows 11

Rule out the printer before resetting Windows

• Check that the printer is powered on, has paper and shows no jam, cover or ink/toner warning.
• For USB, reseat the cable at both ends. For Wi-Fi, confirm the printer and computer are on the expected network.
• Turn the printer off, unplug it for about 30 seconds, reconnect it and turn it on.
• Save the document before closing the app that submitted the job.

These checks matter because a perfectly healthy Windows queue cannot make an offline or error-state printer accept work.

Cancel jobs from the print queue

1. 1

   Open the printer

   Go to Start → Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners and select the affected printer.

2. 2

   Open its queue

   Select Open print queue. Confirm the listed document names belong to the printer you intend to reset.

3. 3

   Cancel waiting jobs

   Right-click each job and choose Cancel, or use the queue menu’s cancel-all option if present. Wait a minute for the list to clear.

4. 4

   Restart and test once

   Restart the printer and computer, then print a one-page test from a simple app. Repeatedly pressing Print only creates more queued copies.

Restart the Print Spooler service

The spooler is the Windows service that manages print jobs. Microsoft’s current guidance recommends restarting it when jobs freeze or the printer becomes unresponsive.

1. 1

   Open Services

   Press Windows key + R, enter services.msc and press Enter.

2. 2

   Locate Print Spooler

   Find Print Spooler in the list. Check that you selected that exact service.

3. 3

   Restart it

   Right-click Print Spooler and select Restart. If Restart is unavailable, choose Start if the service is stopped.

4. 4

   Try the test again

   Return to the queue and send one page. If it prints, reopen the original document and submit it once.

Use the deeper queue reset only if jobs remain

1. 1

   Stop the service

   In Services, double-click Print Spooler, choose Stop and select OK.

2. 2

   Open the spool folder

   In taskbar search, enter %WINDIR%\System32\spool\PRINTERS and open that location. Administrator approval may be required.

3. 3

   Delete only queued spool files

   Delete the files inside the PRINTERS folder, not the folder itself and nothing from neighbouring system folders.

4. 4

   Start the service again

   Return to Services, open Print Spooler, choose Start, set Startup type to Automatic if needed, and select OK.