Print jobs stuck in the queue
Documents sit in the print queue and won't print or delete. Clear the queue, restart the Print Spooler and empty the spool folder on Windows or Mac.
Quick fix
Open Command Prompt as administrator and run net stop spooler. Delete everything inside C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS (not the folder itself), then run net start spooler. The queue will be empty and new jobs should print normally.
You might see
- Jobs show Error, Deleting or Spooling and never finish
- Cancel does nothing, or the job comes back
- New documents line up behind one stuck job
- The printer sits idle while the queue says printing
Usually caused by
- A damaged or very large job
- Printer went offline in the middle of a job
- Print Spooler service hung
- Driver error while processing the document
Step-by-step fix
Work through the steps in order and check each one off. Most people are printing again before the last step.
Windows 11 / 10
0 of 6 steps tried
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Cancel the jobs in the queue
Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer and choose Open print queue. Cancel the oldest job at the top first, or use Cancel all if your version offers it.
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Restart the printer
Turn the printer off, wait 30 seconds and turn it on. A job stuck halfway sometimes clears once the printer reconnects.
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Stop the Print Spooler
Select Start, type
cmdand choose Run as administrator. Run the command below; Windows should say the Print Spooler service was stopped successfully.net stop spooler -
Empty the spool folder
In the same window, run the command below. Or open File Explorer, paste
C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERSinto the address bar, click Continue if asked for permission, and delete everything inside. Delete only the files, not the PRINTERS folder.del /Q /F /S "%systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*" -
Start the Print Spooler again
Run the command below, then print one document to test.
net start spooler -
Re-add the printer if a job keeps returning
If the same job reappears every time, remove the printer in Printers & scanners, restart the PC and add it again.
macOS
0 of 4 steps tried
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Delete jobs in the Printer Queue
Open System Settings > Printers & Scanners, select the printer and click Printer Queue. Click the delete (X) button next to each job, then click Resume if the queue is paused.
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Cancel everything from Terminal
If jobs won't delete, open Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and run the command below, which cancels every job on every printer. Then run
lpstat -o; no output means the queue is empty.cancel -a -
Restart the printer and Mac
Turn the printer off and on and restart the Mac, which also restarts the printing service.
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Reset the printing system
As a last resort, Control-click in the printer list in Printers & Scanners and choose Reset printing system. It removes all printers and jobs, so add your printer again afterwards.
Did this fix it?
Good. To confirm everything is healthy, print a test page. It takes a minute and shows any quality problems early.
Try these next
Still stuck? Our printer assistant can walk you through it by live chat, free. . Or the The troubleshooter asks a few questions and narrows it down. If your printer is under warranty, the manufacturer can repair or replace it at no cost. Find their official support site on our brand pages.
Common questions
Is it safe to delete files in the PRINTERS folder?
Yes, as long as the Print Spooler is stopped first. The folder only holds temporary copies of waiting jobs, so you'll just need to resend anything you still want printed.
Why does a print job say Deleting forever?
Windows can't release the job, usually because the printer disconnected mid-job. Stopping the spooler and emptying the spool folder removes it.