You may want to clear the print queue or, in another way, you may call it clear the print spooler, when your print jobs is stuck and the printer can’t print. Don’t worry if you have no idea how to do that. It’s easily to do by yourself.
How do I clear my print queue/spooler?
Here is an easy guide to clear your print queue:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run box.
2) Type services.msc and press Enter to open the Services window:
3) Click Print Spooler, then Stop.
4) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and E at the same time to open the Windows File Explorer.
5) Go to C:\Windows\System32\Spool\PRINTERS.
If you’re prompted about permission, click Continue.
6) Delete all the files in PRINTERS folder. You should then see This folder is empty:
Till now, you should succeed to clear your print spooler. If you want to print files again, remember to restart your Print Spooler service.
In the Services window, click Print Spooler, then Start.
Additional tip:
If your print jobs stuck in print queue/spooler, another solution you can try is to update your printer driver. You can update your printer driver manually or, if you’re not confident playing around with drivers, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button next to a flagged printer driver to automatically download and install the correct version of this driver (you can do this with the FREE version).
Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).
4) Reboot your Windows and try to use your printer to check if it works.