Printer Spooler Not Working in Windows 11: 9 Fixes That Work

Admin

14 hours ago

White and black office printer on a counter

How to fix the Windows Print Spooler service when it stops, crashes or leaves print jobs stuck.

Quick answer: If the printer spooler is not working, open Services, stop the Print Spooler, delete the files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, then start the service again. Set its startup type to Automatic. If it keeps stopping, remove old or faulty printer drivers, update the drivers for the printers you use, and install Windows updates.

The Print Spooler is the Windows service that queues and sends every print job. When it stops or crashes, nothing prints, and you may see errors such as “the local print spooler service is not running”.

Most spooler problems come from a stuck print job or a bad printer driver. The fixes below clear both. You need an administrator account for most steps.

What does a spooler problem look like?

Symptom	Likely cause	Start with
“Print Spooler service is not running”	Service stopped or crashed	Fix 1 and Fix 3
Jobs stuck in the queue and will not delete	Corrupt job in the spool folder	Fix 2
Spooler stops again after restarting	Faulty driver or job	Fix 2, Fix 5, Fix 6
Printers disappear from Settings	Spooler not running	Fix 1
Started after an update	Driver or update conflict	Fix 6 and Fix 8

What is the Print Spooler and why does it matter?

When you click Print, Windows does not send the document straight to the printer. It first saves the job as a temporary file in the spool folder, then the Print Spooler service sends it to the printer in order. This lets you keep working while the printer catches up.

Because every printer on your PC goes through this one service, a single bad job or driver can stop all printing at once, including virtual printers such as Microsoft Print to PDF.

It queues jobs: Several documents can wait their turn without blocking you.
It talks to drivers: Each printer’s driver translates the job for that printer.
It runs all the time: If it is stopped, Windows cannot list or use printers.

How do you fix the printer spooler?

1. Restart the Print Spooler

Press Start, type services and open it. Find Print Spooler, right-click it and choose Restart. If it is stopped, choose Start.

2. Clear stuck print jobs

A damaged job can crash the spooler every time it starts. To clear it:

In Services, open Print Spooler and click Stop.
Open File Explorer and go to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. Approve the admin prompt if you see one.
Delete everything inside the folder, but not the folder itself.
Go back to Services and click Start.

You can also run these commands in an administrator Command Prompt: net stop spooler, then del /Q /F /S "%systemroot%\System32\Spool\Printers\*.*", then net start spooler. Make sure the service has fully stopped before you delete the files.

Example
An office laptop kept showing “Print Spooler service is not running” each morning. A large print job from the previous week was stuck and crashing the service. Clearing the PRINTERS folder solved it, and the printer worked normally again.

3. Set the startup type to Automatic

In Services, double-click Print Spooler. Set Startup type to Automatic and click Apply. On the Recovery tab, you can set the first and second failures to Restart the Service, so Windows restarts it if it crashes.

4. Run the printer troubleshooter

Use the Get Help app and search for the printer troubleshooter, or open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and run Printer where available.

5. Remove old printers and drivers

Old printers you no longer use can leave faulty drivers behind. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and remove printers you do not need. Then open Print server properties from that page, go to the Drivers tab and remove drivers for printers you have removed.

6. Update the drivers you use

Download the latest driver from your printer maker’s website and install it. A driver written for an older version of Windows is a common cause of spooler crashes.

7. Remove extra printing software

Old third-party print management tools can conflict with the spooler. Uninstall any you no longer need.

8. Install Windows updates

Go to Settings > Windows Update and install pending updates. Microsoft fixes printing problems through updates.

9. Scan for malware

Rarely, malware can disrupt system services. Run a full scan with Windows Security.

BTS Magazine Tip
Before you delete printer drivers, write down the exact model names of the printers you still use, and download their latest drivers first. That way you can reinstall them straight away if you remove one by mistake.

How can you stop the spooler from failing again?

Avoid huge print jobs: Very large files can choke the spooler. Print in smaller batches.
Keep drivers current: Update printer drivers when you update Windows.
Remove unused printers: Fewer drivers mean fewer things to go wrong.
Use recovery settings: Let Windows restart the service automatically after a failure.

Example
A small accounting firm printed hundreds of pages of reports every month-end and the spooler crashed each time. Splitting the reports into smaller batches and updating the copier driver stopped the crashes completely.

What if the problem is a shared or network printer?

Shared office printers add another layer. If several computers report the same problem, the issue may be on the printer or print server rather than your PC.

Restart the printer: Turn it off for a minute, then on again.
Check its network connection: Print a configuration page from the printer’s own menu.
Ask IT about the print server: On company networks, the spooler on a central server may need attention.

Example
Three staff in a small office could not print at the same time. Their PCs were fine. The shared printer had lost its network address after a router restart, and reconnecting it fixed printing for everyone.

When should you get help?

If the spooler still crashes after you clear jobs, update drivers and install updates, there may be a deeper system problem. On a work computer, contact your IT team, especially if printer settings are managed centrally. Our guide to HP printer problems also covers printer-specific fixes.

Try this today
Open Services and check that Print Spooler is set to Automatic. Set its recovery options to restart the service after a failure. It takes one minute and prevents many future printing problems.

Frequently asked questions

What does “the print spooler service is not running” mean?

The Windows service that manages print jobs has stopped or crashed. Restart it in Services.

How do I clear the print spooler?

Stop the Print Spooler service, delete the files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, then start the service again.

Why does my print spooler keep stopping?

Usually a damaged print job or a faulty printer driver. Clear stuck jobs and remove or update drivers.

Is it safe to delete files in the PRINTERS folder?

Yes, those files are queued print jobs. Deleting them cancels the jobs, and you can print the documents again.

How do I set the print spooler to start automatically?

In Services, open Print Spooler and set Startup type to Automatic.

Can a Windows update break the print spooler?

Sometimes. Update your printer drivers and install the latest Windows updates, which often include fixes.

Final Thoughts

Restart the Print Spooler first.
Clear the PRINTERS folder to remove stuck jobs that crash the service.
Set the service to Automatic and use the recovery options.
Remove old printers and update the drivers you use.