Printer Not Printing? Fix Stuck Print Jobs and Spooler Errors

When a printer shows Ready or Idle but nothing comes out, Windows and the printer can usually talk; the job is getting lost on the way. It’s stuck in the queue, going to a different printer than you think, or being dropped by a crashed print spooler or a bad driver.

Send one test page and watch what happens to it. Where the job goes tells you where to look, and the table in the first section maps each result to a fix.

If Windows lists the printer as Offline, that’s a different problem with different fixes: see printer offline in Windows 11.

Send a test page and watch the queue

From Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer, choose Open print queue, then print a test page from the same page. Match what happens to the job:

On Windows 10, the path is Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners, and the buttons read Open queue and Remove device.

One computer or every computer?

In an office, print to the same printer from a second PC before changing anything. If only one PC fails, the fault is that PC’s queue, driver or port. If nobody can print, look at the printer, the server that shares it, or a change that reached every PC at once, such as a Windows update; Microsoft lists known issues on its Windows release health pages.

Windows 11’s automated printer troubleshooter is worth one run first: Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters, then Run next to Printer. It opens in the Get Help app.

Other reasons a Ready printer prints nothing

• The wrong default printer. With Let Windows manage my default printer turned on (under Printer preferences on the Printers & scanners page), Windows makes the most recently used printer at your current location the default. Turn it off and choose a default yourself if jobs keep going elsewhere.
• Duplicate printers. Reinstalls and network discovery often create a second entry, such as “LaserJet (Copy 1)”, and one of the two may point nowhere. Test each, keep the one that prints and remove the other.
• A paused queue. If jobs show Paused, right-click each one and choose Resume, or resume them all from the queue’s … menu. On Windows 10, clear Pause Printing in the queue’s Printer menu; if Use Printer Offline is ticked there, follow the printer offline guide.
• Jobs held at the printer. Many office copiers and multifunction printers hold jobs until you release them at the device with a PIN, badge or department code. The job leaves your queue and waits at the copier.
• An old IP address. A network printer that changed address can still look Ready in Windows while jobs go to the old address. The offline guide covers checking the port and fixing the address.
• USB trouble. A USB printer on a hub or a loose cable can drop jobs partway through. Try a port directly on the PC; our USB device not recognized guide covers the Windows side.

Clear a stuck queue and reset the print spooler

Start gently. To clear print queue Windows 11 jobs by hand, open the queue window, select … and choose Cancel all, or right-click each job and select Cancel. On Windows 10, the queue window has a Printer menu with Cancel All Documents. If jobs refuse to leave, or come back after a restart, reset the spooler.

Reset the spooler from Command Prompt

Search for cmd, right-click Command Prompt, choose Run as administrator, and run these three commands in order:

1. net stop spooler
2. del /Q /F "%systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.*"
3. net start spooler

In an admin PowerShell window: Stop-Service -Name Spooler -Force, Remove-Item "$env:SystemRoot\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*" -Force, then Start-Service -Name Spooler.

Why it works: each waiting job is stored as .SHD and .SPL files in that folder, and Microsoft notes that corrupted files there can cause Print Spooler problems. Deleting them removes every waiting job for every printer on that PC, but not the printers themselves, so resend anything you still need.

For stubborn jobs, HP adds power steps: turn the printer off and unplug it before stopping the spooler; after deleting the files, shut down the computer, plug the printer back in and turn it on, then start the computer.

If the printer is shared from an office server, the queue lives on the server. Clear it there; clearing a workstation won’t release a job stuck on the server.

When the print spooler keeps stopping

A spooler that stops on its own shows up as printers disappearing from Settings, a queue that won’t open, or apps freezing when you press Ctrl + P. Restarting it helps for a while. Finding out why it stops is the real fix.

1. Read the logs. Open Event Viewer. Under Windows Logs > System, a Service Control Manager event 7031 or 7034 confirms the Print Spooler terminated unexpectedly. Under Windows Logs > Application, an Application Error event for spoolsv.exe names the faulting module. If that module is a printer maker’s file rather than a Windows file, that driver is your suspect.
2. Clear the spool folder as shown above. A corrupt job can crash the spooler every time it tries to process it.
3. Remove the driver package the logs point to, using the steps in the next section, and reinstall a current or generic driver. Microsoft lists outdated drivers among the reasons the spooler stops responding, and its crash troubleshooting suggests replacing third-party drivers with Windows in-box drivers.
4. Check security software and policy. Microsoft notes that antivirus can interfere with the spooler and suggests excluding the spool folder from scanning. Don’t turn antivirus off to test this; on business PCs, have whoever manages your security software add that one exclusion, since anything broader weakens protection. Group Policy also sometimes disables the Print Spooler on purpose as a security mitigation, especially on servers and domain controllers, so don’t re-enable it where it was turned off deliberately; ask whoever manages your computers first.

Remove the driver package, not just the printer

Removing a printer in Settings leaves its driver package installed. Add the printer back and Windows reuses the same files, including any damaged ones. To start clean:

1. Remove every printer that uses the driver: Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer, then Remove.
2. Open Print Server Properties on its Drivers tab: press Windows + R and run rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /s /t2. You can also reach it from Print server properties under Related settings on the Printers & scanners page.
3. On the Drivers tab, select the printer’s driver, choose Remove, then Remove driver and driver package, and confirm.
4. If Windows says the driver is in use, restart the spooler or the PC and try again.
5. Add the printer again with the manufacturer’s current driver for your Windows version, or let Windows install its own driver.

To see which driver a printer uses, open Printer properties and check Driver on the Advanced tab. Microsoft IPP Class Driver is Windows’ built-in driver for Mopria-certified printers, and Microsoft’s published timeline has Windows 11 prefer it over makers’ drivers from July 2026, so a reinstalled printer may come back on it. On a Mopria-certified printer it’s also the generic driver to test with: if a job prints on it but not on the maker’s driver, the maker’s package is at fault.

One more Microsoft-recommended test while you’re in the printer’s properties: on the Advanced tab, clear Enable advanced printing features. It changes how Windows spools the job and gets some stuck jobs printing.

HP printer not printing? Check cartridges, then HP’s tools

GoPro IT is an independent IT support company and isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by HP. HP’s own tools changed recently, and many guides still point to ones HP has retired. Rule out a cartridge block first.

• Check for a cartridge or subscription message. HP says Instant Ink cartridges stop working after the end of the billing cycle in which you cancel, and the service needs the printer connected to the internet. Printers set up with HP+ (offered on many models whose names end in e) need an HP account, an internet connection and Original HP ink or toner to keep printing. If you see a cartridge or account message, check the subscription in your HP account, reconnect the printer to the internet, or fit Original HP cartridges. Some HP printers also reject cartridges with non-HP security chips.
• The HP app replaces HP Smart, which HP still offers where the HP app isn’t available, such as 32-bit Windows 10. Get it from 123.hp.com or your device’s app store; it also installs the drivers the printer needs.
• Diagnose & Fix is built into the HP app. HP says it clears stuck jobs, resumes paused ones, resolves print spooler errors and checks whether the printer is offline; on Windows it also installs available driver updates and corrects a port mismatch. Select the printer in the HP app, then Diagnose & Fix and Start, and leave the app open while it runs.
• HP Print and Scan Doctor is retired. HP removed it from hp.com in May 2025, citing end of support and a security vulnerability, and recommends removing it: delete its desktop shortcut and the C:\HP\Diagnostics\PSDR and C:\Program Files (x86)\HP\Diagnostics\PSDR folders if they exist. Older versions of HP Support Assistant also included it, so update HP Support Assistant to its latest version too. Don’t download it from third-party sites.
• HP’s clean reinstall. If jobs still stick, disconnect any USB cable, uninstall the HP printer software from Add or remove programs (or remove the device in Printers & scanners), restart, then install the HP app from 123.hp.com and set the printer up again. If the HP app doesn’t support your model (HP keeps a compatibility list), get the driver for your exact model from HP’s Software and Drivers page instead.

When it’s the printer, not the PC

Remote help stops at the paper path. Before spending more time on Windows, print a configuration or self-test page from the printer’s own control panel; the steps vary by model, so check its manual.

• The self-test prints fine: the printer works and the problem is on the computer, network or driver side; those causes can usually be fixed remotely.
• The self-test is blank, streaked or faded: the fault is in the ink, toner or print mechanism, not Windows. Our guide to a printer printing blank pages covers new-cartridge seals, print head cleaning and toner or drum checks.
• Paper won’t feed or jams at the same spot: worn pickup rollers, a torn scrap of paper inside, or the wrong paper size set for the tray.
• Error codes on the printer’s display for parts such as the fuser or carriage usually mean a service call or a replacement, especially on older inkjets where the repair costs more than the printer.

Those physical repairs need someone at the printer; everything above them doesn’t. If you’d rather not do this yourself, this is a typical $59 remote fix through remote computer help, and offices on the Business Support Plan get the same remote help. Neither includes printer hardware repairs; our guide to what can be fixed remotely explains where the line is.

Common questions

Why is my printer online but not printing?

Usually the job is stuck in the queue, going to a different or duplicate printer, or being dropped by a crashed print spooler or a damaged driver. Open the print queue, send a test page and watch what happens to it. A job stuck at the top needs the queue cleared, while a job that never appears points to the default printer or the spooler.

How do I clear a print queue that won’t delete?

Stop the Print Spooler service, delete the files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, then start the service again. From an administrator Command Prompt that’s net stop spooler, a del command on that folder, and net start spooler. It removes every waiting job on that PC, so resend anything you still need afterward.

Why does the print spooler keep stopping?

The usual reasons are a corrupt job in the spool folder or a faulty printer driver that crashes the spooler each time it loads. Event Viewer’s Application log shows an error for spoolsv.exe with the faulting module; if it belongs to a printer maker, remove that driver package and reinstall a current or generic driver. Antivirus scanning the spool folder can also interfere.

Is HP Print and Scan Doctor still available?

No. HP removed HP Print and Scan Doctor for Windows from its website in May 2025 because it reached end of support and had a security vulnerability. HP says to remove it by deleting its folders and desktop shortcut and to move to HP’s print app. Today that is the HP app, or HP Smart where the HP app isn’t available, and its Diagnose & Fix tool clears stuck jobs and spooler errors.

Why is my printer not printing when it has ink?

Either the ink isn’t reaching the page, the printer won’t accept the cartridge, or the job never reaches the printer. Check the printer’s display for a cartridge or subscription message: HP Instant Ink cartridges stop working once a cancelled subscription’s billing cycle ends, and some printers reject cartridges with non-original chips. If pages come out blank instead, see our guide to a printer printing blank pages. If a self-test page prints but jobs from the PC don’t, the cause is on the computer side.

Why do I have two copies of my printer, one named Copy 1?

Windows created a second printer entry, usually after a driver reinstall or when it found the printer again on the network. One copy may point to an old port or address, so jobs sent to it never print. Send a test page to each, keep the one that works, make it the default and remove the other.