Solutions for Common Print Spooler Errors: What to Do If the Print Spooler Stops

The print spooler is a service built into Windows Servers and clients. It is responsible for managing tasks sent to printers. When you want to print a document, Windows sends it to the print spooler service, which then sends the job to your printer.

The print spooler service is also responsible for pausing, resuming, and canceling print jobs. If the service is offline due to misconfiguration or errors, you won’t be able to print or see your printers. You might encounter different issues with the print spooler service. Common troubleshooting steps to fix them are described below.

Common print spooler errors

The print spooler service can come to a halt due to misconfiguration issues or service problems. Complicating things further, the print spooler service can repeatedly stop and you may find restarting it impossible due to infiltrating errors. Even print tasks may get stuck in the queue and all your attempts to fix via deletion or cancellation won’t work.

The root of all these complications and error messages is tied to problems with the print spooler service itself.

Start the printer troubleshooter

Microsoft provides a built-in tool for troubleshooting to assist its clients in identifying any issues relating to their printers and attempts to solve them. It’s a convenient and recommended first step to take in resolving your printer issues. However, if it doesn’t work, you might have to resort to manual troubleshooting.

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Bluetooth & devices and then click Printers & scanners.
3. Click Troubleshoot and start printer troubleshooting.
4. Select the printer that is not working, and then click Next.
5. The Troubleshooter will display messages (e.g., “Checking for Spooler service errors…”) and attempt to resolve them.

Note that the Troubleshooter will be retired in the new version of Windows 11. You can read more here.

Restart the print spooler service

If the print troubleshooter can’t fix the problem, you should attempt manual troubleshooting. Begin by restarting the print spooler service. Since it is a Windows-based service, you can access it by navigating to Services.msc through the Windows search or via CMD.

1. Open the Services applet.
2. Navigate to Print Spooler.
3. Right click on Print Spooler and then click Start or Restart, depending on what state the service is in.

If the service is configured to always stop, you need to adjust its settings. This can occur due to misconfiguration, or it can be triggered by third-party applications.

4. Right-click Print Spooler, and then click Properties.
5. Click General, and then, under Startup type, choose Automatic. You can choose between Automatic (Delayed Start) and Automatic. The Automatic (Delayed Start) service starts after the system is fully booted, whereas the Automatic service starts with the system.
6. Click Apply.
7. Click Recovery to configure how Windows responds if the print spooler service fails. You can set up responses for the first failure, second failure, and subsequent failures. By default, the service is configured to restart. Additionally, you have the option to configure other actions for any subsequent failure, such as running a program (e.g., setting up SMTP notifications) or restarting the computer.
8. Click Apply.
9. Click Dependencies. The print spooler service is dependent on the HTTP service and Remote Procedure Call (RPC). If these services are not started, you will be unable to print. You should ensure that both the HTTP service and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) are started.

Note that restarting the print spooler will also restart all print jobs. When you restart the print spooler service, you may need to reset some printers.

Delete print jobs

One reason why printing might not work is due to a corrupted printing queue. To address this issue, it’s necessary to clear the queue and eliminate errors.

Prior to this process, ensure that all documents are closed. It is also crucial to halt the print spooler service. Subsequent to these steps, continue with the following instructions.

1. Proceed to Services and halt the print spooler service.
2. Launch File Explorer.
3. Proceed to C:WindowsSystem32spoolPRINTERS.
4. Erase all files located there.
5. Reactivate the print spooler service.
6. Attempt to print.

Reset the print spooler registry key

Before making any changes to your registry, you should first back up the registry database. You can do so by navigating to Registry Editor > File > Export. You should also ensure that you are using an Administrator account to make changes to your registry.

1. Navigate to ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlPrintEnvironmentsWindows x64Print Processors.
   If you’re using a 32-bit version of Windows, use the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlPrintEnvironmentsWindows NT x86Print Processors
2. Delete all keys inside Print Processors, except winprint. To delete a key, right-click it and select Delete. In my case, the key shm4mPC should be removed.
3. Restart your Windows machine.
4. Print the document.

Update the print driver

Have you attempted to reinstall your printer driver before trying to print again? It’s possible that the problem is not with the print spooler directly, but with an outdated or compromised printer driver. In certain situations, the driver could be the root cause of issues with the print spooler.

If all previous strategies have been unsuccessful and the problem is still not resolved, you might consider reinstalling your printer driver and attempting once more.

Please ensure to download the drivers from the official website of the product’s manufacturer.

Reinstall Windows

This is the last option you can try, but sometimes it’s the only efficient solution. Windows provides you with a Reset my PC feature, which can remove everything from your machine and reinstall it, or reinstall it and keep your data. You can consider this a last resort.