Are you confused about how to remove a stuck print job in windows 11? Then this guide is all you need to know about the necessary fixes to manage the issue. When you are trying to print a bunch of documents, and for some reason, the printing is not carried out, then the first thing you try this cancel the print job. Sometimes, you may find the print job is quite stubborn to be removed.
Usually, if the print spool service has been stopped, then you may end up getting stuck with the active print job. It is a waste of time and resources, which seriously affects your workflow. Corrupt or buggy drivers associated with printing functions cause such technical issues with printing on Windows 11 PC.
Top Ways to Remove a Stuck Print Job in Windows 11
Here are the various fixes that you can use to clear the printing queue on your Windows PC.
Reinstall the Printer Driver for Windows
Here are the steps to reinstall the printer drivers on your Windows 11 PC.
- Press Windows + X to bring up a menu
- Select Device Manager from that menu.
- Scroll Print Queues and click on it to see the options within it.
- Then right-click on your printer name and select Uninstall Device.
- Now, restart the computer.
- When the PC restarts, Windows will install all the necessary drivers for the Printer connected to the PC.
The print job should now get executed smoothly. Even if you try to remove any print job, it will happen without any issues.
Remove the Print Jobs Manually from File Explorer
Here is a trick to manually remove the stuck print jobs by accessing Windows File Explorer. First, you have to stop the print spooler from the services settings.
- Open services.msc using the Run command box by pressing Windows +R.
- Scroll to Print Spooler, right-click on it, and select Stop.
- Again press Windows + R.
- Enter the following command in the Run box.
%systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\
- You will be redirected to File explorer, where you can see the active yet stuck print jobs.
- Press Ctrl + A to select all the print jobs.
- Then click on the trash icon to delete them permanently.
- Now, go to the Services section again and navigate to Print Spooler.
- Right-click on Print Spooler and select Start.
The print spooler will again begin fresh without any pending or stuck print jobs. Now, you can resume your printing on the computer.
Restart the Print Spooler Service
The print spooler handles all the printing and printer-related functions on Windows. It acts as a bridge between the print jobs and the printers. If this service is stopped, then the printing stops as well.
- Press Windows + R to open the run command box.
- Enter the command services.msc and press enter.
- Now, scroll to Print Spooler.
- Right-click on Print Spooler and select Start.
With the print spooler back in action, you can now easily remove the stuck print jobs on Windows 11 computers.
Cancel the Print Jobs from the Windows Printer Settings
It is the most common way of removing stuck print jobs.
- Press Windows + I to open the Windows settings section.
- Click on the option Bluetooth and Devices on the left-hand panel.
- Then click on Printers and Scanners.
- Click on the printer name.
- Now, click on Open Print Queue.
- Click the 3-dot button and select Cancel All.
Clear the Print Queue using Command Prompt
If none of the methods are working to clear the print queue of the print jobs, then use the command prompt to stop the printing spooler and clear the unresponsive print jobs. You need to have administrator privileges, though.
- Launch the Command Prompt as an Administrator.
- Enter the following command
net stop spooler
- Now, run the following command to clear the queue.
del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\* /Q
- Now, you have to restart the printing spooler. Here is a command to get that done.
net start spooler
Conclusion
These troubleshooting tips will come in handy if you are at your office, where dozens of printouts are being taken daily. Instead of wasting valuable time, follow the information in this guide and fix the problem in no time.
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