Print job stuck in the queue on Windows 11: 4 fixes to try

2 min read · 4 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

A document that hangs in the print queue blocks everything behind it: nothing prints, and the same job cannot be deleted. The cause is nearly always the Print Spooler, the Windows service that hands documents to the printer. Work through these fixes in order.

These steps are for Windows 11. The pictures are simplified diagrams of the Settings window, not screenshots, so colours and spacing on your PC look a little different.

Step by step

1. Cancel the jobs in the queue

   Open Start, Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners. Select your printer and open the print queue. Right-click each print job and choose Cancel. Give it half a minute, as a job often shows Deleting for a while.

   Done

2. Restart the Print Spooler

   Press Windows key + R, type services.msc and press Enter. Scroll to Print Spooler, right-click it and choose Restart. Then try to print.

   Done

3. Empty the spool folder by hand

   If the job is still there, right-click Print Spooler in the same window and choose Stop. Open File Explorer, go to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete all the files inside, but not the folder itself. Windows asks for administrator permission. Go back to the services window, right-click Print Spooler and choose Start.

   Done

4. Restart the printer and the PC

   Switch the printer off, wait at least 60 seconds and switch it on again. Restart the PC with Start, Power, Restart. Then print the document again from its program.

   Done

Good to know

The files in the PRINTERS folder are only the waiting print jobs. Deleting them does not remove the printer or its settings, but the documents have to be sent again.

If the queue blocks again with the same document, the document is the trigger. Print it as a PDF first, or print a few pages at a time.

If the queue is empty and still nothing comes out: printer not working. To set the printer up again from scratch: how to add a printer on Windows 11.

In short: Cancel the jobs in the print queue, restart Print Spooler in services.msc, empty C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS with the service stopped, restart printer and PC.