# Printer Not Printing in Windows 11: Clear the Spooler and Other Fixes

> Fix stuck print jobs and offline printers in Windows 11 by clearing the print queue, restarting the Print Spooler, resetting the default printer and re-adding the device.

Source: https://www.epifive.com/blog/windows-11-printer-not-printing-fix-spooler · Published 2026-10-30 · EpiFive

## Key takeaways

- Start with the cheap checks by power-cycling the printer, confirming it is on the same network as the PC and setting it as the default printer.
- Cancelling all documents in the print queue and restarting the Print Spooler service clears most stuck jobs and offline status.
- If a job will not cancel, stop the Print Spooler, delete the contents of C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and start the service again.
- Deleting spool files discards queued jobs, so resend anything you still need afterward.
- Remove and re-add the printer only after the queue and spooler are ruled out.

A printer that will not print in Windows 11 is usually blocked by a stuck job in the queue, a Print Spooler service that has stopped responding, or a connection problem that makes Windows mark the printer as offline. Try the steps in this order: restart the printer, cancel all documents in the queue, restart the Print Spooler, and if that fails, stop the spooler and delete the files in its spool folder. Re-adding the printer is the last step.

## Who this is for and what you will have at the end

This guide is for Windows 11 users who see a print job sitting at "Printing" or "Error", a printer shown as Offline, or documents that vanish without printing. It assumes a printer already set up on the PC, whether USB, Wi-Fi or a shared network printer. At the end you will have an empty queue, a running spooler and a printer that Windows reports as ready, or a clear idea of which layer is failing. If you are setting up a printer for the first time on a network, see [office printer network setup](https://www.epifive.com/blog/office-printer-network-setup-ip-driver-troubleshooting).

The first part of the procedure follows Microsoft's article "Troubleshooting offline printer problems in Windows". The command-line method for clearing the spool folder is from a Microsoft Learn Q&A answer. Both are listed in the references.

## How printing works, briefly

When you print, Windows does not send the document straight to the printer. The Print Spooler service receives the job, stores it as files in a spool folder, and then sends it to the printer when the printer is ready. If one job in the queue is corrupt or the printer stops responding, every job behind it waits. That is why one failed document can block everything, and why clearing the queue so often works.

Knowing this tells you what each fix does:

| Fix | What it addresses |
|---|---|
| Power-cycle the printer | A printer that is asleep, frozen or lost its network connection |
| Cancel all in the queue | A job that is stuck or corrupt |
| Restart the Print Spooler | A spooler that has hung |
| Delete the spool files | A job that will not cancel from the queue |
| Remove and re-add the printer | A damaged printer entry or port |

## Step 1: Run the built-in troubleshooter

Microsoft's article for Windows 11 starts with the automated troubleshooter in the Get Help app. It runs diagnostics and attempts a repair, which costs nothing and sometimes finds a cause you would not guess.

1. Open the Get Help app from the link in Microsoft's article (aka.ms/OfflinePrinter), or search for **Get Help** in the Start menu and ask it to troubleshoot an offline printer.
2. Follow the prompts. If it fixes the problem, print a test page and stop here.
3. If it does not, continue with the manual steps.

## Step 2: Restart the printer and check the connection

Microsoft lists a power cycle as the first manual step:

1. Turn off the printer and unplug it.
2. Wait 30 seconds.
3. Plug it back in and turn it on.

Then check the connection:

- For a Wi-Fi printer, confirm the printer is on the same Wi-Fi network as your PC. You can see the network name on the printer's display or menu, and the printer's manual explains where to look.
- For a USB printer, try a different port and a different cable, and connect it directly to the PC instead of through a hub.
- If you recently changed your router or network name, the printer may still be trying to join the old one.

Print a test page after this step. A surprising number of "offline" cases clear here.

## Step 3: Set the default printer

Windows can change the default printer on its own, so a document may be going to a different printer than you think, such as a PDF printer or an old device.

1. Open **Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners**.
2. Select your printer.
3. Choose **Set as default**.

If **Set as default** is missing, turn off **Let Windows manage my default printer** on the same page first, then select the printer again. Microsoft documents this exact behavior.

## Step 4: Clear the print queue

1. In **Printers & scanners**, select your printer.
2. Choose **Open print queue**.
3. Select the ellipsis (...) and choose **Cancel all**.

You should see the list empty out. A job may sit for a few seconds with the status "Deleting". If it stays there and never disappears, go on to the next step.

If the queue window has a **Printer** menu, check that **Pause Printing** and **Use Printer Offline** are not ticked.

## Step 5: Restart the Print Spooler service

1. Search for **Services** and open it.
2. Scroll to **Print Spooler**.
3. Right-click it and choose **Restart**.

This is the step Microsoft gives for a hung spooler. Wait about 10 seconds, reopen the print queue and print a test page.

If **Restart** is greyed out or the service fails to start, go to the next step and also read the troubleshooting section below.

## Step 6: Stop the spooler and delete the spool files

If a job will not cancel, you can remove the queued job files directly. A Microsoft Learn Q&A answer describes this method. You need administrator rights.

### Using Services and File Explorer

1. Press **Win + R**, type `services.msc` and press Enter.
2. Find **Print Spooler**, right-click it and choose **Stop**.
3. Open File Explorer and go to `C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS`. If a User Account Control prompt asks for permission, choose **Continue** or **Yes**.
4. Delete all the files inside the folder. Do not delete the **PRINTERS** folder itself.
5. Return to Services, right-click **Print Spooler** and choose **Start**.

### Using PowerShell

Open **Terminal (Admin)** or Windows PowerShell as administrator and run:

```powershell
Stop-Service -Name Spooler -Force
Remove-Item -Path "C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*" -Force -Recurse
Start-Service -Name Spooler
```

The same sequence works in an elevated Command Prompt:

```text
net stop spooler
del /Q /F /S "C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*"
net start spooler
```

The `\*` at the end of the path matters. It removes the files inside the folder and leaves the folder in place. The deleted jobs cannot be recovered, so resend any documents you still need.

After the service starts, open the queue again. It should be empty. Print a test page.

## Step 7: Remove and re-add the printer

If the printer still fails, its entry on the PC may be damaged. Microsoft's steps:

1. Go to **Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners**.
2. Select the printer, choose **Remove**, then **Yes**.
3. Make sure the printer is on and connected to the same network, or plugged in by USB.
4. Next to **Add a printer or scanner**, choose **Add device** and follow the prompts.

Windows will usually install a driver automatically. If it cannot find one, download the driver from the printer maker's support site for your exact model. Microsoft's offline printer article links to a separate article on installing printer drivers in Windows, which has the details.

Finally, restart the PC. Microsoft lists a restart as the last step, and it clears anything the earlier steps left behind.

## Verify the fix

1. Open **Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners** and select the printer. The status should not say Offline.
2. Open the print queue. It should be empty.
3. Choose **Printer properties** and select **Print test page**. The page should print within a minute.
4. Print a real document from an application, such as a PDF or Word file, to make sure the application's output also works.

## Troubleshooting

### The spooler will not stop or start

If the Print Spooler will not stop, a job may be holding it. Try the steps again, or restart the PC, which clears the service. If the spooler stops again soon after starting, the cause may be a bad printer driver or a damaged job file instead of the queue. In that case, remove the printer and download a fresh driver from the maker's site before adding it again.

### The printer is online but nothing prints

Check that the right printer is selected in the application's print dialog and that it is the default in Settings. Also look for a second copy of the same printer in Printers & scanners, for example a name followed by "(Copy 1)". Print to each one and remove the extra.

### The printer shows Offline on Wi-Fi only

The printer may have gone to sleep, changed its IP address or joined a different network. Turn it off and on, confirm the network name, and if your router assigns addresses automatically, see the guide on [DHCP reservations for office printers](https://www.epifive.com/blog/dhcp-reservation-static-ip-printers-office) so the address stops changing.

### Only one app cannot print

Try another application. If a PDF prints from another viewer but not from the first, the problem is the first application's print settings and not Windows. Update the app or print to PDF and print the PDF.

### A shared printer works for others but not for you

Remove the shared printer from your PC and add it again. For a print server set up, the article on [shared printer setup with a Windows print server](https://www.epifive.com/blog/shared-printer-setup-windows-print-server) covers the server side.

## Closing checklist

1. Run the Get Help troubleshooter.
2. Power-cycle the printer and check the network or USB connection.
3. Set the correct default printer.
4. Cancel all documents in the print queue.
5. Restart the Print Spooler service.
6. If a job will not clear, stop the spooler, delete the contents of the PRINTERS folder and start it again.
7. Remove and re-add the printer, then restart the PC.
8. Print a test page to confirm.

## References

- Microsoft Support, Troubleshooting offline printer problems in Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/help/4496876
- Microsoft Learn Q&A, clearing the print queue and restarting the Print Spooler: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/a/3322824

## Frequently asked questions

### Is it safe to delete the files in the PRINTERS spool folder?

Yes, when the Print Spooler service is stopped. The folder holds the files for queued print jobs, so deleting its contents discards those jobs and you will need to print them again. Delete the files inside the folder, not the folder itself.

### Why does my printer say Offline when it is turned on?

Windows marks a printer offline when it cannot communicate with it. Common causes are a different Wi-Fi network, a stuck job in the queue, or a printer that went to sleep. Power-cycle the printer, check it is on the same network as the PC, clear the queue and restart the Print Spooler.

### How do I restart the Print Spooler without a command line?

Search for Services and open it, find Print Spooler in the list, right-click it and choose Restart. Microsoft's offline printer troubleshooting article lists this as one of its steps.

### When should I remove and re-add the printer?

Do it after the queue is clear and the spooler restarted but the printer still fails. In Settings, open Bluetooth and devices, then Printers and scanners, remove the printer and use Add device to set it up again.