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On Windows, cancel jobs in the printer’s queue first; if they will not clear, stop and restart Print Spooler after clearing its spool folder. On a Mac, use Print Centre to delete the blocking job or resume a paused printer. Save macOS’s Reset Printing System for persistent problems because it removes configured printers and presets.

Clear a stuck print queue in Windows

These steps apply to Windows 10 and Windows 11. Some Settings labels differ slightly by version.

Cancel jobs from Settings

  1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
  2. Select the printer that has the stuck job, then open its queue.
  3. Cancel the stuck job, or choose Cancel all if that option is available. If several jobs are listed, cancel each one.

Microsoft’s Windows print-spooler guidance covers queue cancellation and restarting the service.

Clear the spool folder if jobs will not cancel

Use this deeper recovery only when ordinary cancellation has failed. Microsoft describes the Print Spooler as “a file that manages the printing process.” Stop the service before deleting files from its spool folder; do not delete them while the service is running.

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  1. Search for and open Services.
  2. Find Print Spooler, right-click it, and choose Stop.
  3. In File Explorer’s address bar, enter %WINDIR%system32spoolprinters and press Enter.
  4. Delete the files inside the printers folder. Do not delete the folder itself.
  5. Return to Services, right-click Print Spooler, and choose Start.
  6. Open the service’s properties and set Startup type to Automatic if it is not already set that way.

Microsoft also documents the spool-folder cleanup and service restart sequence.

If the queue is empty but printing still fails

Queue cleanup removes blocked jobs, but it may not fix the underlying reason the printer cannot print. Check the printer’s status, confirm it is online and not paused, and verify its connection. Microsoft’s offline-printer troubleshooting covers status and connection checks. If a driver may be the problem, look for the latest driver for the exact printer model on the manufacturer’s website, as Microsoft advises in its spooler guidance.

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Clear or resume a stuck print job on a Mac

Open Print Centre and manage the queue

  1. Open Print Centre from its Dock icon after sending a print job. If it is not there, open Applications > Utilities and find it.
  2. Select the printer whose queue you want to inspect.
  3. If the printer is paused, click Resume. If an individual job is paused, select that job and resume it.
  4. If an earlier job is holding up the queue because of an error, select it and delete it.

Apple’s instructions for managing printers and print jobs with Print Centre describe these queue controls.

Check the selected printer and the source of the problem

If the expected job is missing, inspect other printer queues and confirm that the document was sent to the intended printer before submitting it again. Check the printer’s status, and try printing from another app to see whether the issue is limited to one application. Apple includes these checks in its Mac printing troubleshooting guidance.

Free tools Windows power users keep installed

One-click scans. No signup required.

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Reset the printing system only as a last resort

Apple says, “If you’ve tried everything else and still can’t print, reset the printing system.” Resetting removes printers from the list, completed-job information, and printer presets, so you will need to add your printers again afterward. Use it only after the queue controls and other checks have not solved the problem.

  1. Open System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
  2. Control-click in the printer list and choose Reset Printing System.
  3. Add your printers again after the reset.

Apple’s Reset the printing system guidance explains what the reset removes.

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Windows and Mac recovery options compared

Task Windows Mac
Inspect and cancel or resume ordinary jobs Open the selected printer’s queue in Settings and cancel jobs. Open the selected printer in Print Centre; delete a blocking job or resume a paused job or printer.
Deeper system recovery Stop Print Spooler, clear files in its spool folder, then start the service again and set it to Automatic. Reset the printing system from Printers & Scanners.
What the deeper recovery removes Files in the spool folder; the service must be stopped before deleting them. Configured printers, completed-job information, and printer presets; printers must be added again.

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