One corrupt job blocks everything behind it. Clearing the spool folder and restarting the service takes two minutes and fixes nine out of ten stuck queues.
Stop the **Print Spooler**, delete the files in the **PRINTERS** folder, start the service again and resend one job. If it repeats, the driver is the next suspect.
Open the queue and look for a job stuck at **Deleting** or **Spooling**. A job that never leaves that state blocks every job behind it and makes the printer look offline.
Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Open print queueThe spooler holds the files open. Stopping it first makes the cleanup possible and stops Windows from recreating the job while you work.
net stop spoolerDelete every file in the printers folder, not the folder itself. The files are the queued jobs, hidden from Explorer by default.
del /Q /F "%SystemRoot%\ystem32\pool\RINTERS\.*"Start the spooler and print a single page. Sending five documents at once while a driver is misbehaving produces the same jam again.
net start spoolerPrinting directly to the printer skips the spool file, which helps on a fast local queue and hurts on a slow one. Start with the default setting unless the queue keeps jamming.
Printer properties > Advanced > Print directly to the printerA driver that corrupts every second job shows up in the event log with a spooler error. Remove the printer completely, delete its driver package and install the basic driver.
printui /s /t2Another service depends on it, usually the print notification or a vendor tool. Stop the dependent service first or reboot into Safe Mode.
An app still has the document open and resends it. Close the source application before you start the spooler.
That file is damaged. Print it as PDF first and send the PDF to the printer.
The port is wrong or the printer is in an error state. Check the port in printer properties and the panel on the device.
No. They are temporary copies of jobs in progress; the documents themselves stay where they are.
Only on a machine that never prints. Disabling it also breaks print-to-PDF and some office features.
Set the spool setting back to **Spool print documents** in the printer's advanced properties. The service runs as before.
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