Published 2021-08-10 by TechNet New England
A stuck print job blocks everything behind it. If canceling the job through the normal process does not work, you need to force-clear the queue. ## Windows ### Method 1: Cancel from the Print Queue 1. Go to **Settings > Bluetooth and devices > Printers and scanners**. 2. Click your printer. 3. Click **Open print queue**. 4. Right-click each stuck job and select **Cancel**. ### Method 2: Force Clear (When Cancel Does Not Work) 1. Open **Command Prompt as Administrator**. 2. Run: ```cmd net stop spooler del /Q /F /S "%systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.*" net start spooler ``` This stops the print service, deletes all pending print files, and restarts the service. All queued jobs are removed. ### Method 3: Services 1. Press **Win + R**, type `services.msc`, press Enter. 2. Find **Print Spooler**. 3. Right-click > **Stop**. 4. Open File Explorer and navigate to: `C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS` 5. Delete everything in that folder. 6. Go back to Services, right-click Print Spooler > **Start**. ## Mac ### Method 1: Cancel from Print Queue 1. Open **System Settings > Printers and Scanners**. 2. Select the printer. 3. Click **Open Print Queue**. 4. Select stuck jobs and click the X to delete them. ### Method 2: Reset Print System 1. Open **System Settings > Printers and Scanners**. 2. Right-click in the printer list area. 3. Select **Reset printing system**. 4. This removes all printers and clears the queue. You will need to add printers back. ### Method 3: Terminal ```bash cancel -a ``` This cancels all print jobs on all printers. ## Why Print Jobs Get Stuck **Printer is offline or disconnected.** The job is sent but the printer cannot receive it. **Wrong driver.** The printer driver is incompatible or corrupt. **Large file.** Very large print jobs (high-resolution images, complex PDFs) can time out. **Permission issue.** On network printers, your account may not have print permission. **Previous stuck job blocking the queue.** One bad job prevents everything after it from printing. ## Prevention Restart the Print Spooler service periodically on computers that print heavily. Keep printer drivers updated. If a print job does not start within a minute, cancel it and try again rather than sending the job multiple times (which creates multiple stuck jobs).