How do I reset the print spooler on Windows 10?

I have been experiencing issues with my printer on my Windows 10 computer. Whenever I try to print a document, nothing happens, and the documents just sit in the queue. After doing some research, I came across the term ‘print spooler’, but I’m still not entirely sure what it is or how it works. From what I understand, resetting the print spooler might resolve the issue, but I’m not sure how to do that. I’m looking for a clear and detailed explanation on how to reset the print spooler on Windows 10. It would be great to understand why resetting it might help and the steps I need to follow to ensure my printing issues are resolved. Any guidance or detailed instructions would be greatly appreciated.
5 Answers

I’ve encountered similar problems, and here’s a more comprehensive method to reset the print spooler on Windows 10:
- Open the Start Menu and search for
Services
. Click on it. - Scroll down until you find
Print Spooler
in the list. - Double-click on
Print Spooler
to open its properties. - Click
Stop
to halt the service. - Then, open File Explorer and go to
C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
. - Delete all files in that directory. These files are likely the jobs stuck in the print queue.
- Go back to the Print Spooler Properties, and click
Start
. - Set the Startup type to
Automatic
if it isn’t already, then clickOK
to confirm.
These steps should thoroughly reset the print spooler and help get your printer back in working order.

Resetting the print spooler can sometimes be the magic wand that fixes your printer issues. In Windows 10, here’s a quick way to do it:
- Open the Start menu and type
cmd
. - Right-click on
Command Prompt
and selectRun as administrator
. - In the Command Prompt window, type:
net stop spooler
and press Enter. - Next, clear the print queue by navigating to
C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
. Delete all files in this folder. - Return to the Command Prompt window and type:
net start spooler
. - Press Enter.
This should reset your print spooler and potentially resolve the issues you’ve been facing.

If you’re comfortable using a bit of PowerShell, here’s how you can reset the print spooler on Windows 10:
- Open the Start Menu and type
powershell
. - Right-click on
Windows PowerShell
and chooseRun as administrator
. - To stop the print spooler, type the following command and press Enter:
Stop-Service -Name Spooler
. - Clear the print queue by running:
Remove-Item -Path "C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*"
- Restart the print spooler with:
Start-Service -Name Spooler
. - Close PowerShell.
Using PowerShell ensures you have flexibility and precision. This method should get your print spooler smoothly reset and your printer functioning normally again.

Follow these steps to reset the print spooler on Windows 10:
- Press
Windows + R
to open the Run dialog box. - Type
services.msc
and press Enter. - Scroll down and find the service named
Print Spooler
. - Right-click
Print Spooler
and selectStop
. This will stop the print spooler service. - Next, press
Windows + E
to open File Explorer and navigate to the following location:C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
. - Delete all the files in this folder.
- Go back to the
Services
window, right-clickPrint Spooler
again, and selectStart
. This will restart the print spooler service.

A user-friendly method to reset the print spooler on your Windows 10 machine involves the following steps:
- Open
Settings
by pressingWindows + I
. - Go to
Devices
and thenPrinters & scanners
. - Select your printer, then click
Open queue
. - Choose
Printer
from the top menu and then selectCancel All Documents
. - Now, open the Run dialog using
Windows + R
key combination. Typeservices.msc
and press Enter. - In the Services window, right-click on
Print Spooler
and chooseRestart
.
I found that handling the issue through the Settings app simplifies it, especially if you’re more comfortable using graphical interfaces.