How to Fix Print Spooler Errors on Any OS

Few error messages are as frustrating as "Print Spooler service is not running." One moment everything is fine; the next, your printer refuses every job you send. The good news is that spooler problems are almost always fixable without a service call. This guide walks you through every proven fix on both Windows and Mac, from a quick restart to a full cache clear, so you can get back to printing in minutes.

What Is the Print Spooler?

The print spooler is a background service that acts as a traffic controller for everything you print. When you hit Print in any application, the spooler receives the job, converts it into a format the printer understands, and places it in a queue. It then feeds each job to the printer one at a time, in order. Without a functioning spooler, your computer has no way to communicate print jobs to any printer — local or networked.

On Windows the service is called Print Spooler and runs automatically at startup. On Mac, the same role is handled by CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System), an open-source printing framework built into macOS. When either system stalls, crashes, or stops responding, the result is the same: nothing prints.

Fix Print Spooler on Windows

Windows spooler issues are the most common because the service can be disrupted by stuck print jobs, driver conflicts, or corrupted cache files. Work through these methods in order — most users are back up and running after Method 1 or 2.

Method 1 — Restart the Print Spooler Service

This is the fastest fix and resolves the majority of spooler errors. A simple restart clears the service's memory and forces it to reinitialize.

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog. Type services.msc and press Enter.
2. In the Services window, scroll down to Print Spooler. The list is alphabetical, so it will be in the "P" section.
3. Right-click Print Spooler and select Restart. If the service is stopped, select Start instead.
4. Wait a few seconds for the service status to change to Running.
5. Try printing again. If the job goes through, you are done.

If the service refuses to start, or if it starts and then stops again within seconds, move on to Method 2.

Method 2 — Clear the Spooler Cache

Every print job passes through a temporary cache folder. Corrupted or stuck files in this folder are the number-one reason the spooler crashes repeatedly. Clearing them out gives the service a clean slate.

1. Open services.msc using the steps above and Stop the Print Spooler service. The service must be stopped before you can delete the cache files.
2. Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. You may need administrator permission to access this folder.
3. Select all files inside the PRINTERS folder and delete them. Do not delete the folder itself — only the files inside it.
4. Go back to services.msc and Start the Print Spooler service.
5. Try printing again. The spooler should now start cleanly without any corrupted jobs blocking the queue.

Method 3 — Using Command Prompt

If you prefer the command line, or if services.msc is not responding, you can restart the spooler directly from Command Prompt or PowerShell.

Command Prompt method:

1. Press Win + S, type cmd, then right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
2. Type net stop spooler and press Enter. Wait for confirmation that the service has stopped.
3. Type net start spooler and press Enter. You should see "The Print Spooler service was started successfully."

PowerShell method:

1. Open Windows Terminal or PowerShell as administrator.
2. Run Restart-Service -Name Spooler -Force. This stops and restarts the service in a single command.

To combine the cache clear with the command-line restart, stop the spooler first, delete the files in the PRINTERS folder (or run del /Q /F C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\* from the elevated prompt), then start the spooler again.

Method 4 — Reinstall Printer Drivers

If the spooler restarts successfully but crashes again the moment you try to print, the issue is likely a corrupted or incompatible printer driver. Reinstalling the driver replaces any damaged files.

1. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners.
2. Select the problem printer and click Remove.
3. Open Device Manager (right-click the Start button), expand Print queues, right-click the printer, and select Uninstall device. Check the box to delete the driver software if prompted.
4. Restart your computer.
5. Download the latest driver from your printer manufacturer's website (not from a third-party site). Install it and add the printer back.
6. Print a black and white test page to confirm everything works.

Fix Print Spooler on Mac

macOS uses CUPS to manage printing. While CUPS is generally more stable than the Windows spooler, it can still encounter stuck jobs, corrupted queues, or communication failures. The following methods cover every common scenario.

Reset the Printing System

This is the Mac equivalent of a full spooler reset. It removes all printers from your system and clears every pending job, giving you a completely fresh start.

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
2. Navigate to Printers & Scanners.
3. Right-click (or Control-click) anywhere in the printer list and select Reset printing system.
4. Confirm the action when prompted. All printers will be removed.
5. Click the + button to re-add your printer. macOS will usually detect it automatically over Wi-Fi or USB.
6. Send a test print to verify the fix.

Restart CUPS from Terminal

If you want to restart the printing service without removing your printers, you can do it from Terminal. This is the Mac equivalent of restarting the Windows spooler service.

1. Open Terminal from Applications → Utilities.
2. Type sudo launchctl stop org.cups.cupsd and press Enter. Enter your password when prompted.
3. Type sudo launchctl start org.cups.cupsd and press Enter.
4. CUPS will restart in the background. Try printing again after a few seconds.

Clear CUPS Queue Manually

If specific jobs are stuck and preventing new jobs from printing, you can clear the CUPS queue directly.

1. Open Terminal.
2. Run lpstat -o to list all pending print jobs. Note the job IDs (they look like "Printer_Name-123").
3. Cancel individual jobs with cancel [job-id], or cancel all jobs with cancel -a.
4. If jobs will not cancel, run sudo rm /var/spool/cups/* to force-clear the spool directory, then restart CUPS using the commands above.

Prevent Future Spooler Errors

Once you have fixed the immediate problem, a few simple habits will keep the spooler running smoothly going forward.

• Keep printer drivers updated. Outdated drivers are the most common cause of recurring spooler crashes. Check your manufacturer's website quarterly or enable automatic updates in apps like HP Smart or Brother iPrint&Scan.
• Avoid canceling jobs mid-print. Canceling a job while the printer is actively feeding paper can leave partial data in the spooler cache. If you must cancel, wait for the current page to finish or power-cycle the printer afterward.
• Limit large batch jobs. Sending hundreds of pages in a single job can overwhelm the spooler, especially on computers with limited RAM. Break very large print runs into smaller batches of 50 to 100 pages.
• Restart the spooler periodically on shared computers. Offices with multiple users sending jobs to the same printer should consider a weekly spooler restart as part of routine maintenance.
• Keep Windows and macOS up to date. Operating system updates often include fixes for printing subsystems. Delaying updates can leave known bugs in place.

When the Spooler Keeps Crashing

If you have tried all of the above and the spooler still crashes or stops repeatedly, deeper system issues may be at play. Here are three advanced steps to try before calling a technician.

• Run the System File Checker (SFC). Open an elevated Command Prompt and run sfc /scannow. This scans all protected Windows system files and replaces any that are corrupted, including files the spooler depends on. The scan takes 10 to 20 minutes.
• Check for malware. Some malware specifically targets the print spooler because it runs with system-level privileges. Run a full scan with Windows Defender or your preferred antivirus tool. The "PrintNightmare" vulnerability from 2021 demonstrated how the spooler can be exploited, and while it has been patched, similar threats can emerge.
• Check Windows Update. A pending or partially installed Windows update can leave system services in an inconsistent state. Go to Settings → Windows Update and install any available updates. Restart your computer after the updates finish, then check whether the spooler is stable.

On Mac, persistent CUPS failures are rare but can occur after a major macOS upgrade. If resetting the printing system does not help, try creating a new user account and testing printing from there. If it works in the new account, the issue is in your user profile rather than the system.

Verify the Fix

After completing any of the methods above, confirm that your printer is fully operational by sending a test print. Printing a standardized test page is more reliable than printing a random document because it tests multiple aspects of the print pipeline at once.

• Print a black and white test page to verify basic text and grayscale output.
• Print a color test page to confirm that all ink channels are communicating properly through the spooler.
• Run a nozzle check test if you suspect the spooler issue may have interrupted an active print and left residue in the print head.

If the test page prints successfully, the spooler fix worked and you are good to go. If you are still experiencing broader printing problems beyond the spooler — such as the printer not responding at all, blank pages, or connection errors — see our comprehensive guide on how to fix a printer that is not printing for additional troubleshooting steps.