Print Spooler keeps stopping, nobody can print anymore
A corrupt spool file in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS blocks the entire service. Deleting it works, but the real question is why it got corrupt.
Try this first
- 1Stop the Print Spooler service via services.msc (or `net stop spooler` as admin).
- 2Open C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete everything inside. Not the folder itself, just the contents.
- 3Start Print Spooler again (`net start spooler`). Test with a simple print, not a 200-page Excel.
- 4If it returns on one PC, the driver is suspect. Remove printer and driver via 'Print Server Properties', Drivers tab. Reinstall with the current vendor driver, not via Windows Update.
- 5If it returns on multiple PCs, the print server or network is suspect. Check Event Viewer for spooler errors and see if a specific job (big Excel, weird PDF) keeps crashing it.
When to bring us in
Crashes more than once a week or across users? A short look at the driver stack and print server beats clearing the folder repeatedly. Get us in.
See also
- Printer suddenly not foundFor everyone at once: print server or network. For one person: local Windows driver or expired authorisation.
- Print job stuck in queue, nothing happensA stuck queue blocks all subsequent prints. Cleaning takes two minutes.
- Scanner no longer sends emails (scan-to-email)Almost always: the account the scanner uses had its password expire, or the mail provider blocks old protocols.
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