How to Clear the Print Queue (Windows 10/11/8/8.1/7)

If you’ve ever sent a document to your printer only to have it get stuck in the print queue, you know how frustrating it can be. Luckily, clearing the print queue on Windows is usually straightforward. In this guide, we’ll cover how to manage and clear the print queue on various versions of Windows, from Windows 7 to Windows 11.

What is the Print Queue?

The print queue is a list of documents waiting to be printed. Sometimes, a document can get stuck due to a printer error, network issue, or corrupted file. Clearing the print queue removes these stuck jobs so you can resume printing.

Clearing the Print Queue in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Method 1: Using the Printer Settings

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Navigate to Devices > Printers & scanners.
3. Select your printer and click Open queue.
4. In the queue window, right-click any document and select Cancel to remove it.
   Tip: You can select multiple documents at once using Ctrl + Click or Shift + Click.

Method 2: Restart the Print Spooler Service

If the above doesn’t work:

1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Scroll down to Print Spooler, right-click it, and select Stop.
3. Wait a few seconds, then right-click Print Spooler again and select Start.
4. Check your print queue again; it should be cleared.

Clearing the Print Queue in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1

1. Press Windows + X and select Control Panel.
2. Navigate to Devices and Printers.
3. Right-click your printer and select See what’s printing.
4. Click Printer > Cancel All Documents from the menu.
5. If the queue persists, restart the Print Spooler service (see method above).

Clearing the Print Queue in Windows 7

1. Click Start and open Devices and Printers.
2. Right-click your printer and select See what’s printing.
3. In the window that opens, click Printer > Cancel All Documents.
4. To manually reset the spooler if needed:
   • Click Start, type services.msc, and press Enter.
   • Find Print Spooler, right-click, and choose Stop.
   • Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete all files inside (requires administrator permission).
   • Restart the Print Spooler service.

I hope this has resolved any issues that you are having. If however, you still have items stuck in the print queue after selecting “Cancel”, we would recommend restarting your printer and checking the Print Queue again.