How to clear your Window Print Queue

If you have a printer that has stopped printing, or if there are several documents waiting to print in the print queue, clearing the print queue may be necessary to get things back to normal. In this article, we will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to clear the print queue in Windows 10.

Method 1: Clearing the Print Queue Using the Control Panel

1. Click on the "Start" button on your desktop, then select "Settings" (gear icon).
2. In the Settings window, click on "Devices."
3. In the "Devices" window, select "Printers & scanners" from the left-hand menu.
4. Select the printer you want to clear the queue for and click on the "Open queue" button.
5. In the print queue window, click on "Printer" in the top menu bar, then select "Cancel All Documents."
6. A confirmation message will appear, click on "Yes" to confirm that you want to delete all documents in the queue.

Method 2: Clearing the Print Queue Using Command Prompt

1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "cmd" in the Run box and press Enter to open the Command Prompt.
3. In the Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter:

net stop spooler

This command will stop the Print Spooler service.  

4. Next, type the following command and press Enter:

del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers* /Q

This command will delete all the files in the printers folder, which contains the print queue data.

5. Finally, type the following command and press Enter:

net start spooler

This command will restart the Print Spooler service.

Once you have completed these steps, the print queue for your printer should be cleared, and any stuck print jobs should be removed. You can now try printing again, and the printer should start working as normal.