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3.1. How To Force Clear All Jobs From A Printer Queue

Clear Printer Queue using Task Manager

  1. To open Task Manager, simultaneously press the “CTRL + ALT + Delete” keys.
  2. Once open, click the “Services” tab found between the “Processes” and “Performance” tabs.
  3. Scroll through all of the services until you find the “Spooler” service. Right-click it and select “Stop Service.”
  4. Launch “Windows File Explorer.” In the address bar, type “C:Windows\system32\spool\PRINTERS” and press “Enter.”
  5. You may experience a pop-up box prompting you to continue as administrator. Select “Continue.”
  6. DO NOT delete the “PRINTERS” folder! Select all entries within the folder by pressing “CTRL + A” followed by “Delete.”
  7. Once all entries get removed, head back to the “Task Manager -> Services” and right-click “Spooler.” This time, select “Start Service.”
  8. You can now exit out of Task Manager. Your queue should now be clear.

Force-Delete Printer Queue using Command Prompt

1. Click the “Start” icon (Win 7) or the “Cortana search bar” (Win 8 and 10) in the lower-left area of your screen.

2. ype “Command” in the box that appears
3. Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as Administrator.
4. Next, you’ll want to type “net stop spooler” and then press “Enter.” You’ll see the prompt “The Print Spool service is stopping” followed by “The Print Spooler service was stopped successfully.”
5. At this point, type in “del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers* /Q” and press “Enter.”
6. To get the system rolling once again, type in “net start spooler” and press “Enter.” You’ll get prompted with “The Print Spooler service was started successfully.”
7. You can now close the Command Prompt as your printer queue should now be clear.

Force-Delete Printer Queue using the GUI

  1. Bring up the “Run” dialog by pressing “Windows key + R,” type “services.msc” in the box, and press “Enter.”
  2. Scroll down and right-click on “Print Spooler” within the list, then select “Stop.” This function will bring the printing queue to a halt.Leave this window open.
  3. Press “Windows key + R” again, type “%systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\” followed by pressing “Ctrl + A” to select all files, if any, then tap “Delete” to remove them.If there are some entries you don’t wish to remove, for whatever reason, hold the “CTRL” key while left-clicking those entries.
  4. Go back to the “Services” window that you left open, right-click on “Print Spooler” once again, then select “Start.”
  5. Close the “Services” window, and your print queue should now be clear.

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