8 ways to clear the print queue and unlock the printer in Windows

Is the print job not deleted in Windows? 8+ ways to solve! There are several types of printer problems, including paper jams or low ink, but few are more annoying than when a print job goes undetected and freezes the printer.

Often, simply deleting the print job can solve the problem, but in some cases, it may be necessary to remove stuck items from the print queue using different solutions.

If you are using a local or network printer and are unable to delete one or more print jobs, we will show you some proven solutions that can help you delete the stuck print job and start over.

Because your print job is not deleted in Windows

Already it is serious that the printer is physically jammed.

What’s more frustrating is if the document you’re printing gets stuck in the queue preventing further documents from printing, or if the printer continually prints the same job over and over again. Whatever the case may be, we recommend that you cancel or delete your print job to save paper and ink.

However, the printing process works differently in Windows. When you send a print job to the print queue, the print files do not go directly to the printer but arrive in the spooler, which handles all the print jobs.

The spooler also allows you to change the order of pending print jobs or remove them altogether. If a problem occurs, the print files remain in the queue as none of the files can be printed.

When this happens, the first solution would be to delete the print job to allow other accumulated print jobs to print. But this won’t work if you can’t delete the print job.

To unblock the queue and restart printing, here are some solutions to try when conventional methods don’t work.

8 Solutions to Delete a Stuck Print Job in Windows 

There are several methods that you can use to delete a print job other than canceling the print job or restarting the printer and computer. We will walk you through the steps required to fix a print job that is not deleted in Windows.

1. Delete a print job via the printer settings or buttons

If a print job is not deleted from your PC, you can use the buttons or printer settings to do so. Most printers have a Cancel, Abort, or Redo button, which when used in combination can help you delete the print job or clear the queue.

You can also remove the paper tray to delay the print job and then delete it to avoid wasting paper. You can also turn off the printer, unplug it, and let it reset completely before turning it back on to cancel the print job.

2. Use the Windows settings to delete a print job

You can also access the print queue via Windows Settings to quickly delete a print job.

1. To do this, select Start > Settings > Devices.
2. Select Printers & Scanners in the left pane.
3. Then select the printer with the print job you want to delete, then select Open Queue.
4. You will see all print jobs in the print queue for the selected printer. Select the document you want to delete, then select Document > Cancel. Alternatively, right-click the print job and select Cancel. Select Yes and the print job will be removed.

Note– If you want to cancel all print jobs in the queue, select Printer > Cancel All Documents.

3. Use the Control Panel to delete a print job in Windows

The Control Panel is not very visible in Windows 10, but you can access it by selecting Start, Control Panel in the search box that appears and select Control Panel from the list.

1. To clear or remove a blocked print job that is not cleared from the Control Panel, select Hardware, and Sound > Devices and Printers.
2. Select the printer from which you want to delete or delete a print job, then select See what is printing. Alternatively, you can right-click the printer, select Open in new window, and then select See what is printing.
3. Cancel the print job to clear the queue or delete it.

4. Use the command prompt to delete a stuck print job

Command Prompt can help you stop and start the print spooler when you want to delete a print job.

1. To do this, select Start and enter CMD in the search box, then select Run as administrator under the command prompt search result.
2. In the Command Prompt box, enter this command- net spooler and press Enter.
3. Open File Explorer and click on the address bar. Type C:\Windows\System32\Spool\Printers and press Enter.
4. Highlight the files, right-click on them and select Delete.
5. Go back to the command prompt, type net start spooler, and then press Enter to restart the print spooler.

5. Use Windows Services to delete a print job

You can also stop and start the print spooler in the Services window.

1. To do this, right-click on Start > Run and type services.msc in the Run dialog. Hit enter.
2. Scroll down to find Print Spooler, right-click and select Stop.
3. With the Services window still open, go to the Printers directory and delete the files in it to remove the print job that will not be deleted and any other print jobs pending in the queue.
4. Then, open File Explorer, select the address bar, and type C:\Windows\System32\Spool\Printers. Hit enter.
5. Highlight and right-click on the selected files, then select Delete. Return to the Services window and restart the Print Spooler service to complete the process by right-clicking Print Spooler > Start.

6. Reset the print spooler

If all else fails, you can reset the print spooler when the print job is not deleted in Windows.

1. To do this, right-click on Start > Run and enter services.msc in the Run dialog.
2. Find Print Spooler, right-click and select Stop.
3. Right-click Print Spooler again and select Restart to restart the service.

A dialog box about restarting the service will appear, which means that you have successfully reset the print spooler.

7. Reinstall the print driver

If you are still unable to delete the print job in Windows, you can remove and reinstall the printer drivers. This will reset the printing software system.

1. To reinstall the print driver, disconnect all cables from the printer, then go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers in Windows.
2. Right-click the printer icon and select Remove Device to uninstall the printer software.
3. Restart your computer, go to the Web site of the device manufacturer and download the driver of the printer to the printer model. Install it according to the instructions on the website. Once finished, check if the print job is still there and try to delete it again.

8. Manually deselect and restart the print spooler

If you want to delete a print job because it affects the rest of the items in the queue, you can manually clear and restart the print spooler to reabsorb all documents and delete that print job.

1. To do this, right-click on Start > Run and enter services.msc in the Run dialog.
2. Find the Print Spooler service in the Services window, double-click it, and select the General tab in the Properties window.
3. Next, select the Stop button and then open File Explorer.
4. Go to the address bar, type %windir%\System32\spool\PRINTERS and press Enter.
5. Delete all files and return to the Services window. Select Start to restart the Print Spooler service, then select OK to close and exit the window.

All print jobs in your queue will be re-spooled and sent to your printer and you can delete the print job you want.

More things to try when the print job is not deleted in Windows 10

• Check if the printer is offline or paused as this will keep print jobs in the queue until the printer is up again. You can check if the Pause Printing or Use Printer Offline options are selected in the print queue window. If so, deselect the selection.
• Temporarily disable the firewall software. Windows firewall software may interfere with the print job, but you can temporarily disable it to clear the print queue and see if the print job is deleted. If it is not eliminated, the problem is not the firewall. However, if the print job is deleted, adjust the firewall settings to allow the Print Spooler service to access the computer system.
• Log in with another Windows account. If you are still having trouble deleting a print job, restart your PC and log in using a different user account. If you can delete the print job in the new account, check if the old one is damaged or has the necessary permissions to print.
• Scan your PC using System File Checker to determine if there are any problems with your system files and repair them. To do this, open a command prompt, enter SFC/scannow, and press Enter.
• Verify that the printer’s IP address in the Windows port settings matches the actual printer’s IP address. If it does not match, enter the correct IP address and try to delete the print job again.

Clear blocked print jobs

Regardless of the printer you use, there are likely situations where you need to delete a print job. Windows 10 makes it easy for you, but if your print job is stuck in the queue, you may not be able to cancel or delete it altogether, further preventing other print jobs from printing.

Try the solutions and tips in this guide and let us know in a comment what worked for you.