Print spooler

Updated: 11/12/2023 by Computer Hope

A program in Microsoft Windows that's responsible for managing all print jobs getting sent to the computer printer or print server. The print spooler program allows a user to delete a print job being processed or otherwise manage the print jobs currently waiting to be printed.

How to restart the print spooler service

If a computer is having difficulty sending a print job to a printer, the problem may be the print spooler service. If the print spooler service is not running or is hung, you can restart it by following the steps below.

  1. Open the Windows Task Manager.
  2. In the Task Manager window, click the Services tab.
  3. Click the Description column header to sort the list of services by description.
  4. Scroll down and find the Print Spooler service in the Description column. This service is named Spooler in the Name column.
  5. Right-click the Print Spooler service and select Restart in the pop-up menu.

Restart Print Spooler service in Windows

Once the Print Spooler service is restarted, try printing a document or picture to see if the computer can send the print job to the printer.

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