If you’ve ever sent a document to print only to realize that you’ve made an error or simply changed your mind, you know how frustrating it can be to have a stuck print job in your printer queue. In this blog post, we will cover how to clear the printer queue in Windows 10 using two different methods: through the Control Panel and using Command Prompt.
Method 1: Clearing the Printer Queue through the Control Panel
- Press Windows key + X and select Control Panel from the options.
- In the Control Panel, choose Hardware and Sound.
- Click on Devices and Printers.
- Under Printers, find your printer and right-click on it. Then, select See what’s printing.
- In the new window that opens, click on Printer in the menu bar and then choose Cancel All Documents.
- A dialog box will appear asking if you are sure you want to delete all documents in the printer queue. Click Yes to confirm.
Your printer queue should now be cleared, allowing you to print new documents without any delay.
Method 2: Clearing the Printer Queue using Command Prompt
If you prefer using command lines or simply want a quicker way to clear the printer queue, you can use Command Prompt. Follow these steps:
- Press Windows key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the options. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.
- In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:
- Next, type the following command and press Enter:
- Lastly, type the following command and press Enter to restart the print spooler:
net stop spooler
del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\* /Q
net start spooler
Your printer queue should now be cleared, and you can close the Command Prompt window.
Conclusion
By following either of these methods, you can easily clear the printer queue in Windows 10 and avoid any delays or issues with your print jobs. Remember to always double-check your documents before sending them to print to minimize the need to clear your printer queue in the future.
