Printing errors, wrong document selections, or simply a change of heart – there are many reasons why you might need to cancel a print job. Fortunately, both Windows and Microsoft Excel offer ways to halt the printing process. However, it’s crucial to understand that cancellation is only possible if the print job hasn’t been fully transmitted to your printer. This guide will walk you through the steps to effectively cancel a print job from both Excel and your Windows operating system.
Canceling a Print Job Directly from Excel
When you initiate printing in Excel by selecting Print, a print dialog box momentarily appears on your screen. This fleeting window is your first opportunity to intercept and cancel the print job before it progresses further.
If you react quickly, you can click the Cancel button within this dialog box. However, this print dialog often disappears rapidly, especially for smaller print jobs or faster printers. If you miss this initial window, don’t worry; you can still attempt to cancel the print job through Windows itself.
Canceling a Print Job Through Windows
Windows provides a system-level interface to manage active print jobs. This method is generally effective if the print job is still in the queue and hasn’t been completely sent to the printer’s memory. Here’s how to cancel printing from Windows:
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Locate the Printer Icon in the Taskbar: Look at the bottom-right corner of your screen on the Windows taskbar. This area, known as the notification area, often displays icons for active background processes. You’re looking for the Printer icon . This icon indicates that there are active print jobs.
If the printer icon isn’t immediately visible, it might be hidden within the overflow menu. Click the upward-pointing arrow (often labeled “Show hidden icons”) on the taskbar to expand the notification area and reveal any hidden icons, including the printer icon.
Important Note: If you cannot find the printer icon even after checking the hidden icons, it likely means the print job has already been fully sent to your printer. In this scenario, canceling the job through Windows is no longer possible. You might still be able to stop the printing process directly at your printer if it has a cancel function.
Tips for Taskbar Navigation:
- If the taskbar is not visible, simply move your mouse cursor to the very bottom edge of your screen to make it appear.
- For Windows 8 users, you may need to press the Windows key to return to the desktop view before you can access the taskbar.
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Open the Print Queue: Once you’ve located the printer icon, right-click on it. From the context menu that appears, select Open All Active Printers. This option will open a window displaying all printers currently active on your system and their respective print queues.
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Select Your Printer: In the Active Printers dialog box, you will see a list of printers. Click on the printer that is currently processing the print job you wish to cancel. This action will open a new window specifically for that printer, displaying its print queue.
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Choose the Print Job to Cancel: Within the printer’s dialog box, you’ll see a list of documents in the print queue. Identify the specific print job you want to cancel. It’s usually listed by document name and user.
Note for Windows 10 and later users: You might initially need to select the specific printer you are using from the main Active Printers window before you can see the print queue and select the job to cancel.
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Cancel the Print Job: After selecting the print job, navigate to the menu bar at the top of the printer dialog box. Click on Document, and then select Cancel from the dropdown menu. This action initiates the cancellation process for the selected print job.
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Confirm Cancellation: A confirmation dialog box will appear, asking “Are you sure you want to cancel this document?”. Click Yes to confirm your decision and proceed with canceling the print job.
Confirm cancellation of the selected print job in Windows print queue. -
Wait for Job to Disappear and Close: Observe the printer’s dialog box. The print job you canceled should disappear from the print job queue as Windows processes the cancellation request. Once the job is no longer listed, you can close the printer’s dialog box.
If the print job disappears from the queue, it means the cancellation was successful at the software level. However, if the job was already fully sent to the printer before you could cancel it, the printer might still proceed with printing. In such cases, you may need to manually intervene at the printer itself. Most printers have a physical Cancel button or a menu option to stop the current print job. Refer to your printer’s manual for specific instructions on how to cancel printing directly on the device.
Further Resources
For more information on printing and print management in Windows and Excel, you can refer to the following resource:
