How to Restart Print Spooler on Windows: A Quick Guide

Experiencing printer problems? Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the most effective. If your printer is acting up, one of the first troubleshooting steps you should take is restarting the Print Spooler service on your Windows computer. The Print Spooler is a crucial component of your Windows operating system that manages all print jobs. It acts as a temporary holding area for documents waiting to be printed. Occasionally, this service can encounter errors, leading to print jobs getting stuck, printers appearing offline, or other printing malfunctions. Restarting the Print Spooler can often resolve these issues and get you back to printing smoothly.

Understanding the Print Spooler Service

Think of the Print Spooler as a traffic controller for your printing tasks. When you send a document to print, the Print Spooler takes over, creating a queue and sending the print job to your printer in the correct order. This service runs in the background, allowing you to continue working on other tasks while your documents are being processed and printed. It handles communication between your applications, the printer driver, and the physical printer itself.

Why Restarting the Print Spooler Might Be Necessary

There are several scenarios where restarting the Print Spooler can be a quick and easy fix for printing problems:

Stuck Print Jobs: If a print job gets stuck in the queue, preventing other documents from printing, restarting the Print Spooler can clear the queue and allow new print jobs to process.
Printer Offline Errors: Sometimes, even when your printer is physically connected and turned on, Windows might display it as offline. Restarting the Print Spooler can re-establish communication and bring your printer back online.
Garbled or Incomplete Prints: If your documents are printing with errors, missing information, or are incomplete, a problem with the Print Spooler could be the cause. Restarting it can resolve temporary glitches.
Printer Driver Issues: In some cases, restarting the Print Spooler can help resolve conflicts or temporary issues with printer drivers.

How to Restart Print Spooler on Windows: Step-by-Step Guides

Restarting the Print Spooler service is a straightforward process. Here are the steps for different versions of Windows:

For Windows 10 and Windows 11

There are a couple of methods to restart the Print Spooler on Windows 10 and Windows 11. We’ll cover both the Services console method and using the Command Prompt.

Method 1: Using the Services Console

Access the Run dialog: Right-click the Start button located at the bottom left corner of your screen. In the menu that appears, click on Run.
Open Services: In the Run dialog box, type services.msc and then click OK. This command will open the Services console, which lists all the services running on your Windows system.

Run dialog box with services.msc entered
Locate Print Spooler: In the Services window, scroll down the list of services until you find Print Spooler. The services are listed alphabetically, making it easier to find.

Print Spooler service in Services console
Restart the service: With Print Spooler selected, look for the options on the left-hand side of the window. You should see options to “Stop”, “Start”, and “Restart” the service. Click on Restart the service.

Restart the service option for Print Spooler

Windows will now attempt to restart the Print Spooler service. You can observe the status of the service in the “Status” column. Once restarted, it should display “Running”.

Method 2: Using Command Prompt (Alternative Method)

For users who prefer using the command line, you can also restart the Print Spooler using Command Prompt.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Press the Windows key and type cmd. Right-click on Command Prompt in the search results and select Run as administrator.
Stop the Print Spooler: In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:
```
net stop spooler
```
This command will stop the Print Spooler service. You should see a message confirming that the service has stopped successfully.
Start the Print Spooler: Next, type the following command and press Enter:
```
net start spooler
```
This command will start the Print Spooler service again. You should see a message confirming that the service has started successfully.

Command Prompt showing net stop and net start spooler commands

Closing the Command Prompt window after completing these steps.

For Windows 8

The process for restarting the Print Spooler on Windows 8 is very similar to Windows 10 and 11, primarily using the Services console.

Access Search: Move your mouse cursor to the bottom-right or top-right corner of the screen to bring up the Charms bar. Click on the Search charm (the magnifying glass icon).

Windows 8 Search Charm
Search for Local Services: In the Search bar, type Local Services. Underneath the search bar, click on Settings, and then click on View local services. This will open the Services console.

Windows 8 Local Services Search
Locate and Restart Print Spooler: Follow steps 3 and 4 from the Windows 10 & 11 “Services Console” method above to locate the Print Spooler service and click Restart the service.

Print Spooler service in Services consoleRestart the service option for Print Spooler

For Windows 7

Windows 7 also utilizes the Services console for managing services like Print Spooler.

Access Run Command: Click on the Start button, and then click on Run.
Open Services: In the Run dialog box, type services.msc and click OK to open the Services console.
Locate and Restart Print Spooler: Follow steps 3 and 4 from the Windows 10 & 11 “Services Console” method to find the Print Spooler service and click Restart the service.

Print Spooler service in Services consoleRestart the service option for Print Spooler

Verifying the Print Spooler Restart

After restarting the Print Spooler using any of the methods above, it’s a good idea to confirm that the service is indeed running. You can do this by:

Checking the Services Console: Return to the Services console (services.msc). Locate Print Spooler again and check the Status column. It should display “Running”.
Attempting to Print: The most practical way to verify is to try printing a test page. Open a document or application and send a simple print job to your printer. If it prints successfully, the Print Spooler is likely working correctly.

Conclusion

Restarting the Print Spooler is a simple yet powerful troubleshooting technique for many common printer problems in Windows. By following these step-by-step guides for your specific version of Windows, you can quickly restart this essential service and often resolve printing issues without needing more complex solutions. If you continue to experience problems after restarting the Print Spooler, you may need to investigate other potential causes, such as printer driver issues, hardware problems, or network connectivity.