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This article helps troubleshoot printing issues caused by the Print Spooler service not running.
You encounter issues with installing printers, connecting to network printers, or printing to a printer.
These issues might occur if the Print Spooler service isn't running on your system. The Print Spooler service usually starts with Windows and runs until the operating system shuts down. It contains Windows binaries and optional vendor-supplied components.
Here are some methods you can use to troubleshoot these issues:
- Restart the Print Spooler service
- Check for system instability or resource issues
- Verify Group Policy settings
- Update drivers
- Check for conflicts with anti-virus software
Restart the Print Spooler service
Restart the Print Spooler service to clear any stuck print jobs by using one of the following methods:
Manually restart the service
In the Services application, right-click Print Spooler in the list, and select Restart.
Use Command Prompt
Type cmd in the search bar, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator to open Command Prompt as an administrator. Run the following commands and press Enter after each one:
-net stop spooler
-net start spooler
Use Windows PowerShell
Type powershell in the search bar, right-click Windows PowerShell, and select Run as administrator to open PowerShell as an administrator. Run the following cmdlet and press Enter:
Restart-Service -Name spooler
Check for system instability or resource issues
The Print Spooler service might fail to start due to system instability or insufficient system resources. Check the event logs for errors that indicate issues with initializing the local print provider.
Verify Group Policy settings
Ensure that no Group Policy settings disable or stop the Print Spooler service. Disabling the Print Spooler service can be part of security mitigations. Additionally, there might be an organizational unit (OU) with a Group Policy Object (GPO) for the domain controllers (DCs) to disable the Print Spooler service.
Update drivers
Ensure all relevant drivers are up to date. Outdated drivers and print components might cause the Print Spooler service to stop responding.
Check for conflicts with anti-virus software
Anti-virus software can sometimes interfere with the Print Spooler service. Ensure the anti-virus software isn't blocking any files needed by the Print Spooler service. Create exclusions for the spool folder.
Data collection
If you need assistance from Microsoft support, we recommend you collect the information by following the steps mentioned in Gather information by using TSS for User Experience issues.