Print Spooler Keeps Stopping? Fix It on Windows 10 and 11

You click Print, nothing happens. You open Services, start the Print Spooler, and within seconds it stops again. This is one of the most common printer problems on Windows 10 and 11, and in almost every case it is caused by a stuck print job or a bad printer driver, not by Windows itself. This guide fixes it for good, step by step, without reinstalling Windows.

Table of contents

• Why the Print Spooler keeps stopping
• Quick troubleshooting flow
• Fix 1: Clear stuck print jobs (the main fix)
• Fix 2: Set the service and its dependencies correctly
• Fix 3: Remove a bad printer driver
• Fix 4: Repair system files (SFC and DISM)
• Cause and fix summary
• What not to do
• FAQ

Why the Print Spooler keeps stopping

The Print Spooler (service name Spooler) holds print jobs in a queue and sends them to the printer. It crashes and stops when something in that queue or its drivers is broken. The usual causes are:

• A corrupt or stuck print job sitting in the spool folder.
• A faulty or outdated printer driver, especially old third-party drivers.
• A missing service dependency (RPC) or a wrong startup setting.
• Corrupt system files after a bad update or malware cleanup.

Quick troubleshooting flow

Work top to bottom. Most people are fixed at step 1.

Fix 1: Clear stuck print jobs (the main fix)

A single corrupt job can crash the spooler every time it starts. Clearing the spool folder removes all pending jobs and usually solves the problem.

1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Find Print Spooler, right-click it and choose Stop. Leave this window open.
3. Press Windows + R, paste %windir%\System32\spool\PRINTERS and press Enter.
4. Delete everything inside this folder (not the folder itself). Click Continue if asked for admin permission.
5. Go back to Services, right-click Print Spooler and choose Start.

Prefer the command line? Run these in an elevated Command Prompt (Run as administrator):

net stop spooler
del /Q /F /S "%windir%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.*"
net start spooler

Try printing a test page. If the spooler stays running, you are done.

Fix 2: Set the service and its dependencies correctly

The spooler needs Remote Procedure Call (RPC) running and must be set to start automatically.

1. In services.msc, open Remote Procedure Call (RPC). Its status must be Running and startup type Automatic. Do not change the "RPC Locator".
2. Open Print Spooler > Properties. Set Startup type to Automatic.
3. Go to the Recovery tab and set First failure to Restart the Service. Click OK.

To confirm the dependency from the command line:

sc qc spooler

The DEPENDENCIES line should list RPCSS. If RPC itself will not run, that is a deeper problem; our Windows Update troubleshooting guide covers resetting core Windows components.

Fix 3: Remove a bad printer driver

If the spooler only crashes when a specific printer is installed, the driver is the culprit.

1. Clear the spool folder again (Fix 1) and start the spooler.
2. Press Windows + R, type printui /s /t2 and press Enter. This opens Print Server Properties > Drivers.
3. Select the problem printer's driver and click Remove > Remove driver and driver package.
4. Restart the PC, then download the latest driver from the printer maker's official site (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother) and reinstall.

Avoid very old drivers made for Windows 7 on Windows 11. Use the current model-specific driver.

Fix 4: Repair system files (SFC and DISM)

If the spooler still stops, repair Windows system files. Run these in an elevated Command Prompt, in order:

sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Let each finish, then restart and test. If you manage many machines, you can script the whole spooler reset with PowerShell; see our PowerShell automation scripts.

Cause and fix summary

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Spooler stops seconds after starting	Stuck print job	Fix 1: clear spool folder
"Spooler is not running" at boot	Wrong startup / RPC not running	Fix 2: set Automatic + RPC
Crashes only with one printer	Bad driver	Fix 3: remove driver package
Crashes after an update or malware	Corrupt system files	Fix 4: SFC and DISM

What not to do

• Do not delete the PRINTERS folder itself, only the files inside it.
• Do not disable the Print Spooler permanently if you need to print. Disabling it only hides the problem.
• Do not install random "printer fixer" tools. The built-in steps above are safer.

FAQ

Is it safe to delete files in the PRINTERS folder?

Yes. Those are only pending print jobs. Deleting them cancels the queue; nothing in Windows breaks.

Why does my spooler stop only when I print a PDF?

That points to a driver or a specific document. Try printing the PDF as an image, or update the printer driver (Fix 3).

The spooler keeps stopping on a print server for many users. What now?

Remove unused printer drivers on the server, keep only current ones, and enable the service Recovery restart (Fix 2). One bad shared driver can crash the queue for everyone.

Can a Windows update cause this?

Sometimes. Run SFC and DISM (Fix 4), and if an update clearly broke printing, check our Windows Update fixes.

Want to test your Windows troubleshooting skills? Try the free IT skill tests on Techyami.

Based on standard Windows 10 and 11 printing and services behavior. Commands were checked on October 31, 2026.