Fix: Printer Spooler Errors on Windows

This article will show you how to Fix Printer Spooler Errors on Windows. Imagine that you have a lot of papers to print, but the printer isn’t doing its only job, which is to print documents. This could be because of many things, like a broken print spooler. One of the most common printing problems is that “The Printer Spooler service is not running.” The Print Spooler is a part of Windows 10 and Windows 11 that sends requests to print from the computer to the printer. The printer won’t be able to print once the Printer Spooler Error is broken or turned off.

“Printer Spooler error” or “The local print spooler service is not running”? The print spooler helps your Windows computer talk to the printer and organizes the jobs that are waiting to be printed. If you see a warning message about the print spooler, it means that this tool is broken or isn’t working with other software the way it should. You could press the Windows key and run the troubleshooter, but if that doesn’t work, this piece shows you how to fix the Printer Spooler Error in a number of different ways.

Make Sure Print Spooler Service is Set to Automatic

This method is also known as “Check if Remote Procedure Call services are running.” Many users have said that troubles with the Print Spooler can also be caused by Remote Procedure Call (RPC) services. You have to make sure that these services work well. If the print spooler RPC service is not set to start automatically when Windows starts, it won’t. Until you start the service by hand, your printer won’t work. All you have to do is make sure that the print spooler service starts when Windows does. Follow these steps:

1. Open services window: press Windows key + R and type “services.msc” 
2. Locate Print Spooler (Remote Procedure Call) Service in the list, then right-click on it and choose the Properties.
3. Check if Startup type is set to Automatic, if not change it to Automatic then click Apply > OK.
4. See if you’re able to Fix Print Spooler Keeps Stopping on Windows 11/10 issue and if the printer now works.
5. If not then continue to the next method.

Run printer troubleshooter

Run the troubleshooter before you do anything else. Windows 10 has a built-in Printer Troubleshooter that can find and fix most wrong settings and mistakes that could make printing difficult. If you want to know more information about this Visit Official Microsoft Support site. For the troubleshooter to work:

1. Press the Windows key+ X and select Settings.
2. Type Troubleshoot on the search box and click on Troubleshooting Settings.
3. Locate and click on the Printer troubleshooter and follow the prompts.
4. Wait for the process to detect the problems that cause the printer spooler to keep stopping, and try to fix them.
5. Restart your PC (Windows) after the process is complete.
6. Check the problem is resolved.

Restart the Print Spooler Service

This method is very easy, but it works. You can restart the Print Spooler Services if the print spooler service is not running or is stuck. Use the steps below:

1. Run Services: Press Windows key + R then type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Locate Print Spooler Service, right-click on it, then choose Restart.
3. Check if the process has fixed the print spooler problem and if the printer now functions normally.

Delete Print Spooler Files

Sometimes Print Spooler service keeps stopping because there are too many Print Spooler files, files that are still being processed, or files that are broken. By deleting your print spooler files, you can get rid of print jobs that aren’t done yet, too many files, or files that are broken. To delete Print Spooler Files:

1. First, disable Print Spooler service: open services (Press Windows Key + R then type services.msc and press Enter).
2. In the Services listed locate Print Spooler service then Stop it. (right-click it and choose Stop).
3. Minimize the Services window.
4. Open Windows File Explorers (press Windows key + E) and go to the C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS folder (you’ll need administrator privileges to run this folder). Follow the same process for C:\Windows\System64\spool\PRINTERS.
5. Click yes (or Continue) if prompted for Administrator privileges to open PRINTERS.
6. Delete all the files in the PRINTERS folder. Make sure the folder is left empty.
7. Go back to Services (The windows you minimized), and start the Print Spooler services (The one you stopped).
8. After deleting these files, disconnect your printers from your PC and connect them again after a while;
9. Now check if the print function works or runs normally.

Install Device Drivers in Compatibility Mode

Check to see if the Print Spooler keeps stopping because the driver for the printer doesn’t work with Windows 10. Try installing the drivers in compatibility mode and see if that helps.

1. Right-click on the printer driver that you have downloaded from the manufacturer’s website.
2. Click/tap on Properties.
3. Check the Run this program in Compatibility mode under the Compatibility tab
4. Select Windows 8.1/8 from the drop-down under Compatibility mode
5. Click on Apply and Ok.
6. Install the drivers, restart the PC, and check if the issue is resolved.

Remove Duplicate Printer Drivers

Others have said that you can fix the problem with Print Spooler by removing the duplicate drivers. You will use the Print Management tool to get rid of the extra drivers.

1. Press Windows Key + S
2. On the search box, type print management, and select Print Management from the list.
3. Open Print Management. On the left pane select All Drivers.
4. On the list of all printer drivers on the window, notice the duplicated drivers, then right-click and choose Remove Driver Package. 
5. Remove the duplicate drivers and check if the issue has been fixed.

What is a printer spooler?

A printer spooler is a piece of software on your computer that stores print jobs and sends them to the printer in the order they were written. “Spooling” is a term used in computer programming to describe a program that organizes data or information and sends it to a device with low memory and a slow way of handling data, like an inkjet or laser printer.

Why do I need a printer spooler?

The printer wouldn’t be able to handle all the information about what you are printing at once because it isn’t fast enough and doesn’t have a lot of memory. This is especially true if your printer is in an office where many people may be printing at the same time. So, the printer needs a program to decide what order the documents should be printed in (based on who clicked “print” first) and to slowly send the list of documents to be printed instead of sending them all at once.

If you use a Windows working system, your device will already have a spooler. It communicates with your printer to tell it what to print. With a spooler, you don’t have to wait for one job to finish before starting another. It just puts it in a queue and gets it ready, which is where the term “print queue” originates from.