The Print Spooler is the Windows service that passes documents from your apps to the printer. When it keeps stopping, printers vanish from print dialogs, apps freeze when you press Print, and Windows says the spooler isn't running. Starting it again helps for a few minutes, then it stops once more, which almost always means something crashes it each time it loads. This guide shows how to find that something and remove it.
What you might be seeing
- Messages saying the print spooler service is not running
- Printers disappear from the list, then return after a restart
- Print Spooler shows as stopped in Services soon after you start it
- Apps hang when you open the print dialog
Common causes
- Damaged job in the spool folder
- The spooler loads waiting jobs as it starts, and one corrupted file can crash it every time.
- Faulty or outdated driver
- Printer drivers run inside the spooler, so a buggy one, especially from an older Windows version, can take the service down.
- Leftover printers and drivers
- Queues for printers you no longer own still load their drivers at startup.
- Damaged system files
- Less often, Windows files the spooler depends on are corrupted, typically by an interrupted update.
How to fix it, step by step
Work through these in order and test a print after each one. Most people are done within the first few steps.
Don't set the Print Spooler to Disabled as a fix. Printing stops entirely and some apps misbehave without any printer.
Check how the service is set to start
Press Windows key + R, type
services.mscand press Enter, then double-click Print Spooler. Startup type should be Automatic; if it isn't, change it, click Apply, then Start. Watch the Service status line for a couple of minutes. If it drops back to Stopped on its own, a setting isn't the problem; something is crashing the service.Clear out waiting jobs before starting it
A corrupt job file is the most common reason the spooler dies as soon as it starts. With Print Spooler stopped, go to
C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERSin File Explorer, accept the permission prompt, and delete everything inside while leaving the folder in place. Start the service again. If it now stays running, a damaged job was to blame.Read the crash details in Event Viewer
Right-click Start, open Event Viewer and go to Windows Logs › Application. Look for red Error entries at the times the spooler stopped. An Application Error entry naming
spoolsv.exealso lists a faulting module. If that file isn't a familiar Windows component, it's often part of a printer driver, and its name can hint at which printer it belongs to.Remove printers you no longer use
Open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners on Windows 11, or Settings › Devices › Printers & scanners on Windows 10. Look for printers you've replaced, duplicates ending in Copy 1, and fax or virtual printers left by software you've uninstalled, and choose Remove for each. Every queue loads its driver when the spooler starts, so fewer queues means fewer chances of a crash.
Delete the suspect driver package
With the printer that uses it removed, the driver itself can go. Press Windows key + R, type
printui /sand press Enter. On the Drivers tab, click Change Driver Settings if shown, select the driver linked to the crash, click Remove, choose Remove driver and driver package and confirm. On Pro editions, Print Management has the same option in its Drivers list.Repair Windows system files
If the spooler still crashes with no third-party printer drivers left, check Windows itself. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, which can take a while, thensfc /scannow. Restart once both finish. Together they compare system files with known good copies and replace any that are damaged.Add the printer back with a current driver
Add your printer again from Printers & scanners. For many network printers, Windows sets up its own built-in driver automatically, which is a stable choice. If you need the full driver's extra features, download the newest version for your Windows version from the manufacturer's official website rather than reusing an old installer. If crashes return straight away, the new driver is the cause.
How to keep it from happening again
- Remove printers and drivers you no longer use
- Get drivers only from Windows Update or the manufacturer's official website
- Let Windows updates finish before shutting down
- Skip optional printer utilities you don't need
Common questions
Is the Print Spooler a virus if it uses a lot of CPU?
The genuine service runs as spoolsv.exe from the System32 folder and is a normal part of Windows. High CPU use usually means it's stuck on a damaged job or a faulty driver, and clearing the spool folder normally settles it. If you're unsure, run a full scan with the built-in Windows Security.
Can I make the spooler restart itself automatically?
Yes. In the Print Spooler properties, the Recovery tab lets you set each failure to Restart the Service. That keeps printing usable while you investigate, but every crash still cancels whatever was printing and the faulty driver stays put, so treat it as a stopgap rather than a fix.
Why does the spooler crash only when I print to one printer?
That points strongly at that printer's driver. Remove the printer, delete its driver package through printui /s, restart and add it again with the built-in Windows driver or a fresh download from the manufacturer. If a different driver stops the crashes, keep it until an updated version is released.
This guide is general information written for common home and office printers. Menus and button names vary between models, so check your printer’s manual where a step differs. Printer Problems Solved is independent and not affiliated with any printer manufacturer. See our disclaimer.