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Print Spooler Service Not Running

After the latest Windows 10 update I cannot print.  When I try, it says "No printers are installed" but when I go to Devices and Printers, my printer appears.  When I open the printer and click Display Printer/FAX Properties I get a pop-up that says:

Windows cannot connect to the printer.

The local print spooler service is not running.  Please restart the spooler or restart the machine.

When I checked Services, the Print Spooler was not running, so I started it.  But when I checked printer properties, it still says the print spooler service is not running, even though Services shows it's started.  I restarted the computer and the same thing happened.

I don't know what to do next.  Any help is appreciated.

Answer
Answer

Hello,

We can offer a few troubleshooting steps related to this issue and see which helps. First, check if you can update your drivers, restart your PC after the update and see how it goes.

Another step that we can try is to check if there are print queues left on your printer spooler folder. Here are the steps:

  1. Press the Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog.
  2. Type services.msc and hit the Enter key.
  3. Find the Print Spooler services, right-click and select Stop.
  4. Leave the services window open and launch the Run dialog once again.
  5. Type %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\
  6. Hit the Enter key.
  7. Check if the folder is empty. If otherwise, delete all files.
  8. Go back to step 3, right-click and select Start.
  9. Restart your PC.

Keep us posted and let us know the outcome.

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Question Info

Last updated May 8, 2024 Views 95,197 Applies to: