The print queue is a small database in which everything that we are going to print is stored. This database works as a FIFO queue, in which the first document to enter is the first to go out. In addition, it allows us to configure priorities, move elements and even eliminate them so that the printing work is carried out in the best possible way.

The problem is that this queue often fails a lot. But much. There are many times that we add a new file to print and it crashes. Even if we try to delete a file, it can remain in “canceling” and does not finish disappearing to make way for the next task. Dealing with this glue can be a real nightmare. So what can we do when it fails?

How to view the Windows print queue

The print queue will allow us to easily know if there are pending tasks to go through the printer or if everything is clean. This queue, normally, usually appears when we are going to print something in the form of an icon in the system tray, next to the clock. But, if we prefer, we can open it ourselves whenever we want. To do this, we will simply open the Windows 10 Settings menu, and we navigate to Devices> Printers and scanners .

Here, we will select the printer we want (it can be a normal one, a network one, a PDF, etc.), and we will click on the ” View queue ” button that will appear.

In this way we will be able to consult the Windows print queue and modify or clean certain jobs that do not interest us.

Restart the PC to remove and clean the queue

One of the easiest and fastest ways to fix these problems is to restart your PC . Rebooting (not turning off and on) ends all processes and tasks so that on the next boot this loads again. The print queue, for example, is one of the elements that is reset, having it empty when we return to Windows.

Now, when we add a new task to print, it will appear first in the queue. And if nothing goes wrong, it will start printing without problems.

Release the print queue with a CMD script

If we do not want to restart because we need to make the most of the time, then another trick we can use to restart and eliminate the Windows print queue is to run a couple of commands in CMD to carry out this task. These commands, which we must execute with Administrator permissions on the PC, are:

• net stop spooler
• from “% SYSTEMROOT% / System32 / spool / printers /*.*” / q / f
• net start spooler

What these commands do is, first, end the printer queue process, then remove all temporary files (jobs that have been locked) from the queue. After deleting the files in the ” printers ” folder, then restart the printer process so that everything works normally again.

If we prefer, we can even create our own script, in BAT format , so that we can easily carry out this task simply by double-clicking on it. To do this, we simply have to open Notepad, or a similar editor, and write the previous commands. In addition, we can add other instructions to make it more visual as we can see below:

Finally, the next thing to do is save the document with the extension .bat. To do this, click on File> Save how, and in the window that appears we select:

• Name: The one we want finished in bat, for example, “Release printer queue.bat”. It is important to make sure that the “.bat” appears at the end.
• Type: All files.-

Once we have created the script already saved on the PC, it is best to place it in a place where we can have it at hand. For example, we can leave it on the Desktop, in the Documents folder, and even link a shortcut to the start menu or the taskbar, whatever is more comfortable for us. Thus, when the printer gives us problems, simply by executing this script we can stop the service, delete the Windows pending work queue and re-enable the Windows printer service to start printing again.

Reinstall or update the printer drivers

Although it is somewhat less common, the problem may not be in the operating system’s own queue, but in the printer driver. This is usually very common, especially when we use network printers via cable or Wi-Fi.

Therefore, if none of the above has worked, another of the configurations that we must carry out is the reinstallation, or update, of the drivers. We can do this in 3 different ways:

• Go to the main website of the manufacturer to download the new versions.
• Search for new drivers in Windows Update from Device Manager.
• Use a program such as IObit Driver Booster to update these drivers.

In case there is no new version of them, then what we must do is remove the printer from Windows and add it again. We must do this from the ” Printers and scanners ” section of the Configuration> Devices menu. Here we will remove the printer that we have added and we will add it again using the ” Add a printer or a scanner ” button.

Whether the printer is connected by cable or by Wi-Fi, we can add it from here without the need to use other programs. However, if we have it by cable and we continue to have problems, it is advisable to try changing it to another USB port so that instead of using the same driver, a new one is reinstalled.