How to Clear Printer Queue in Windows

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This wikiHow teaches you how to clear pending documents from your printer’s queue when you’re using Windows 10. If having trouble with documents sitting in the queue without ever printing, you can also try restarting the print spooler.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Clearing the Queue

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    It’s usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
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    It’s the second icon at the top of the window.
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    It’s in the left column.
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    Connected printers appear in the right panel under “Printers & scanners.” Two buttons will appear beneath the printer’s name.
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    A list of pending print jobs will appear.
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    A context menu will appear.
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    This removes the document from the queue.
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    • To cancel all documents at once, click the Printer menu at the top-left corner of the window, then select Cancel All Documents .
    • If the files stay in the queue even after you’ve canceled them, try restarting the computer.
    • If clearing the queue does not resolve your print queue issues, see Restarting the Print Spooler Service .
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Restarting the Print Spooler Service

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    It’s either a magnifying glass or a circle to the right of the Start
    Windows Start
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    button.
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    This opens the “Services” window.
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    It’s in the right panel. A context menu will appear.
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    Now that the queue is stopped, you can clear the documents.
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    Don’t close the Services window, as you’ll need it again in a few moments. Just click the search icon (or the search bar, if it’s permanently in your taskbar).
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    A folder will appear.
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    To do this, click a blank area inside the folder, then press Ctrl + A .
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    This clears the print queue, and you can close this folder window.
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    You can do this by clicking Services in the taskbar, or by pressing Alt + Tab ↹ until you get back to it.
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    The print queue should now be completely clear.
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  • Question
    How do I clear out 1688 on an inkjet printer?
    Lain Yensoon
    Community Answer
    On the right hand side of your taskbar there should be a printer icon. If you can't see it, it may be hidden behind the arrow; click the arrow to see it. Right click the printer icon and click open printer queue. A new window should open with all current print jobs. Delete the files in queue that you don't want by either right clicking and then selecting delete or left clicking and pressing the delete button on your keyboard.
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