How to force delete all jobs in a printer queue

It is not uncommon for documents you want to print to get stuck in the printer queue, effectively preventing further documents from being printed. This is especially true with Windows 7, but can also occur in Windows 10 and 8. Below are several methods you can use to remove that annoying print queue for Windows and Mac OSX-based operating systems.

Clear print queue in Windows 10, 8 and 7

Force deletion of the print queue using the command prompt

1. Click on the “Begin” icon (Win 7) or the “Cortana Search Bar” (Win 8 and 10) in the bottom left area of ​​your screen.
2. Guy “Domain” in the box that appears.
3. Right click on “Symbol of the system” and select “Execute as an administrator.”
4. Next, you will want to write “network stop queue queue”and then press “Get into.” You will see the message “The Print Spool service is stopping” followed by “The Print Spooler service stopped successfully.”
5. At this point, write “del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers* /Q” and press “Get into.”
6. To get the system up and running again, type “Net Start Print Spooler” and press “Get into.” You will be prompted “The Print Spooler service started successfully.”
7. You can now close the command prompt as your printer queue should now be clean.

Force deletion of print queue using GUI

1. Open the “Run” dialog box by pressing “Windows key + R” guy “services.msc” in the box and press “Get into.”
2. Scroll down and right click on “Print spooler” within the list, then select “Arrest.” This function will stop the print queue.
   Leave this window open.
3. Press “Windows key + R” again, write “%systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\” followed by pressing “Ctrl+A” to select all files, if any, then tap “Delete” to eliminate them.
   If there are some entries that you do not want to delete, for any reason, press and hold the key “CONTROL” while left clicking on those entries.
4. Go back to the “Services” window that you left open, right click on “Print spooler” once again, then select “Begin.”
5. Close the “Services” window, and your print queue should now be clean.

Clear the printer queue using Task Manager

1. To open the Task Manager, simultaneously press the button “CTRL + ALT + Delete” keys.
2. Once opened, click on the “Services” tab located between the “Processes” and “Performance” tabs.
3. Scroll through all the services until you find the “Print spooler” service. Right click and select “Service stop.”
4. Launch “Windows File Explorer”. In the address bar, type “C:Windows\system32\spool\PRINTERS” and press “Get into.”
5. You may see a pop-up box asking you to continue as an administrator. Select “Continue.”
6. NO Delete the “PRINTERS” folder! Select all entries within the folder by pressing “CTRL+A” followed by “Delete.”
7. Once all entries are deleted, go back to “Task Manager -> Services” and right click “Print spooler”. This time, select “The service begins.”
8. You can now exit Task Manager. Your queue should now be clear.

Force clear printer queue on MAC OSX

Before we get too deep into the different methods to clear your Mac’s print queue, try this: launch the ” buttonTerminal”application and type “cancel -a” for queues that get stuck. This procedure should work in most cases. If the process does not help you, follow the other methods below.

Force deletion of the print queue using the Mac Dock

1. Hover the mouse cursor over the “Printer” icon. Click on the “name/IP address” that appears for the printer you are trying to delete. This process will open the “Printer Utility.”
2. Select the jobs you want to remove from the queue and delete them by clicking “X” next to the names. This step cancels and deletes the jobs you have selected.
3. You can now exit the “Printer Utility” as your queue should be clear.

Force deletion of the print queue using Preferences

This method is for those who cannot find the printer icon in the Dock.

1. Open the “Apple Menu” and select “System preferences.” Click on “Printers.”
2. Select the printer that has the entries you want to cancel/delete and choose “Open print queue.”
3. Click on the “X” icon next to each print job that you want to close.
4. Confirm that your print queue has no deleted entries and exit the “Printer Utility.”

Force deletion of the print queue by hard restarting the printer

If your Mac printer is still giving you trouble, it may be time to completely reset the printing system. Make sure you have exhausted all other options before using this procedure. This option removes all printers, scanners, and faxes you have installed on your Mac.so it should only be a last resort.

1. Go to “Apple” menu and choose “System preferences.” Click on “Printers.”
2. Press “Control + mouse click” in the printer list on the left side and select “Reset printing system…” Once there, you will be prompted for the administrator password and confirmation to delete all printers, scanners, and faxes, including their queued jobs.
3. Click “Restart” delete all devices and print jobs, then you can add your printers, scanners, and faxes as usual.