One of the most frustrating interruptions in a busy office environment is sending a document to print, only to have it vanish into the digital ether or get stuck in a queue that refuses to clear. Often, this is due to the Print Spooler service—the software responsible for managing print jobs sent from your computer to the printer.

When the spooler service hangs, crashes, or becomes corrupted, printing halts entirely. In this guide, we will walk through the standard professional procedure to reset the service and clear corrupted temporary files.

Why Does the Spooler Fail?

The Print Spooler can fail for several reasons:

  • Corrupted Print Jobs: A single document with bad data can jam the entire queue.
  • Driver Conflicts: Outdated or incompatible printer drivers causing service crashes.
  • Network Interruptions: Sudden loss of connectivity while a job is spooling.

⚠️ Important Note

Before proceeding, ensure you have administrative access to the computer. Adjusting system services requires elevated permissions.

Step 1: Stop the Print Spooler Service

You cannot delete the corrupted files while the service is trying to access them. You must first stop the service.

  1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type services.msc and hit Enter.
  3. Scroll down the list to find Print Spooler.
  4. Right-click it and select Stop. Leave this window open.

Step 2: Clear Temporary Spool Files

Now that the service is stopped, we can safely remove the data causing the blockage.

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to: C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
  2. You will likely see files with .SHD and .SPL extensions.
  3. Delete all files in this folder. Do not delete the folder itself, only the contents.

Step 3: Restart the Service

With the obstruction cleared, you can restart the engine.

  1. Return to the Services window you left open.
  2. Right-click Print Spooler again.
  3. Select Start.

Conclusion

Try printing a test page. In most cases, this process clears the “phantom” jams and restores communication with the printer. However, if the issue recurs frequently, it may indicate a deeper issue with the printer driver or the Windows registry.

If you find yourself resetting the spooler daily, it is time to look for a permanent solution.