How to Stop and Restart the Print Spooler Service in Windows

The Print Spooler is software built into the Windows operating system that temporarily stores print jobs in the computer's memory until the printer is ready to print them.

In some circumstances you may need to stop and/or restart the service. To access the Print Spooler you must open the Local Services console.

Click on the section relevant for your version of Windows

 

Windows 10 & Windows 11

 

Windows 8

 

Windows 7