How to cancel a printer queue
The printer queue is the list of documents waiting to print. When a print job gets stuck or you change your mind, you can cancel it from your computer's print settings without touching the printer itself. On Windows, you open the Settings app and navigate to Devices > Printers & Scanners, then click your printer and select "Open queue" to see waiting jobs. On Mac, you go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners, click your printer, and choose "Open Print Queue" to view and delete jobs. On Linux, the method depends on your desktop environment, but most systems let you right-click the printer icon in the system tray and select "Show Jobs" or "Manage Printer".
If a job refuses to cancel through the normal interface, you may need to restart the print service itself. On Windows, this means stopping the Print Spooler service through Services.msc. On Mac, you can force-quit the printing process through Activity Monitor. On Linux, restarting the CUPS daemon (the printing system) usually clears stuck jobs. These steps work because the print queue lives in your computer's memory and temporary files, not on the printer — clearing it there stops the printer from receiving new instructions.
Key Takeaways
- Windows users can cancel jobs by opening Settings, going to Devices > Printers & Scanners, clicking their printer, and selecting "Open queue" to delete individual jobs.
- Mac users access the print queue through System Settings > Printers & Scanners, then click the printer and choose "Open Print Queue" to remove stuck documents.
- If canceling through the normal interface does not work, restarting the print service (Print Spooler on Windows, CUPS on Linux, or the printing process on Mac) clears the queue entirely.
- A stuck queue usually means a document failed to send properly to the printer, not that the printer itself is broken.
Canceling a single print job on Windows
Open the Settings app and select Devices. Click Printers & Scanners in the left sidebar. Find your printer in the list and click it, then click "Open queue". A window appears showing all documents waiting to print, with their status and position in line. Right-click the job you want to remove and select "Cancel" or "Delete". The job disappears from the queue immediately, and the printer stops trying to print it.
If the job does not disappear after you click Cancel, it may be stuck in the spooler. Close the queue window and try again, or move to the section on restarting the Print Spooler service below. Some jobs show a status of "Error" or "Paused" — these often cancel without trouble, but occasionally they require the service restart to fully clear.
Canceling a single print job on Mac
Open System Settings and click Printers & Scanners in the sidebar. Find your printer in the list on the left and click it. A button labeled "Open Print Queue" appears on the right side of the window. Click it to see all waiting jobs. Click the job you want to cancel and press the delete key, or click the X button next to the job name. The job is removed from the queue immediately.
If the job remains in the queue after you delete it, force-quit the printing process. Open Activity Monitor (search for it in Spotlight), find "cupsd" or any process with "print" in its name, click it, and click the X button in the top left to force-quit. This restarts the printing system and clears any stuck jobs. Reopen the print queue to confirm the job is gone.
Canceling print jobs on Linux
The method varies by desktop environment. On GNOME, right-click the printer icon in the system tray (if visible) and select "Show Jobs" or "Manage Printer". On KDE Plasma, open the system tray and look for a printer icon, then click it to view the queue. Some Linux systems do not show a printer icon in the tray — in that case, open the CUPS web interface by typing localhost:631 into your browser address bar, click "Administration", find your printer, and click "View Printer's Web Page" to see and cancel jobs.
If the graphical method does not work, open a terminal and type lpstat -o to list all print jobs. To cancel a specific job, type cancel [job-id], replacing [job-id] with the number shown in the list. To clear all jobs at once, type cancel -a. If jobs still remain, restart the CUPS daemon by typing sudo systemctl restart cups and entering your password.
Clearing the entire print queue at once
If multiple jobs are stuck or you want to start fresh, you can clear the entire queue by restarting the print service. On Windows, press the Windows key and type "Services" to open the Services app. Scroll down to "Print Spooler", right-click it, and select "Restart". The service stops and starts again, which empties the queue completely. All pending jobs disappear, and the printer is ready to receive new ones.
On Mac, open Activity Monitor, search for "cupsd", click it, and click the X button in the top left to force-quit. The system automatically restarts the printing service within a few seconds. On Linux, open a terminal and type sudo systemctl restart cups, then enter your password. All three methods clear the queue without affecting the printer's settings or configuration — you can print normally again immediately after.
Why print jobs get stuck
A print job becomes stuck when the document fails to transfer completely from your computer to the printer, or when the printer stops responding mid-job. This can happen if the printer loses power, the USB cable disconnects, the network connection drops, or the document is too large for the printer to handle. The job remains in your computer's queue because the printer never confirmed it finished printing.
Stuck jobs do not usually mean the printer is broken. Once you clear the queue, the printer works normally again. If the same document keeps getting stuck, try printing a different file first to confirm the printer is working. If it is, the original document may be corrupted — try opening it again, saving it as a new file, or converting it to a different format before printing.
What to do if the printer still will not print after clearing the queue
After you clear the queue, try printing a simple test page. On Windows, go to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners, click your printer, and select "Print a test page". On Mac, open System Settings > Printers & Scanners, click your printer, and click "Print Test Page". If the test page prints, the queue was the problem and you are done. If it does not print, the issue is with the printer itself or its connection to your computer.
Check that the printer is powered on and connected to your computer or network. On a network printer, print a configuration page from the printer's control panel to see its IP address and confirm it is online. On a USB printer, try unplugging the cable, waiting 10 seconds, and plugging it back in. If you still cannot print, the printer may need a driver update or a restart — turn it off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cancel a print job from the printer itself?
Most printers have a Cancel or Stop button on their control panel that stops the current job. However, this does not remove the job from your computer's queue — the printer will start printing the next job in line as soon as you press Cancel. To fully stop printing, cancel the job from your computer first, then press Cancel on the printer if it is still printing.
What if I cannot find the printer in my queue list?
The printer may not be connected or recognized by your computer. On Windows, go to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners and click "Add a printer or scanner" to see if your printer appears. On Mac, open System Settings > Printers & Scanners and click the plus button to add it. If your printer does not appear, check that it is powered on and connected via USB or network, then try again.
Does clearing the queue delete the document from my computer?
No. Clearing the queue only removes the job from the printing system — the original file remains on your computer unchanged. You can print it again whenever you want, or edit it and print a new version.
How long does it take to clear a stuck print job?
Canceling a job through the queue window usually takes a few seconds. If you have to restart the print service, the process takes about 10 to 30 seconds total. After that, the printer is ready to print again immediately.