Printer Documents Waiting: 12 Best Fixes

4 min. read

Published on December 11, 2023

published on December 11, 2023

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Printer documents waiting in queue can be annoying and hamper your productivity. Here’s how to fix this problem in 12 simple steps.

How To Fix Printer Documents Waiting Error

Solution 01: Manually Cancel the Current Document

Open Settings on your Windows computer.
Select Printers and scanners.
Choose the name of your printer from the list.
Click on Open print queue.

Select the problematic printing task by highlighting it.
Select Document and click on Cancel.
This should manually cancel the current task, and you’ll find the printer responding to the new one.

Solution 02: Check If Printer Has Sufficient Ink and Paper

Refill the ink cartridge and add the necessary number of pages if needed.

Solution 03: Restart the Print Spooler

Press Windows + R keys to open the Run box.
Type services.msc in the box and click on OK.
From the list of services, select Print Spooler.
Right-click on it and select Stop.

Now, launch the File Explorer and navigate to this folder:
C:\Windows\System32\spool\printers
Delete all the contents of this folder to remove all tasks from the queue. But be careful not to delete the folder itself.

Now, restart your computer and follow steps 1 to 3.
Right-click on the Print Spooler option and select Restart.
Again, right-click on it and choose Properties.
Select Startup Type as Automatic.

Solution 04: Run Printer Troubleshooting

Open Settings of your Computer.
Choose System from the left panel and click on Troubleshoot.
Select Other troubleshooter and click on the Run button beside the Printer option.

Follow the instructions to fix the issue.

Solution 05: Update and Reinstall Printer Drivers

Go to the Device Manager from the Start menu.
Double-click on Print queues to expand the list.
Right-click on your printer name and choose Update Driver.

Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update process.

If this doesn’t resolve the issue, you need to reinstall the drivers.

For that, select Uninstall device to remove the current printer drivers from the system.
Restart your computer.

It’ll automatically install the latest drivers upon detecting your device.

Solution 06: Enable Use Printer Offline Setting

Open Windows Settings on your computer.
Select Bluetooth & devices from the left side navigation panel.
On the right side of the same page, choose the Printers & scanners option.
Select the name of the printer that you’re using.
Click on Open print queue to open a new window.
Click on the Printer option from the top menu.
Disable the Use Printer Offline option.

Solution 07: Check for Software Conflicts

Your antivirus could be interfering with your printer. So, you should temporarily disable it to check if the printer documents waiting problem goes away.

If yes, the issue is with the software. In that case, you should find another antivirus.

Solution 08: Update Computer OS

Press the Windows + I keys.
From the Home screen, click on Windows Update from the top-right corner.
Click on the Check for Update button.
If available, download it and make sure your computer is up-to-date.

Solution 09: Use a Different Cable or Port for the Wired Connection

If you’re using a USB cable to connect your computer and printer, try using another one and see if the problem is fixed.

You can also connect the cable to a different USB port.

Solution 10: Adjust Printer Settings

You should check the basic settings, like accurate paper size, orientation, and others. From the printer Properties, you can also disable the advanced printing features.