How to clear a Windows print queue

Question

How do I cancel jobs from a print queue?

There are multiple reasons why one might need to cancel jobs from a print queue. The job may have failed to transmit correctly to the printer, the job may be larger than anticipated, the incorrect document was selected for printing, just to name a few. To cancel print jobs from a print queue in Windows, follow the steps below.

Solution

Clearing the Queue

  • Click the Start Menu, which is usually at the bottom left-hand corner of the primary screen.
  • Click Settings.
  • Click Devices on Windows 10 or Bluetooth & Devices on Windows 11.
  • Click Printers & scanners.
  • Click the printer.
    • On Windows 10: Two buttons will appear beneath the printer’s name.
  • Click Open queue. A list of pending print jobs will appear.
  • Right-click a document you want to remove from the queue and a context menu will appear.
  • Click Cancel. This removes the document from the queue.

Repeat as necessary for other documents.

Cancel all documents at once

  • In Windows 10: click the Printer menu at the top-left corner of the window, then select Cancel All Documents.
  • In Windows 11: click the ellipsis ( ... ) to the right of the printer name and then select Cancel all from the menu.
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