Printer just says "Printer is busy... Please wait" even after reboot

[TomBombadillo]

I am unable to print anything even after restarting my printer. Whenever I try to print something via the HP Smart App the app just hangs with the message "Printer is busy... Please wait". There is no option in the app to clear the printer queue or even view the queue as far as I can see. This is unacceptable.

[TomBombadillo]

Additionally, I ran the "Diagnose & Fix" tool and it said there were no issues

[Garp_senchau]

@TomBombadillo, Welcome to HP Support Community,

Thank you for posting your query; I’m here to help by guiding you through steps to resolve this issue

That does sound incredibly frustrating—especially when you're relying on your printer and the app refuses to cooperate. The "Printer is busy... Please wait" issue with the HP Smart App usually means there's a stuck job in the printer queue.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to resolve this:

Fix the "Printer is busy" issue in HP Smart App

Clear the Print Queue Manually

The HP Smart app doesn't let you manage the queue directly, but you can do it from your device:

Windows:

Press Win + R, type control printers, and press Enter.

Right-click your HP printer → See what's printing.

Cancel all documents (right-click → Cancel).

If jobs don’t clear, restart the Print Spooler:

Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter.

Find Print Spooler, right-click → Restart.

Power Cycle Everything

Sometimes a full reset helps clear the “busy” state:

Turn off your printer and unplug it from the wall.

Shut down your computer/phone.

Wait 1–2 minutes.

Plug printer back in, turn it on.

Start your device and try printing again.

Reinstall the HP Smart App

Corrupt cache or settings in the app can also cause issues:

Uninstall HP Smart.

Reboot your device.

Reinstall HP Smart from the App Store / Microsoft Store.

Re-add the Printer

If the app still hangs:

Go into HP Smart → Printers (gear icon or top right) → Remove Printer.

Re-add the printer manually.

Make sure the printer is on the same Wi-Fi network.

Update Printer Firmware (Update the firmware on an HP printer | HP® Support)

• Go to the HP Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads page. Enter your printer model number and search for the latest firmware update. Follow the instructions to download and install the firmware update.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reply here if you have any questions or if you need further clarification on any of the steps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

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