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- HP Community
- Printers
- Printing Errors or Lights & Stuck Print Jobs
- How to clear a backlog of print jobs

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07-31-2025 11:15 AM
Hi @Brian1247
Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.
If you're experiencing a backlog of print jobs and want to clear them from your printer's queue, you can follow these steps:
For Windows:
Open the Print Queue:
- Go to 'Devices and Printers' through the Control Panel.
- Find your printer, right-click on the printer icon, and select 'See what's printing' to open the print queue window.
Cancel Print Jobs:
- In the print queue window, you'll see a list of active print jobs.
- Select a print job, right-click on it, and choose 'Cancel' to remove it from the queue. You can also click on 'Printer' in the menu bar and select 'Cancel All Documents' to clear the entire queue.
Restart the Printer:
- Turn off the printer, wait for a minute, and then turn it back on. This action may help clear jobs that are stuck in the printer's internal memory.
Restart Print Spooler Service (Optional):
- Open the 'Run' dialog by pressing Win + R, type in services.msc, and press Enter.
- Find 'Print Spooler' in the list, right-click on it, and select 'Restart'.
For MacOS:
Open the Print Queue:
- Open 'System Preferences' and go to 'Printers & Scanners'.
- Select your printer from the list on the left, and then click 'Open Print Queue'.
Cancel Print Jobs:
- In the print queue window, select the job you wish to cancel and click the 'X' button next to it. To clear all jobs, you can select multiple jobs or use the options available in the queue menu.
Restart the Printer:
- Turn off the printer, wait for a minute, and then turn it back on.
By following these steps, you should be able to effectively clear print jobs from your printer's queue.
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Take care, and have an amazing day!
Regards,
Hawks_Eye
07-31-2025 12:09 PM
Do not mean to butt in but if you need to completely purge a Windows 10/11 print queue, this Microsoft thread shows the complete correct steps
I am a volunteer, offering my knowledge to support fellow users, I do not work for HP nor speak for HP.