How to Fix Print Spooler Service Keeps Crashing on Windows
Print Spooler service crashes repeatedly? Printing stops working and spooler restarts? Print Spooler error in Event Viewer? Spooler starts then immediately stops? Can't print because spooler won't stay running? Fix Print Spooler crash loop.
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Main Troubleshooting Guide
How to Fix Printer Not Working →Complete symptoms, causes, and step-by-step solutions
Symptoms
You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:
- •Print Spooler service stops unexpectedly
- •Error in Event Viewer: "The Print Spooler service terminated unexpectedly"
- •Printing works briefly then spooler crashes
- •Spooler starts then immediately stops again
- •Can't add new printers — spooler not running
- •Multiple crash events in Application log for spoolsv.exe
Common Causes
- ⚠Corrupted print job stuck in spooler queue
- ⚠Bad third-party printer driver crashing spooler process
- ⚠Corrupted spooler-related DLL files
- ⚠Malware targeting print spooler (PrintNightmare residual)
- ⚠Too many printers installed overwhelming spooler
- ⚠Print processor or print monitor DLL failing
Solutions
Solution 1: Clear Print Queue and Restart Spooler
- 1Clear all stuck print jobs:
- 2CMD as Admin:
- 3net stop spooler
- 4del /q /f /s C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*
- 5net start spooler
- 6If spooler won't stop (access denied):
- 7Task Manager → Details tab → find spoolsv.exe
- 8Right-click → End task
- 9Then delete the PRINTERS folder contents
- 10Then start spooler: net start spooler
- 11Test by printing a test page:
- 12Settings → Printers & scanners → select printer
- 13Print test page
- 14If it crashes again: move to driver cleanup
Solution 2: Remove Bad Printer Drivers
- 1A bad driver is the most common cause of spooler crashes:
- 2Identify the crashing driver:
- 3Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application
- 4Look for "spoolsv.exe" errors — the faulting module is your bad driver
- 5Remove all non-essential printers:
- 6Settings → Printers & scanners
- 7Remove every printer except "Microsoft Print to PDF"
- 8Remove old printer drivers:
- 9CMD as Admin: printui /s /t2
- 10This opens Print Server Properties → Drivers tab
- 11Remove all third-party drivers
- 12Restart Print Spooler
- 13If spooler is now stable: reinstall printers one at a time
- 14Use manufacturer's latest driver for each
- 15Test after each — the one that crashes spooler is your culprit
Solution 3: Repair Spooler System Files
- 1Repair system spooler files:
- 2CMD as Admin:
- 3sfc /scannow
- 4DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- 5Re-register spooler DLLs:
- 6regsvr32 /s spoolss.dll
- 7regsvr32 /s win32spl.dll
- 8regsvr32 /s localspl.dll
- 9Check for PrintNightmare patches:
- 10Ensure Windows is fully updated
- 11Print spooler vulnerabilities were patched in 2021-2022
- 12Check registry for spooler hardening:
- 13HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print
- 14RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled DWORD should be 1 (security fix)
- 15If nothing works: reset spooler to default:
- 16net stop spooler
- 17Rename: C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers → drivers.old
- 18net start spooler
- 19This forces clean driver installation for all printers
FIXES THIS IN 5 MINUTES
Fix Print Spooler Service Keeps Crashing Automatically
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