How to Delete (or Force Delete) Print Jobs

When you have a print job stuck in the “deleting” stage, you either need to reboot your computer or follow these instructions.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
   • Click Start, type cmd, then right-click and choose Run as administrator.
2. Stop the Print Spooler
   • In the Command Prompt, type:
     

     net stop spooler

   • Hit Enter
3. Delete the Stuck Files
   • Open this folder: Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS folder
   • Delete any files ending in .SPL or .SHD
4. Restart the Print Spooler
   • Back in Command Prompt, type:
     

     net start spooler

   • Hit Enter

Pro tip: Hit the up/down arrow keys in Command Prompt to cycle through your previous commands. This allows you to make small modifications or corrections to previously typed commands without needing to retype the entire string. In this case, when you get back to the Command Prompt, you can hit the up arrow once, tap back and remove “op” and enter “art” and hit enter.