FIX: Local print spooler service is not running

by Ivan Jenic

Troubleshooting Expert

April 7, 2020

1 Comments

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Print Spooler service is your main connector with the printer, and if this service doesn’t work for some reason, you won’t be able to print your documents. And it happens that the Print Spooler service is not working on Windows for a variety of reasons.

For example, user’s have been getting error messages similar to the one below:

The local Print Spooler service is not running

So, we prepared a couple of workarounds in case you have problems with Print Spooler in Windows 10. Since this can be a serious problem, we’re going to cover the following scenarios and error messages:

• Print spooler service stops automatically in Windows 7
  • Windows 7 users have reported in the past that the Printer Spooler service tends to stop occasionally.
• Print spooler service not running Windows 10
  • Issues with the Print Spooler service are also common in Windows 10.
• Error 1068 Print Spooler
  • Error 1068 is one of the most common problems related to the Print Spooler service you can encounter.
• Print Spooler keeps stopping
  • It’s also possible for Print Spooler to suddenly stops working, even if you’re able to run it in the first place.
• Print Spooler Windows 10 not starting
  • On the other hand, you might not be able to run Print Spooler at all.

We’ve written about Print Spooler issues before. Bookmark this page in case you need it later.

How do I fix Print Spooler service issues?

Table of contents:

1. Restart Print Spooler service
2. Make sure all dependencies are running
3. Uninstall unnecessary printers
4. Run the Troubleshooter
5. Update printer drivers
6. Reset Internet options
7. Disable the “Allow service to interact with desktop” option
8. Set Prin Spooler on Automatic Startup

1. Restart Print Spooler service

1. Go to Search, type services.msc and open Services
2. Find the Print Spooler service
3. Right-click on it, and go to Restart as shown in the screenshot below.

As Print Spooler sometimes stops working or has had an error occur, the first thing we should try to fix it is to simply restart the service.

This command will restart your Print Spooler service, and hopefully, it will get back to its working state. But, if restarting the service doesn’t work, try some of the following solutions.

2. Make sure all dependencies are running

1. Go to Services and find Print Spooler (as explained above)
2. Right-click on Print Spooler service and go to Properties
3. Go to Dependencies tab and find which services are needed for Print Spooler to Run
4. Now, search through Services, and make sure all ‘dependencies’ are running.

Print Spooler needs some other services to run in order to function, and if these services are stopped, the Print Spooler service will be stopped too.

Can’t access Registry Editor? Check out this guide and solve the issue quickly.

3. Uninstall unnecessary printers

1. Go to Search, type devicemngr, and open Device Manager.
2. Find the printer you want to delete, right-click it and go to Uninstall device.
3. Follow further on-screen instructions.
4. Restart your computer.

If you have more than one printer drivers installed on your computer, drivers are very likely to interfere with each other. So, the best thing you can do is uninstalling all unnecessary printers, so the one you’re currently using can work without any interruptions.

FAQ: Learn more about the Print Spooler service

• What is the Print Spooler service?

The Print spooler is a software program in Microsoft Windows that manages all print jobs currently being sent to the computer printer or print server.

• My Print Spooler service keeps stopping, what can I do?

If you notice that the Print Spooler service keeps stopping, follow the steps written in this step-by-step guide to fix the issue immediately.

• The Print Spooler takes up all of my CPU, what can I do?

If the Print Spooler service is taking up most of your CPU, consider reading this comprehensive guide for some fixes to this issue.

Editor’s Note: This article continues on the next page. If you want to read more about the best printers on the market, these guides will help you make the right purchasing decision for your needs. A new printer means fewer errors.