Fix Print Spooler Error for Lexmark Printers (Windows)
Verified fix guide · Updated July 2026 · By the PrinterCareUSA remote support team
The Print Spooler service manages every job sent to your Lexmark printer. When it crashes or freezes, jobs get trapped in the queue and your printer won't respond, leaving you dead in the water with no way to print or clear the backlog.
This is frustrating because the printer itself is usually fine—it's a Windows service conflict or corrupted driver communication. The good news: this is one of the most fixable issues, and you can handle it yourself in under 30 minutes without technical background.
How to fix it — step by step
- Restart the Print Spooler Service. Press Windows Key + R, type services.msc, and click OK. Find Print Spooler in the list, right-click it, and select Restart. Wait 10 seconds for the service to fully restart. Try printing a test page immediately after.
- Clear the Print Queue Manually. Open File Explorer, paste this path: C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and press Enter. Select all files in the folder (Ctrl+A) and delete them. This removes stuck jobs from the queue. You may get a 'file in use' warning—that's normal, just skip those files.
- Reinstall Lexmark Print Drivers. Go to support.lexmark.com, enter your printer model, and download the latest driver for Windows 11 or your OS version. Uninstall the current driver in Control Panel > Devices and Printers, right-click your Lexmark printer, select Remove, then run the new driver installer. Restart your computer when prompted.
- Disable and Re-enable Print Spooler Startup. Open services.msc again, right-click Print Spooler, select Properties, and set Startup Type to Automatic. Click Stop, wait 5 seconds, then click Start. Verify the status shows 'Running.' Close the window and test printing.
- Check for Lexmark Printer Software Conflicts. Uninstall any Lexmark utility software (like Lexmark Printer Home or Status Monitor) from Control Panel > Programs and Features. These background services sometimes conflict with the spooler. Restart your computer and test if the spooler now stays active.
- Run Windows Print Spooler Troubleshooter. Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters, find Printer and click Run. Let it diagnose and attempt fixes automatically. This catches registry issues and permission problems you might miss manually.
- Reset TCP/IP and Network Print Discovery. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run: ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew. Wait 30 seconds, then restart your computer. Network-connected Lexmark printers sometimes cause spooler crashes when discovery fails—this resets that communication.
- Check Event Viewer for Spooler Errors. Press Windows Key + R, type eventvwr.msc, and click OK. Navigate to Windows Logs > System and look for Print Spooler errors (red icons). Note the error code and search it on the Lexmark support site—specific error codes tell you if it's a driver, network, or hardware issue that needs a different fix.
Still stuck? We'll fix it for you — remotely, today.
A real technician connects to your computer securely, fixes the problem while you watch, and you pay only after your printer is working again.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Lexmark printer spooler keep stopping?
The spooler crashes when corrupted driver files send malformed data, outdated Lexmark software conflicts with Windows services, or a network print job times out. Outdated drivers are the #1 culprit—Lexmark regularly patches spooler compatibility issues, so updating to the latest version from support.lexmark.com usually fixes it permanently.
I cleared the queue but jobs are still stuck. What now?
The jobs are cached in your Lexmark printer's internal memory. Power off the printer completely, wait 30 seconds, and power it back on—this clears the printer's local queue. If the PC still shows stuck jobs after rebooting Windows, the spooler database is corrupted and needs a full driver reinstall as described in Step 3.
Do I need to call Lexmark support or pay for a remote fix?
Not unless you've tried all steps above. Most users resolve this themselves in 10-15 minutes. If you hit Step 8 and see complex error codes, or if the spooler crashes again within days, then a $49 remote support session or contacting Lexmark tech support becomes worth it—they can access your system logs directly.
Will this fix work on my Mac?
This guide is Windows-specific. On macOS, go to System Settings > General > Printers & Scanners, right-click your Lexmark printer, select Options & Supplies, then Delete. Power off your printer, restart your Mac, then re-add the printer. macOS handles spooling differently and rarely has this issue, but a full printer re-add resolves 95% of stuck jobs on Mac.