Fix Print Spooler Error for Samsung Printers (Windows)
Verified fix guide · Updated July 2026 · By the PrinterCareUSA remote support team
Your Samsung printer stops responding and jobs pile up in the queue, but nothing actually prints. The Print Spooler service—Windows' background process that manages all print jobs—has either crashed or become corrupted, and it needs a reset. This is frustrating because your printer is fine; it's your computer's communication layer that broke.
The good news: you don't need a technician visit or Samsung support call. These steps fix the root cause by clearing the stuck queue and restarting the service properly. If you're uncomfortable with Windows services, a remote technician can do this for around $49, but most people can handle this themselves.
How to fix it — step by step
- Clear All Print Jobs from Queue (Manual). Open Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners. Find your Samsung printer and click it, then select 'Open queue.' Click 'Document' in the menu bar and select 'Cancel All Documents.' This removes stuck jobs from the user-facing queue, but the service itself may still be corrupted.
- Stop the Print Spooler Service. Press Windows Key + R, type 'services.msc' and hit Enter. Scroll down to 'Print Spooler,' right-click it, and select 'Stop.' Wait 5 seconds. You'll see the status change to blank (stopped). This halts the background service completely so you can clear its cache.
- Delete Spooler Cache Files. Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. Delete every file in this folder (you may need admin permission—click 'Continue' if prompted). These are corrupted job files stuck on disk. If files won't delete, restart your computer in Safe Mode and repeat this step.
- Restart the Print Spooler Service. Go back to services.msc, find 'Print Spooler,' right-click it, and select 'Start.' The status should change to 'Running.' Close the Services window. Your spooler is now clean and active with an empty queue.
- Restart Your Samsung Printer. Power off your printer completely, wait 30 seconds, then power it back on. This clears the printer's memory and resets its connection to your computer. Most Samsung printers take 2-3 minutes to fully boot.
- Test with a Simple Print Job. Open Notepad, type a single line of text, and select File > Print. Choose your Samsung printer and click Print. If the page prints without errors, the spooler is fixed. If it still fails, move to the next step.
- Reinstall Samsung Printer Drivers (If Still Failing). Visit Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners, right-click your Samsung printer, and select 'Remove device.' Go to samsung.com/us/support, search your exact printer model, and download the latest Windows driver. Run the installer and follow prompts to reinstall. Restart your computer when finished.
- Set Spooler to Auto-Start (Prevention). Return to services.msc, right-click 'Print Spooler,' select 'Properties,' and change the 'Startup type' dropdown to 'Automatic.' Click Apply and OK. This ensures the spooler restarts automatically if it crashes again, preventing future stuck queues.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does my Samsung printer spooler keep stopping?
Corrupted print jobs, outdated drivers, or conflicting software cause the spooler to crash repeatedly. Clearing the queue and updating drivers fixes most cases, but if it keeps stopping, malware or a failing hard drive may be the culprit—run Windows Defender full scan and check disk health.
Will clearing the spooler delete my documents?
No. The spooler queue is temporary storage—deleting stuck jobs just removes them from the printer's 'waiting list.' Your original Word, PDF, or image files on your computer stay intact. You'll simply need to re-print those documents.
What if the Print Spooler service won't restart?
A failed restart usually means corrupted files couldn't fully delete or Windows has a deeper issue. Restart your computer in Safe Mode with Networking, repeat steps 2-4, then restart normally. If it still fails, run Windows System File Checker: open Command Prompt as admin and type 'sfc /scannow.'
Do I need to uninstall and reinstall my Samsung printer?
Not unless the driver is very old (over 2 years) or steps 1-4 fail. Start with the spooler fix first since it solves 85% of queue problems. Only reinstall the printer if simple jobs still fail after the spooler is restarted and cleared.