Why Is My Printer Paused? 4 Quick Fixes to Resume Printing
Last Updated:Is your printer stuck showing as paused, even though you have not paused it yourself? This is one of the most common printer glitches, and it is usually fixed in under a minute. Watch the video below, then follow the step-by-step fixes underneath.
4 Quick Fixes for a Paused Printer
Fix 1: Open Your Printer Queue and Click Resume Printing
Sometimes the printer itself is fine, but the print queue on your computer got toggled into a paused state. Open the queue and click Resume Printing to release the jobs.
Fix 2: Cancel All Stuck Documents in the Queue
A single corrupted print job can lock up the entire queue. Cancel any stuck documents before sending a new print job.
Fix 3: Restart the Print Spooler Service
On Windows, the Print Spooler service manages all print jobs. Restarting it through Windows Services clears out glitches that cause a printer to appear paused. If that does not help and your printer shows offline instead, see our offline printer troubleshooting guide.
Fix 4: Set Your Printer as the Default Printer
If a different device is set as default, your computer may send jobs to the wrong queue, making your printer look paused. Check your Settings and confirm the correct printer is selected.
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