Print Spooler Errors — Service Crashes, Queue Stuck & Driver Conflicts

Overview

Fix Windows Print Spooler errors including spooler service crashing, print queue stuck, 'Spooler SubSystem App has stopped working', and driver isolation failures.

Key Details

• The Print Spooler service (spoolsv.exe) manages the print queue and driver communication
• A corrupted print job in the queue can crash the entire spooler service
• Third-party printer drivers are the most common cause of spooler crashes
• Driver isolation (running drivers in separate processes) can prevent spooler-wide crashes
• Spooler logs in Event Viewer: Application log and System log under PrintService source

Common Causes

• Corrupted print job in the queue crashing the spooler
• Buggy or incompatible third-party printer driver
• Corrupted spooler files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\
• Multiple printer drivers conflicting with each other
• Print processor DLL corrupted or missing

Steps

1. 1Stop spooler: net stop spooler from elevated Command Prompt
2. 2Clear the queue: delete all files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\
3. 3Restart spooler: net start spooler
4. 4If spooler keeps crashing: enable driver isolation in Print Management > printer Properties > Sharing > Use shared process
5. 5For persistent crashes: check Event Viewer for the faulting module name, then update or remove that printer driver

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Frequently Asked Questions