4 Ways to Fix Printer Says Documents Are Waiting Error

Quick Tips

• Access the print queue on your computer and manually clear any stuck print jobs that might be causing the issue.
• Ensure you have the latest printer drivers installed. If not, update them or reinstall the drivers to resolve compatibility issues.
• Use your computer’s built-in printer troubleshooter tool to detect and fix common printer problems.

Preliminary Fixes

• Check Printer Connection: You should first try power cycling both your computer and printer. Refreshing the connection between your devices may solve this problem much quicker than you had anticipated.
• Check Pages and Ink: If your printer has run out of pages or ink, you may receive the ‘documents are waiting’ error. You should refill the ink or add more pages to your printer for a smooth operation.
• Check your Printer Status: Ensure your printer’s status is not set to offline. This will make the printer undetectable for your computer. As a result, your PC won’t be able to communicate with the printer.

Fix 1: Run the Printer Troubleshooter

Step 1: Navigate to Settings. Then, open the System and select Troubleshooters.

Step 2: Select Other troubleshooter. Now, Run the printer troubleshooter from the following menu and follow the on-screen instructions.

If the troubleshooter cannot solve your problem, try restarting the Print Spooler service.

Fix 2: Restart the Print Spooler

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open a new Run window.

Step 2: Then, type services.msc and press Enter.

It opens the services menu.

Step 3: Scroll down to Print Spooler.

Step 4: Right-click on the service and select Stop.

The service should no longer be running now.

Step 5: Now, launch File Explorer and go to the following path.

C:\Windows\System32\spool\printers

Step 6: Delete the content of the folder. By doing that, you’ll delete the printing queue.

Note: Don’t delete the folder itself.

Step 7: Restart your computer.

Step 8: Go back to Print Spooler and restart the service.

Step 9: Set the Startup Type to Automatic.

If the steps above are too complicated, complete the same task from the Command Prompt menu.

Step 1: Launch the Command Prompt as admin.

Step 2: Run these commands and press Enter after each one.

net stop spooler

del /Q %systemroot%\system32\spool\printers\*.*

net start spooler

Check if the error is gone. If this doesn’t resolve, check out the next fix.

Fix 3: Reinstall the Printer Drivers

If your print drivers got corrupted, are missing, or are running outdated drivers, you may not print your documents. That’s why you need to update your drivers. Or reinstall them if they get corrupted.

Step 1: Launch the Device Manager. Then, go to Print Queues and expand the list.

Step 2: Select Update driver and check if the problem is gone.

If it persists, select Uninstall device to remove your current print drivers. Restart your computer. Your device will automatically install the latest print drivers.

Check if your printer still says documents are waiting to be printed.         

Fix 4: Remove and Add Your Printer

If nothing worked, maybe re-adding your printer to your computer will do the trick. It’s a handy way to fix the printer ‘documents waiting’ error.

Step 1: Head to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners menu.

Step 2: Select your preferred printer.

You can check the printer’s details. You can run the troubleshooter from the same menu too.

Step 3: Click Remove.

Now, go back and select Add device. Once Windows detects your printer, click Add device.

You may need to cancel documents waiting to print and try again.

If the printing error only appears while using Google Chrome, check our dedicated guide to troubleshoot it. Before you rush to the nearest store to print your documents and files, use the tricks above to fix the problem.