How To Check Current Print Jobs In The Windows 11 Queue

Using the Settings App to View Print Jobs

You can check print jobs in the Windows 11 queue through the main Settings app ⚙️ by opening your device list and selecting your active printer. This built-in menu shows every document waiting to print, along with file sizes and progress bars, so you can see what is holding up your printer right away.

1. Open Settings ⚙️ by pressing the Win plus I on your keyboard.

   

2. Select Bluetooth 🔷 & devices from the left-hand menu.

   

3. Click on Printers & scanners to see a list of every device currently installed on your computer.

   

4. Click on the specific printer whose queue you want to inspect.
5. Click the Open print queue button near the top of the device page to view every active document waiting to print.

   

Using the Control Panel for Detailed Queue Management

You can view print jobs in Control Panel 🎛️ by opening the classic devices and printers window and right-clicking your printer. This older interface gives you a direct way to see active print tasks without digging through the newer Windows 11 settings menus.

1. Open the Start menu ⊞, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
2. Click on View devices and printers under the Hardware and Sound category.
3. Find your printer in the list of available hardware.
4. Right-click the printer icon and select See what’s printing from the context menu 🖱️ to launch the active queue window.

Managing and Canceling Stuck Print Jobs

You can cancel stuck print jobs in Windows 11 by opening the print queue window, right-clicking the frozen document, and choosing the cancel option. This stops the printer from trying to print a broken file and clears the way for the next documents in line.

This step requires administrator privileges.

1. Open the Start menu ⊞, type Services, and press Enter.
2. Scroll down the list of system services to find Print Spooler.
3. Right-click Print Spooler and select Stop.
4. Open File Explorer 📁 and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS to delete any remaining temporary print files stuck in the directory.
5. Return to the Services window, right-click Print Spooler, and select Start to resume normal printing operations.

What to do next

If clearing individual jobs does not restore your printer’s responsiveness, try restarting your physical printer or removing and re-adding the device entirely through the Printers & scanners menu.