Canon Printer Job Stuck in Queue? Here's How to Clear It

One frozen print job holds up everything behind it. Follow these steps to clear the queue and get your Canon printer printing again on Windows or Mac.

Intro

You sent a document to your Canon printer, nothing came out, and now every job you send just stacks up behind it. Sometimes there's an error on the computer or the printer's screen, and sometimes the queue simply sits there marked "Printing" or "Error" with no explanation.

The good news: this is almost always a software traffic jam, not a broken printer. In most cases, you can fix it in a few minutes by canceling the stuck job, restarting the print spooler, and checking the driver. Work through the sections below in order and stop as soon as your printer starts again.

What Causes a Canon Print Job to Get Stuck in the Queue?

A print job passes through the Windows print spooler (or the Mac printing system) on its way to the printer. When something interrupts that hand-off, the job stalls and blocks the rest of the queue. The usual reasons:

• Print spooler glitch. The spooler service stops responding or a spool file becomes corrupted, so nothing moves.
• A job that can't finish. A paper jam, an open cover, an empty ink or toner cartridge, or a very large file can leave a job "stuck" while the printer waits.
• Driver problems. An outdated, mismatched, or damaged Canon driver is one of the most common causes, especially right after a Windows update.
• Printer offline or paused. If Windows or macOS has the printer set to "Use Printer Offline" or "Paused," jobs queue up but never print.
• Connection drop. A loose USB cable, a printer that fell off Wi-Fi, or an IP address change breaks the link mid-job.
• Conflicting software. Occasionally a background app or a previous print job from another user holds the queue.

How to Fix a Canon Printer Job Stuck in the Queue

Try these in order. The first two clear the immediate jam; the later steps fix the underlying cause so it doesn't come back.

1. Cancel the stuck job from the print queue (Windows 11 and Windows 10)

1. Open Settings and go to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners (on Windows 10, Devices > Printers & scanners).
2. Click your Canon printer, then click Open print queue.
3. Select the stuck job. From the Document menu choose Cancel, or use the three-dot menu > Cancel all.
4. If the job will not clear or hangs on "Deleting," leave the window open and move to Step 3.

You can also reach the queue the classic way: Control Panel > Devices and Printers, right-click the Canon printer, and choose See what's printing.

2. Cancel the stuck job on a Mac

1. Open the Apple menu > System Settings > Printers & Scanners (System Preferences on older macOS).
2. Select your Canon printer and click Printer Queue or Open Print Queue.
3. Control-click the stuck job and choose Delete. If the printer shows as Paused, click Resume.

3. Restart the Print Spooler and clear stuck files (Windows)

This clears jammed spool files without touching your printer, drivers, or settings. You'll need administrator rights.

1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Scroll to Print Spooler, right-click it, and choose Stop. Keep this window open.
3. Press Windows + R again, type %WINDIR%\System32\spool\PRINTERS, and press Enter.
4. Delete everything inside the PRINTERS folder. Delete the files only, not the folder itself.
5. Go back to the Services window, right-click Print Spooler, and choose Start.
6. Try printing a test page.

4. Power cycle the printer and check the connection

1. Turn the printer off with its power button, then unplug it from the wall for 30 to 60 seconds.
2. Clear any paper jam, close all covers, and confirm the ink or toner is not empty.
3. For USB, reseat the cable at both ends. For Wi-Fi, confirm the printer is on the same network as your computer.
4. Turn the printer back on and wait for it to reach the ready state, then resend the job.

5. Set the Canon printer as default and turn off offline mode

1. In Printers & scanners, open your Canon printer.
2. Turn off Let Windows manage my default printer, then set the Canon as default.
3. Open the print queue and check the Printer menu. Clear Use Printer Offline and Pause Printing if either is checked.

6. Update or reinstall the Canon driver

If jobs keep sticking, the driver is the likely cause, particularly after a Windows feature update.

1. In Printers & scanners, select the Canon printer and choose Remove.
2. Go to Canon's official support site, enter your exact model number, and download the latest driver for your operating system.
3. Run the installer and add the printer again when prompted.

7. Reset the printing system on Mac (last resort)

This clears every stuck queue at once, but it also removes all printers and their custom settings, so you'll need to add the Canon back afterward.

1. Open System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
2. Control-click anywhere in the printer list and choose Reset printing system, then confirm.
3. Click Add Printer and set up your Canon printer again.