Print Spooler error on Android: "Printer not available" and how to fix it
Android has no numbered code for this. "Print Spooler has stopped" and "Printer not available" are the same family of problem: printing from the phone is failing. Start by turning on the print service and putting the phone and printer on the same Wi-Fi, then force stop the Printer Spooler app if the message stays.
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What it means
"Printer Spooler" is a real system app on Android. You can find it under the system apps list in Settings. When printing fails you may see "Print Spooler has stopped" or "Printer isn't available right now". These messages belong to the same family of problem, and Android gives no number to tell the causes apart.
Google does not publish a troubleshooting page or an error code list for this. The steps below combine Google's own instructions for turning on printing with fixes reported by a third-party guide (Guiding Tech) and, in one case, by community forums. Work from the top. The early steps are quick and change nothing on your phone.
Symptoms and causes
You are likely dealing with this problem if:
- "Printer is not available right now" or "Printer not available"
- "Print Spooler has stopped", or it keeps stopping
- The printer does not show up in the print preview
- A print job sits in the queue and never prints
The usual causes, most common first:
- Print service is off or missing
- Printing needs a print service switched on. A wireless printer often also needs the maker's plugin or app installed.
- Network problem
- The phone and printer are on different networks, the printer is asleep, or the connection is unstable.
- Spooler in a bad state
- A stuck job or a crashed spooler is the usual explanation for "Print Spooler has stopped".
- Faulty or outdated vendor plugin or app
- The printer maker's print service plugin may need an update or its permissions may be missing.
- Printer-side problem
- Low ink or a paper jam can make the printer report itself as unavailable.
- Old setup built on Google Cloud Print
- Google ended Cloud Print on 1 January 2021, so printers that relied on it no longer work that way.
How to fix it
Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and move to deeper repairs; stop as soon as the problem is gone.
1.Restart devices and check the basics
Most "not available" messages come from a sleeping printer or mismatched networks, and a restart clears a lot of temporary states.
- Restart the phone, the printer and the Wi-Fi router.
- Wake the printer and make sure it shows no error light, paper jam or empty ink or toner warning.
- Connect the phone and the printer to the same Wi-Fi network, then try printing again.
2.Turn on the print service
With no print service enabled, Android has nothing to send the job through.
- Open Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Printing. Menu names can differ on your phone.
- Select the print service and switch it on.
- If the printer is not found, tap Add service and enter the printer's information manually.
3.Install or update the printer maker's plugin
Many wireless printers rely on a vendor plugin, and an old or broken one can cause the error.
- Open the Play Store and install or update your printer maker's print service app. Guiding Tech gives HP Printer Service and Canon Printer Service as examples.
- Open the app's permissions and allow Location and Nearby devices.
- Try printing again.
4.Force stop the Printer Spooler, then try clearing its cache
Force stop restarts a spooler that is stuck or crashing, and Guiding Tech describes it. The Clear cache and Clear data steps are community-reported and unconfirmed: they come from a forum thread, not from Google or Guiding Tech, and people in that thread reported mixed results.
Before you start: Clear cache first. Clear data resets the Printer Spooler's settings and its print queue, so use it only if nothing else worked. Menu names can differ on your phone.
- Open Settings > Apps > See all apps, tap the ⋮ menu and choose Show system.
- Select Printer Spooler and tap Force stop, then try printing.
- Community-reported, unconfirmed: if it still fails, go back to Printer Spooler > Storage and tap Clear cache.
- Community-reported, unconfirmed: only if that fails, tap Clear data. This resets the spooler's settings and queue.
- Community-reported, unconfirmed: also clear the cache of the printer maker's companion app by long-pressing it and choosing App info > Storage and cache > Clear cache.
5.Use a workaround to get the page printed
These get a document out while you sort out the underlying problem.
- If the printer and phone support it, connect them with a USB data cable and print that way.
- If an app cannot print at all, take a screenshot of the page and print the image instead.
- Try a third-party print app such as NokoPrint as a workaround.
Check that it worked
- The printer appears in the print preview and the test page comes out.
- The "Print Spooler has stopped" message no longer appears when you print.
If it still fails
- Check the printer maker's support page for your exact model and its Android printing instructions.
- Try printing from another phone or a computer to find out whether the printer or the phone is at fault.
- If the printer only worked through Google Cloud Print before, set it up again with the maker's app or a print service.
Questions
Is there an Android error code for this?
No. Android shows only the text message, so the cause has to be found through the steps above.
Does Google Cloud Print still work?
No. Google ended it on 1 January 2021, so old advice about reinstalling it no longer applies.
Sources
- Print from your deviceOfficial · Google Pixel Phone Help
- How to fix "this printer is not available right now" · Guiding Tech