Print Spooler error on an Android phone: causes and fixes

Published Sources checked By helps.wiki editorial team

The Print Spooler is the Android system app that handles the print dialog and the print queue. When it crashes, or cannot reach a working print service, you get a "Print Spooler has stopped" message. Restart everything and make sure the right print service is enabled first; force stopping the spooler is a further step.

Applies to:Android phones and tabletsMenu names vary by manufacturer; some steps are written for Pixel phones and Android 14 and up
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What it means

"Print Spooler" is a system app on Android. It draws the print dialog, keeps the queue of jobs and talks to the print service that actually reaches your printer. If it crashes, or no working print service is available, you see a pop-up such as "Unfortunately, Print Spooler has stopped".

Google has no help page for this exact message. The fixes below come from Google's printing instructions for Pixel phones and a third-party troubleshooting guide. Menu names differ between Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi and others.

This article is about the spooler app crashing. If your phone instead simply says the printer is not available, start with Print Spooler error on Android: "Printer not available". On a Windows PC, the similarly named service is a different thing: see Print Spooler service not running in Windows.

Symptoms and causes

You are likely dealing with this problem if:

  • A pop-up saying the Print Spooler has stopped
  • Print jobs look cancelled but stay in the queue, or never start
  • The print preview fails to load
  • The printer is not found when you open the print dialog

The usual causes, most common first:

Print service disabled, missing or outdated
Android needs an enabled print service for your printer. Makers such as HP and Canon supply their own.
Network problems
The phone and printer may be on different Wi-Fi networks, the printer may be asleep, or the router may need a restart.
Missing permissions for the printer app
The maker's app or plugin may lack the Location or Nearby devices permission it needs to find the printer.
The app you print from does not support printing
Some apps have no print option at all, which Google notes in its Pixel help.

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 the phone, printer and router

Easy

Clears temporary glitches in the spooler and the network link between phone and printer.

  1. Restart the phone.
  2. Turn the printer off, wait a few seconds, then turn it on again.
  3. Restart the router if the printer connects over Wi-Fi, then try printing again.

2.Turn on the print service

Easy

Without an enabled print service the phone has nothing to send the job through.

  1. Open Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Printing.
  2. Select your print service and switch it on.
  3. If your printer is not listed, tap Add service and enter the printer's information.

3.Install or update the printer maker's plugin or app

Easy

The maker's service is often what lets Android talk to your specific model.

  1. Open the Play Store and install or update the app for your brand.
  2. Open the app and allow the Location and Nearby devices permissions when asked.
  3. Enable the service under Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Printing, then try again.

4.Check the network and the printer

Easy

A printer on another network, or one that is asleep, appears as unavailable.

  1. Connect the phone and the printer to the same Wi-Fi network.
  2. Keep both near the router, and wake the printer by pressing a button on it.
  3. Check that the printer has paper and ink or toner and shows no error on its own screen.

5.Force stop the Print Spooler

Moderate

Restarts a spooler that is hung without deleting anything.

  1. Open Settings > Apps > See all apps.
  2. Tap the three-dot menu and choose Show system.
  3. Open Print Spooler (some phones label it "Printer Spooler") and tap Force stop, then try printing again.

6.Clear the cache of the printer's companion app

Easy

The maker's app can have its own damaged cache.

  1. Open the app's App info page (long-press its icon, or go to Settings > Apps).
  2. Tap Storage and cache and then Clear cache.

7.Use a workaround to print now

Easy

Gets the document out while you sort the spooler.

Before you start: If you install a third-party printing app, use the Play Store and check that it supports your printer.

  1. If the app you are in has no print option, take a screenshot of the page and print the image instead.
  2. Print over a USB data cable if your printer and phone support it, or try a third-party printing app such as NokoPrint.

Check that it worked

  • Opening the print dialog from an app no longer shows the Print Spooler pop-up.
  • Your printer appears in the printer list and a test page prints.

If it still fails

  • Test with another app and another printer, if you can, to see whether the fault is the phone or the printer.
  • Check the printer maker's support pages for your model and ask them about Android printing.
  • Ask your phone maker's support about the Print Spooler app on your device, since its name and visibility vary by manufacturer.
  • Guides that mention Google Cloud Print are outdated, because the service has been retired.

Questions

Is Print Spooler a virus?

No. It is a normal Android system app that manages printing. It only shows up in the list when you choose to show system apps.

Sources

  1. Print from your Pixel phoneOfficial · Google Pixel Phone Help
  2. How to fix "This printer is not available right now" · Guiding Tech

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