+1-888-966-6097 Brother Printer Spooler Not Working

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When a Brother printer’s spooler isn’t working, it can prevent print jobs from being processed, leading to a frustrating experience. The print spooler is a Windows service that manages print jobs sent to the printer. If the spooler isn’t functioning properly, documents can get stuck in the print queue, and printing may stop altogether. In this guide, we’ll explore common causes for print spooler issues and provide solutions to get your Brother printer back online.

Common Symptoms of a Print Spooler Issue:

  1. Print jobs stuck in the queue.
  2. Error messages indicating the spooler isn’t running.
  3. Printer not responding or showing as offline.
  4. Failure to add a printer or print jobs disappearing from the queue.
  5. The print spooler service stopping automatically.

Reasons Why the Spooler Might Stop Working:

  1. Corrupted print jobs: Sometimes, a print job may be corrupt or incomplete, causing the spooler to crash or freeze.
  2. Driver issues: An outdated or incompatible printer driver can conflict with the spooler service.
  3. Spooler service misconfiguration: The spooler service may be set incorrectly in the Windows Services panel, or it could be conflicting with another system process.
  4. Too many print jobs in the queue: A backlog of print jobs can overwhelm the spooler, causing it to malfunction.
  5. Malware or viruses: Certain types of malware can target system services like the spooler.
  6. Disk space and memory issues: If your computer lacks sufficient disk space or memory, the spooler service may fail to function properly.

Steps to Troubleshoot Brother Printer Spooler Not Working:

1. Restart the Print Spooler Service:

The most common solution to spooler issues is to restart the service.

  • Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
  • Step 2: Type services.msc and press Enter.
  • Step 3: Scroll down to find “Print Spooler” in the Services list.
  • Step 4: Right-click “Print Spooler” and select “Restart”.
  • Step 5: Wait for the service to restart, then try printing again.

If restarting the spooler works, it’s a sign that the issue was temporary, likely caused by a stuck print job.

2. Clear Print Queue:

If print jobs are stuck, clearing the print queue can help fix the spooler issue.

  • Step 1: Go to the Control Panel and open “Devices and Printers”.
  • Step 2: Right-click on your Brother printer and choose “See what’s printing”.
  • Step 3: Click on the “Printer” menu and select “Cancel All Documents”.
  • Step 4: Wait a few seconds and see if the print queue clears.

Alternatively, you can manually clear the print spooler folder:

  • Step 1: Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
  • Step 2: Stop the “Print Spooler” service by right-clicking on it and selecting “Stop”.
  • Step 3: Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete all files in the folder.
  • Step 4: Return to the Services panel and restart the Print Spooler service.

3. Update or Reinstall Printer Drivers:

Outdated or incompatible drivers can disrupt communication between the spooler and the printer.

  • Step 1: Go to Brother’s website and download the latest driver for your printer model.
  • Step 2: Open “Device Manager” from the Start Menu, and find your printer under “Printers”.
  • Step 3: Right-click the printer and select “Update Driver”.
  • Step 4: Choose “Search automatically for updated driver software” or manually select the downloaded driver file.

If updating doesn’t work, uninstall the printer driver completely:

  • Step 1: In Device Manager, right-click on the printer and select “Uninstall device”.
  • Step 2: Restart your computer, then reinstall the latest driver from the Brother website.

4. Run the Windows Troubleshooter:

Windows includes a built-in troubleshooter for printers that can help diagnose and resolve spooler issues.

  • Step 1: Go to “Settings” > “Update & Security” > “Troubleshoot”.
  • Step 2: Select “Additional troubleshooters”.
  • Step 3: Find and run the “Printer” troubleshooter, and follow the on-screen instructions.

5. Check for Windows Updates:

An outdated operating system may cause compatibility issues with the printer spooler.

  • Step 1: Go to “Settings” > “Update & Security”.
  • Step 2: Click “Check for updates” and install any pending updates.
  • Step 3: Restart your computer after updating, and see if the problem persists.

6. Check for Conflicting Programs:

Certain software, like third-party print management tools or security programs, can interfere with the print spooler.

  • Step 1: If you’ve recently installed new software, try temporarily disabling or uninstalling it to see if it resolves the issue.
  • Step 2: Open “Task Manager” by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc, and close any unnecessary background programs that might be interfering with printing.

7. Increase Available Disk Space:

If your system is low on disk space, clearing up some space might help the spooler function properly.

  • Step 1: Open “File Explorer”, right-click on your main drive (usually C:), and choose “Properties”.
  • Step 2: Under the “General” tab, click “Disk Cleanup”.
  • Step 3: Select unnecessary files and click “OK” to free up space.

8. Scan for Malware:

Sometimes, malware can affect system processes like the spooler. Running a full system scan with a reputable antivirus can eliminate this possibility.

  • Step 1: Open your antivirus software and run a full scan.
  • Step 2: Quarantine or remove any detected threats, and reboot your system.

9. Set Print Spooler to Automatic:

The print spooler service should start automatically whenever your computer boots up.

  • Step 1: Open services.msc as described earlier.
  • Step 2: Right-click “Print Spooler” and select “Properties”.
  • Step 3: Under “Startup type”, select “Automatic”.
  • Step 4: Click “Apply”, then “OK”.

10. Perform a System File Check:

Corrupt system files could prevent the spooler from functioning correctly. Running a system file check can repair damaged files.

  • Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator (search for “cmd” in the Start Menu, right-click, and select “Run as administrator”).
  • Step 2: Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
  • Step 3: Wait for the scan to complete, then restart your computer.

Conclusion:

Print spooler issues can be frustrating but are often resolvable through simple troubleshooting steps. By restarting the spooler service, clearing the print queue, updating drivers, or using Windows troubleshooting tools, you can typically resolve most problems with a Brother printer spooler. If the issue persists despite trying these steps, it may be necessary to contact Brother support for further assistance or consider a deeper system-level repair.