How to Cancel a Print Job on Brother, Epson, HP & More

Updated 14 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

Print jobs that get stuck in the queue can waste paper, ink, and time. This guide shows you how to cancel a print job on Brother, Epson, HP, and other common printers, whether it’s stuck on your computer or on the printer’s own display. You’ll learn the quickest methods for Windows and macOS, plus how to clear the queue when the usual steps don’t work.

What You’ll Need

Access to the computer that sent the print job (or the printer’s control panel).
Administrator rights on your computer (to clear the queue if needed).
Your printer’s power cord (for a full reset if the job is truly stuck).

Step-by-Step

On Windows (All Brands)

Open the print queue: Click the Start button, type Printers and scanners (or Devices and Printers in older Windows), and press Enter.
Find your printer in the list. Right-click it and select See what’s printing (or Open in older versions).
In the queue window, click the document you want to cancel. To cancel all jobs, click Printer in the menu bar and choose Cancel All Documents.
If the job doesn’t disappear, click it and press the Delete key on your keyboard, or right-click and choose Cancel.
If the job is stuck and won’t cancel, restart the Print Spooler service: Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter, find Print Spooler, right-click it, and select Restart. This clears the entire queue.

On macOS (All Brands)

Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS) from the Apple menu.
Click Printers & Scanners.
Select your printer from the list on the left.
Click the Print Queue button (or Open Print Queue).
In the queue window, select the job you want to cancel and click the X button next to it, or right-click and choose Cancel.
To cancel all jobs, click Printer in the menu bar and select Cancel All Documents.
If a job is stuck, you can also try Pause Printer and then Resume Printer to force the queue to refresh.

On the Printer’s Own Control Panel (Brother, Epson, HP)

Look for a Cancel or Stop button on the printer’s front panel. It’s often a red or circular button with an X or a stop symbol.
Press and hold that button for 2-3 seconds. This usually cancels the current job.
If your printer has a touchscreen, navigate to the Job Status or Print Queue menu (often under Settings or Setup).
Select the job you want to cancel and confirm the cancellation.
For Brother printers, the button is often labeled Stop/Exit. For Epson, it’s usually a Stop button with a triangle inside a circle. For HP, look for a Cancel button (often an X) or a touchscreen option.

If the Job Is Still Stuck

Turn off the printer using its power button.
Unplug the printer from the wall outlet.
Wait 60 seconds.
Plug it back in and turn it on. This clears the printer’s internal memory and should remove the stuck job.
If the job reappears, it’s likely still in the computer’s queue. Repeat the computer steps above, and if needed, restart your computer.

Common Mistakes

Clicking the printer’s power button instead of the cancel button. Turning the printer off may not clear the job; it might just pause it, and the job will resume when you turn it back on.
Only closing the print queue window. Closing the window doesn’t cancel the job; you need to select the job and click Cancel or Delete.
Forgetting to check the computer’s queue. If the job is stuck on your computer, the printer won’t clear it on its own.
Using the wrong spooler service. On Windows, the service is named “Print Spooler,” not “Printer Service” or “Print Queue.”
Not waiting long enough. Some printers take a few seconds to process a cancel command. Press the button once and wait.

Tips

If you regularly have stuck jobs, check your printer’s driver software. Outdated drivers can cause communication issues.
For network printers, try sending a new test page after canceling. If it prints, the queue is clear.
On Windows, you can also open the queue by double-clicking the printer icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner) when a job is printing.
If you’re using a shared printer, you may need to ask the person who manages the print server to cancel the job.

Troubleshooting

The job won’t cancel from the computer. Restart the Print Spooler service (Windows) or restart your Mac. If that fails, unplug the printer and your computer for 60 seconds, then restart both.

The printer’s display shows a job, but the computer queue is empty. The job is stuck in the printer’s memory. Turn off the printer, unplug it, wait, and restart. If the job persists, you may need to clear the printer’s internal memory via its settings menu (look for “Factory Reset” or “Clear Memory” – but note this will also clear other settings).

You see “Deleting…” but it never finishes. This is common on Windows. Restart the Print Spooler service. If that doesn’t work, stop the service, delete the files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS (requires admin rights), then restart the service.

The printer is offline. If the printer is offline, the job might be stuck in the queue. Set the printer online by right-clicking it in Devices and Printers and selecting “Use Printer Online.” Then cancel the job.

The job is on a phone or tablet. If you sent a job from a mobile device, open the printer’s app (like HP Smart, Brother iPrint&Scan, or Epson iPrint) and look for a “Print Queue” or “Job Status” section to cancel it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a print job get stuck?

Stuck jobs are usually caused by a communication error between the computer and printer, a corrupted driver, or a paper jam. The printer may also be out of paper or ink, which can cause it to hold the job.

How do I cancel a print job on a Brother printer specifically?

On Brother printers, press the Stop/Exit button on the control panel. If it has a touchscreen, go to Job Status or Print Queue in the menu and select the job to cancel.

Can I cancel a print job from my phone?

Yes, if you’re using the printer’s mobile app, you can usually cancel a job from the app’s queue section. If the job was sent via AirPrint or Mopria, you may need to cancel it from the app that sent it.

Will turning off the printer cancel the job?

Sometimes, but not always. If the job is stored in the printer’s memory, turning it off and unplugging it for a minute will clear it. If the job is still in the computer’s queue, it will resume when the printer is back on.

How do I cancel a print job on a network printer?

Use the same steps as for a local printer, but make sure you’re connected to the same network. If the printer is shared, you may need to access the host computer’s queue.

What is the Print Spooler and why does restarting it help?

The Print Spooler is a Windows service that manages print jobs. Restarting it clears the queue and can remove stuck jobs that won’t cancel normally.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.