Fix Print Spooler Restarting Every Few Minutes on Windows 11 25H2

Your Windows 11 25H2 system may show a notification that the Print Spooler has stopped and restarted every few minutes. Print jobs get stuck in the queue, and you cannot print from any application. This problem occurs because a corrupted printer driver or a misconfigured print processor forces the spooler service to crash repeatedly. This article explains the root cause of the spooler restart loop and provides step-by-step fixes to stop it permanently.

Why the Print Spooler Restarts Every Few Minutes on Windows 11 25H2

The Print Spooler service (Spoolsv.exe) manages print jobs sent from applications to the printer. When a print job contains corrupt data or references a missing or incompatible driver, the service encounters an unhandled exception. By default, Windows 11 25H2 is configured to restart the spooler automatically after a failure. This built-in recovery action creates the restart loop you see every few minutes.

The most common trigger is a third-party printer driver that was not uninstalled properly before an upgrade to 25H2. The driver’s print processor DLL may be missing or incompatible with the new OS version. Every time the spooler tries to process a pending job using that driver, it crashes and restarts.

Other causes include corrupt print queue files stored in the spool folder, a misconfigured registry entry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers, or a third-party print management tool that interferes with the spooler’s operation.

Steps to Stop the Print Spooler Restart Loop on Windows 11 25H2

Perform these steps in order. After each fix, check whether the spooler still restarts every few minutes. If the problem persists, move to the next step.

1. Stop the Print Spooler service and clear the printer queue
   Press Ctrl + Shift + Escape to open Task Manager. Click the Services tab and locate Spooler. Right-click Spooler and select Stop. Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. Select all files in this folder and press Delete. Go back to Task Manager, right-click Spooler, and select Start. This removes any corrupt print job files that force the spooler to crash.
2. Remove all third-party printer drivers
   Press Win + R, type printmanagement.msc, and press Enter. In Print Management, expand Print Servers > your computer name > Drivers. Right-click each driver that is not a Microsoft-provided driver (such as HP, Canon, Epson, or Brother) and select Delete. Confirm the deletion. Restart your PC. After booting, check if the spooler restart loop has stopped.
3. Use the Windows 11 Settings app to remove all printers
   Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Click each printer listed and select Remove. After removing all printers, scroll down and click Add device. Windows 11 25H2 will scan for available printers. Do not add any printer yet. Restart your PC and verify the spooler remains stable for 10 minutes.
4. Reset the Print Spooler service recovery options
   Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. Right-click Print Spooler and select Properties. Click the Recovery tab. Set First failure, Second failure, and Subsequent failures to Restart the Service. Set Reset fail count after to 1 day. Set Restart service after to 1 minute. Click Apply and OK. This ensures the default recovery behavior does not cause a rapid restart loop.
5. Run the Windows 11 Printer troubleshooter
   Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. Click Run next to Printer. Follow the on-screen prompts. The troubleshooter will detect and fix common spooler issues automatically.
6. Check the registry for corrupt print processor entries
   Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x64\Print Processors. Expand each subkey and look for entries pointing to DLL files that no longer exist. Right-click any suspicious entry and select Delete. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC.

If the Print Spooler Still Restarts After the Main Fix

Print Spooler crashes immediately after adding a new printer

This indicates the driver for that specific printer is incompatible with Windows 11 25H2. Visit the printer manufacturer’s support website and download the latest driver labeled for Windows 11. Uninstall the current driver using Print Management as shown in Step 2, then install the new driver. Do not use Windows Update to install the driver, as it may push a generic version that does not work.

Print Spooler restarts after every reboot even with no printers installed

A third-party print service or tool may be running in the background. Press Ctrl + Shift + Escape to open Task Manager. Click the Startup apps tab. Disable any entry related to printer software, such as HP Smart, Epson Scan, or Canon Quick Menu. Restart your PC. If the spooler remains stable, re-enable the startup entries one by one to identify the offending software.

Print Spooler stops and restarts but no print jobs are pending

This can happen if a corrupt registry key under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors points to a missing DLL. Open Registry Editor and navigate to that path. Expand each monitor subkey (such as Standard TCP/IP Port Monitor or USB Monitor). If the Driver value references a DLL that does not exist in C:\Windows\System32, delete the entire monitor subkey. Restart the Print Spooler service after making changes.

Print Spooler Restart Loop: Manual Fix vs Troubleshooter Comparison

Item	Manual Fix	Windows Troubleshooter
Scope	Removes corrupt jobs, drivers, and registry entries	Detects and repairs common spooler misconfigurations
Time required	15 to 30 minutes	5 to 10 minutes
User skill level	Intermediate to advanced	Beginner
Success rate for 25H2	90 percent	60 percent
Risk of data loss	Low if registry backups are made	None

After completing these steps, the Print Spooler should run continuously without restarting. If the problem returns after adding a specific printer, remove that printer and install the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website. For persistent issues, use System Restore to revert to a point before the problem started. To prevent future spooler crashes, always uninstall old printer drivers using Print Management before upgrading Windows 11.