What is spoolsv.exe (Print Spooler) and how to fix CPU spikes when printing?

You're having trouble printing and notice your PC's fan is spinning at full speed. You open Task Manager and notice a process called spoolsv.exe is using more than 90% of the CPU. What's going on? Don't worry, we'll explain everything below: What is spoolsv.exe and how to fix CPU spikes when printing?.

What is spoolsv.exe (print spooler)?

Windows users know that if their computer is running slow, they can go to the Task Manager to stop conflicting processes. Poking around in it, they might find that The spoolsv.exe process is responsible for CPU spikesWe stop it, but the problem doesn't resolve, and when we return to Task Manager, the spikes continue. Is it a virus? What's going on?

Let's start with the basics: spoolsv.exe is not a virus. On the contrary, it is a legitimate and essential process. Microsoft Windows (one of the oldest, in fact). Its name is an acronym for Print Spooler Service Executable, in Spanish Print Spooler Service. What it does is manage the print queue, that is, temporarily storing print jobs in a queue before sending them to the printer.

To understand it, imagine What would it be like to print without this process?. When you click Print In a 100-page document, the program (Word, Excel, etc.) would have to communicate directly with the printer. But that's not the worst part: it would have to wait for each page to be processed and printed before allowing you to do anything else. In other words, your PC would be locked up for that entire time while the 100 pages were printed.

How the print spooling process works

The previous example demonstrates how useful and necessary the Print Spooler process, as well as its executable spoolsv.exe, are. Basically, what it does is act as an intermediary between the computer and the printer. Your job consists of:

1. Receive the print job from the program or application.
2. Save said work in a temporary folder in the form of a print queue file. This immediately frees up the application so you can continue working.
3. Manage the print queue in the backgroundFor example, it sends data to the printer at a speed it can handle. It also maintains an ordered queue of tasks ready to execute as soon as the system has the necessary resources to process them.

It is worth mentioning that this "queuing" of jobs is what is known as spooling (Simultaneous Peripheral Operations On-Line). It's a fundamental computing technique that allows for fast processes to run on slow devices. The CPU (with its characteristic speed) sends the data to the printer (which is much slower) and is freed up to continue with other tasks.

Why is spoolsv.exe using so much CPU? Causes and solutions

As expected, The spoolsv.exe file is located in the System32 folder, just like other essential Microsoft Windows processes. It usually operates quietly and discreetly, without requiring too many resources... until it gets out of control. Let's look at the most common reasons why this important process ends up consuming so much CPU, along with their solutions.

Corrupt or outdated printer drivers

This is the main reason why spoolsv.exe causes CPU spikes when printing. Therefore, it is a good idea to make sure that the printer drivers are updated to their latest versionTo do this, you must first know the exact model of your printer, then go to the official website and download the latest version of the driver.

Then uninstall the printer Go to Settings – Devices – Printers & Scanners. There, select your printer and click Remove Device. Finally, install the new driver that you downloaded. It's much better to do it this way than to rely on Windows Update to find the right one automatically.

Jammed or damaged print jobs

It happens when we try to print documents with a complex, damaged or very large format that isn't processed correctly. So, it gets stuck in the queue, but the spooler tries to process it again and again without success. This increases resource consumption. The solution? Restart the print services like this:

1. Press Windows + R, writes services.msc and hit Enter.
2. In the list of services, look for Print queue service.
3. Right click on it and choose Restart. If you are stuck, choose Stop and then Start.
4. As an option, it is advisable to turn the printer off and on.

Temporary queue files corrupted

If the previous step doesn't work, it means there is a print job stuck that requires special measures. This usually happens when different computers send data to the same printer, or in professional environments with Windows servers.

What you need to do is clean up the print queue manually by deleting all the temporary files it contains. To do this, open File Explorer and go to the folder C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. Then, delete all the files in that folder and you're done.

In business environments, disable error logging You can prevent spoolsv.exe from consuming more resources than necessary. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print.
3. Create a DWORD value named DisableWERLogging and set its value to 1.
4. Restart the Spooler service.

Malware in disguise

This cause is less common, but it can cause the print spooler to cause CPU spikes, or at least make it look like the culprit. As with other legitimate Windows processes, such as lsass.exe o Runtimebroker.exe, There are viruses that disguise themselves as spoolsv.exe to camouflage themselves.. But in reality, it's malware hosted in another folder that's dangerously consuming resources.

How do you know if spoolsv.exe is legitimate or not? Mainly, due to its location: It should be located in the System32 folder. How to verify this? Open Task Manager, locate the spoolsv.exe process, and right-click it. There, select Open file location. If the folder that opens is NOT C:\Windows\System32, then it's most likely malware. At this point, you know what to do: run a deep scan with your antivirus.

In conclusion, you now know what the Windows Print Spooler service is and its importance within the system. Without it, it would be tedious to have to wait for the print job to finish. You also now know how to troubleshoot CPU spikes when printing: Restart the service, clear the queue manually, or update the drivers.. It's done!