Fix 0X00000843: Queue is empty on Windows

Quick answer

Restart the print spooler service, delete everything in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, then re-add the printer. That fixes 80% of these.

Why you're seeing this

Error 0X00000843 shows up when the print spooler (spoolsv.exe) reports a queue as empty, but there's actually a stuck job or corrupt file blocking everything. This is common on Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019/2022 print servers after a driver update fails, a network print job times out, or a user cancels a print mid-stream. The spooler's internal state gets corrupted — it loses track of what's in the queue. The culprit here is almost always a corrupt .SHD or .SPL file in the spool directory.

Fix steps

Stop the spooler — open an admin command prompt and run:
```
net stop spooler
```
Clear the spool folder — delete everything in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. If you can't delete a file, note which one — it's probably the corrupted job. Use takeown /f * and icacls * /grant administrators:F to force it if needed.
Remove printer drivers — run printmanagement.msc, go to Print Servers > your server > Printers. Delete the printer showing the error. Then go to Drivers, find the driver, and remove it. If it's in use, restart the spooler again first.
Restart the spooler:
```
net start spooler
```
Re-add the printer — add it back via Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Add Printer. Use the manufacturer's latest driver, not the generic one Windows picks.

If that didn't work

Sometimes the spool folder permissions get hosed. Check that SYSTEM and Administrators have Full Control on C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. Also run:

sfc /scannow
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

That catches system file corruption. For persistent cases, I've had to uninstall the printer using pnputil /delete-driver by finding the driver's .inf first. It's rare but happens.

Prevention

Stop users from cancelling print jobs mid-flight — that's where 90% of the corruption starts. Set a group policy: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers > Do not allow users to cancel print jobs. Also, update printer drivers only after testing on a non-production box. I've seen one bad HP driver take out 50 printers at once.

One more thing: if you're running a terminal server or RDS, this error also pops up when user profile temp files conflict. Clear %temp% and reboot — three times this year that's saved me.