Fix ERROR_NO_SPOOL_SPACE (0X0000003E) on print servers

If you're managing a print server — especially one that's been running for years without a reboot — and users start seeing "ERROR_NO_SPOOL_SPACE (0x0000003E)" in event logs or client-side print errors, here's what's happening. The print spooler can't write new print jobs to the spool folder. Nine times out of ten, it's because that folder ran out of disk space. The other times, it's permissions. I've seen this exact error on Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, and 2022. It also hits Windows 10/11 desktops that act as local print servers.

The root cause is simple. The spool folder, typically C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, fills up with thousands of orphaned .SHD and .SPL files. These are leftover print jobs that never got deleted — either from a crash, a forced spooler restart, or a network timeout. Combine that with a server that has low free space on the C: drive (under a few GB), and the spooler can't allocate space for even one new job.

Step-by-step fix

1. Stop the Print Spooler service.
   Open PowerShell or CMD as admin. Run:

   Stop-Service -Name Spooler

   Or from Services.msc, right-click "Print Spooler" and hit Stop.
2. Delete everything in the spool folder.
   Navigate to:

   C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\

   Delete every file inside. Don't delete the folder itself. If you're nervous, move them to a temp folder first. But in my experience, just wipe 'em. They're all orphaned jobs.
3. Check disk space.
   Run:

   Get-PSDrive C | Select-Object Free

   If free space is below 5GB, you need to clean up other things too — temp files, logs, old Windows updates. Use cleanmgr /sageset:1 then cleanmgr /sagerun:1 for a quick sweep.
4. Restart the spooler.
   

   Start-Service -Name Spooler

   Test a print job. If it goes through, you're golden.
5. Double-check folder permissions.
   If the error persists after clearing space, the spool folder probably has wrong permissions. Right-click the PRINTERS folder → Properties → Security. The SYSTEM account and Administrators group should have Full Control. The Print Operators group (if used) needs Modify. If you see weird entries like "Everyone" with deny rules, fix that.
6. Set a spool folder size limit (optional but smart).
   On a busy server, you can cap the spool folder size via registry. This won't fix the error but prevents future blow-ups. Go to:

   HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print

   Add a DWORD called SpoolDirectorySizeLimit. Value in bytes — set it to 1073741824 for a 1GB limit. Restart spooler.

Still failing? Check these three things

• Anti-virus scanning the spool folder.
  Some AV software locks files in PRINTERS. Exclude that folder from real-time scanning. I've seen Symantec and McAfee do this.
• Third-party print managers.
  Tools like PaperCut, PrinterLogic, or HP Web Jetadmin can interfere. Check their logs. Sometimes they hold jobs open indefinitely.
• Cluster or network drive issues.
  If the spool folder is redirected to a network share (bad idea, but I've seen it), that share might be full or unreachable. Move it back to local C: drive.

That's it. 90% of the time, step 1 through 4 solves it. The other 10% is permissions or AV. Don't waste time rebuilding the spooler or reinstalling drivers — that rarely helps. Just clear the folder and fix the space.