Suddenly, my Windows 10 PC became extremely slow. To know the reason, I opened Task Manager and found that spoolsv.exe was using 30% of the CPU power.
I was surprised to see that and thought my PC was infected. Hence, I started looking for a solution; when I got to know spoolsv.exe is the Spooler SubSystem App that handles print jobs that your printer prints. But still, the question of why High CPU Usage was there, so I researched more and got to know the reason behind it.
In this post, I will discuss the same and help fix the High CPU Usage due to spoolsv.exe.
But before that, if you are looking for a one-click solution to fix spooler subsystem app high CPU usage try using Advanced System Optimizer. This best PC cleanup and optimizer software offer a slew of features that help fix Windows problems and clean malware infections from the system. To use it, click the Download Now button and install the tool today.
In addition to this, if you are looking for manual steps, we’ve got that covered too.
Note: This article is part of our ongoing series explaining High CPU Usage due to svchost, unsecapp.exe, conhost.exe, IAStorIcon.exe error, CTF loader, and many others. Don’t have an idea about these services? Start reading!
What Is a Spooler SubSystem App?
Spooler SubSystem App is responsible for running spoolsv.exe, and it handles printing and faxing jobs on Windows. To print something, when you give a command, it is sent to the print spooler, which then transmits the information to the printer. If the printer is busy or not connected, the printer spooler service holds the job until the printer is available.
The process is also responsible for printer configuration. This means if the service is disabled, you will not see the list of installed printers. To print or fax a document, this service is required. However, it might happen that when you launch Task Manager, you might see the Spooler SubSystem App consuming enough CPU power. So, to understand why this happens and how to fix it, read further.
Note: Generally, the Spooler SubSystem App doesn’t take much CPU resource, as shown in the above screenshot. It uses CPU power and memory only when there’s a printing job. However, if you notice a significant increase in CPU usage by the spoolsv.exe process, there are different reasons for it.
Reasons for Spooler SubSystem App High CPU Usage
- The issue with the printing system, i.e., the print queue is full.
- The printer is wrongly configured.
- System Infected by a virus.
How to Fix High CPU Usage Caused Due to Spooler SubSystem App
Initially, you should do to fix spoolsv process on Windows is to run Printer Troubleshooter and see if it helps.
To run it, follow the steps below:
1. Click Settings in Windows search bar
2. Look for Update & Security click it
3. Troubleshoot > Printer > Run the troubleshooter
Note: If you are unable to view the Printer option, we suggest clicking Additional troubleshooter.
4. Wait for the troubleshooter to run. This should fix all the problems related to the printer due to which you were encountering High CPU Usage.
Kill the old and outdated printer job
1. Press Windows + I
2. Click Devices
3. Select Printers & scanners from the left pane
4. You will now see a list of all the attached printers.
5. Click each to printer > Open queue
6. Look for the jobs that you don’t need or are outdated > right-click > Cancel All Documents.
Once done, head back to Task Manager to see if the problem is resolved.
However, if you still face any problem, we suggest removing all the installed printers and re-configure them. To do so, first, delete each printer and then click the Add a printer option to add. Sometimes you might also have to uninstall the printer driver or update it.
To update a printer driver, you can visit the manufacturer’s site. However, before downloading the driver update, you should have all the information about the printer and Operating System. If this sounds too much for work for you or is technical, we have a simple solution. Use the Driver Updater module offered by Advanced System Optimizer.
To use it, follow the steps below:
How To Update Outdated Printer Drivers And Resolve Spoolsv.Exe High Cpu Usage?
1. Download, install, and launch Advanced System Optimizer.
2. Click Windows Optimizer from the left pane > Driver Updater.
3. Run the scan and wait for it to finish.
4. Now update all outdated drivers, or if you want, you can just update printer drivers.
5. Restart Windows.
You should not face any problem due to print spooler.exe.
The benefit of using a tool to update drivers is that you don’t need to worry about OS version, bit, the model number of the device, make, etc. Driver Updater checks all this information automatically and installs the most compatible driver update on your system. Alongside this, we also suggest scanning your system for viruses. For this, you can use the System Protector module under Security & Privacy. This will help fix all the infections that might be causing trouble with the spooler subsystem app on Windows.
Using these steps will help, and the High CPU problem you face due to spoolsv.exe should be solved. Depending on the user’s requirement, you can use either of the ways. However, if you want to fix other Windows problems, clean junk files, and optimize Windows, nothing can be better than Advanced System Optimizer. This best PC cleanup tool knows where to look for the problem and how to fix it. So, if you want a clean, optimized, and managed PC give this tool a try. Do share your thoughts about the article in the comments section.
FAQ
Can I disable the print spooler?
We do not recommend disabling the print spooler service because once you do so, you will not see a list of printers and print documents.
However, if you still want to disable it, here are the steps.
1. Press Windows + R
2. In Run window type services.msc > Ok
3. Now under the Services window, look for Print Spooler service, double click it.
4. In the corresponding window, click the downward arrow next to Startup type and select Disabled. This will disable the service from running until the next reboot.
Note: Once the service is disabled, you cannot print or fax any documents.
Is the Spooler SubSystem app a virus?
No, it is not a virus. It is a normal Windows process that is used to manage print jobs. The spooler service checks if the printer is busy or not before it gives the print job. It also handles basic printer configuration.
However, sometimes malware applications disguise themselves as legitimate Windows processes. Therefore, confirm if the file is genuine or infected head to Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), Click the Processes tab, and look for the Spooler SubSystem App. Right-click > Open file location
It should be C:\Windows\System32. If it’s at another location, you are likely infected. For this, you need to run the best antivirus software. To know more about them, check the list of Best Antivirus for Windows.