Most Mac print jobs cancel with one click, but some jobs refuse to delete, reappear, or freeze the queue. Start in the normal print queue, then use Terminal or the printing-system reset only if the job will not clear.
Does this affect you?
Use this if a Mac print job is stuck deleting, will not cancel, keeps coming back, or blocks every later print job.
Cancel it from the print queue
This works for most stuck jobs.
- Open System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
- Select the printer and click Open Print Queue, or open the printer icon from the Dock if it appears.
- Click the X or trash/delete button next to the stuck job.
- If it resists deletion, click Pause Printer, delete the job, then resume the printer.
- Confirm the queue is empty before sending another job.
Cancel it through Terminal
Use this when the queue window will not delete the job.
- Open Terminal from Spotlight.
- Type cancel -a and press Return to cancel pending jobs on the default printer.
- To target one job, type lpstat -W not-completed, note the job ID, then run cancel Printer_Name-123 with the actual ID.
- Reopen the queue and confirm the job is gone.
More control
Force-quit a frozen queue
Open Activity Monitor, search for PrintQueue or the printer name, select it, and click the X to force quit. Then reopen the queue.
Clear the printer memory
If the printer already received the job, it may keep printing after macOS cancels it. Turn the printer off and back on to clear its own memory.
Reset printing system as a last resort
Control-click an empty area of the printer list in Printers & Scanners and choose Reset printing system. This removes all printers, queues, and settings, so use it only when other steps fail.
One file keeps sticking
If only one document causes trouble, re-save it or print it from another app. Damaged PDFs and browser exports are common triggers.
Sources
- Apple Support – Manage a Print Job on Mac (2025)
- Apple Support – If Your Printer Will Not Print on Mac (2025)
- Apple Support – Reset the Printing System on Mac (2025)