Issue

  • Unable to clear the CUPS print spool queue
  • Having problems clearing the document queue, showing 300 jobs stuck in the “Sending” status for days
  • Unable to cancel the stuck jobs in the print queue
  • Does restarting the cups daemon clear the print queue?
  • How to make a cron job which should delete the print jobs older than 5 days?
  • How to remove pending jobs from queue?
  • How do I clear existing jobs from the print queue(s),

Resolution

The cancel and lprm commands can be used to cancel/remove print jobs from print queues.

cancel

  • cancel -a <queue-name> cancels all print jobs associated with a print queue. By default, this can only be done as root. For example:

    cancels all print jobs on print queue “lp12”.

  • cancel -a cancels all jobs on all print queues. This will completely clear out all print jobs — held, pending, and active. By default, this can only be done as root.
  • cancel <job-id> cancels a particular job. For example:

    cancels the print job with ID 23172. This can be done as a non-privileged user, if it is the user that submitted the job. By default root can cancel any job.

lprm

  • lprm -P <queue-name> cancels all print jobs associated with a print queue. By default, this can only be done as root. For example:

    removes all jobs on print queue “lp12”. This will completely clear out all print jobs — held, pending, and active. By default, this can only be done as root.

  • lprm - removes all print jobs on all print queues.
  • lprm <job-id> cancels a particular job. For example:

    removes the print job with ID 23172.