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Splwow64.exe is normally a legitimate Windows printing component, not a file you should delete. On 64-bit Windows, it helps older 32-bit applications communicate with the 64-bit print spooler and printer-driver environment.
When it crashes, freezes, or prevents printing, the underlying cause is usually a printer-driver conflict, a stuck Print Spooler queue, an incompatibility with a legacy application, a Remote Desktop printing problem, or damaged Windows components. Work through the low-risk checks first, then repair the driver or Windows installation if necessary.
Quick diagnosis
| Symptom | Most likely direction |
|---|---|
splwow64.exe appears briefly after printing |
Usually normal timeout behavior |
| One older application crashes while printing | Application and printer-driver compatibility |
| Every application fails to print | Spooler, queue, driver, printer connection, or Windows components |
| Print jobs remain stuck | Print Spooler or queue corruption |
| Only Remote Desktop sessions hang | RDS printer redirection or process cleanup |
| The file is unsigned or stored in an unusual folder | Separate security investigation |
What is splwow64.exe?
The name refers to Windows’ printing compatibility, or “thunking,” process. Its purpose is to bridge a 32-bit printing application and the 64-bit Windows print spooler and driver environment.
You are most likely to see it when printing from older versions of Office, accounting software, label-printing applications, or other legacy programs. It can also be involved with older printer drivers and printers redirected through Remote Desktop Services.
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It is not expected to run constantly on every PC. Windows may launch it when an application prints or opens Print Preview, and the process may remain in Task Manager for a short time afterward. Microsoft has documented delayed termination to improve printing performance. The exact timeout depends on the Windows version and scenario: older Windows 8 documentation describes a two-minute timeout after a relevant update, while Microsoft’s RDS documentation describes a three-minute timeout in that specific Remote Desktop scenario. Neither number should be treated as a universal Windows 10 or Windows 11 rule. Microsoft’s splwow64.exe documentation explains the older behavior.
What does a “splwow64.exe error” mean?
The process name appears in several different situations, including:
- “splwow64.exe has stopped working.”
- “The application was unable to start correctly,” sometimes with error
0xc0000142. - A legacy application crashes when printing or opening Print Preview.
- The print dialog freezes or closes.
- Print jobs remain stuck in the queue.
- The Print Spooler stops or repeatedly crashes.
- A driver installer reports that
splwow64.exeis using a file. - A Remote Desktop session does not close cleanly.
- The process remains in Task Manager after printing.
These symptoms do not identify one universal fault. Before changing anything, record the exact error text and code, the affected application, printer model, Windows edition and build, and whether the problem affects one application or all applications.
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Is splwow64.exe malware?
A genuine Microsoft-supplied copy is a legitimate Windows component, but the filename alone does not prove that a file is safe. Verify the process rather than assuming either that it is malware or that every file with this name is genuine.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Find
splwow64.exe, right-click it, and choose Open file location. - Check that the file is in a normal Windows system location, rather than an unexpected user-writable folder such as a temporary or profile directory.
- Open the file’s properties and inspect its Digital Signatures tab. A valid Microsoft signature is an important part of the check.
- Consider the process’s behavior and parent process. High resource use, repeated crashes, an invalid signature, or a suspicious location warrants a security investigation.
Do not download splwow64.exe or replacement DLL files from third-party download sites. Do not delete the Windows copy. If the genuine process is failing, repair the queue, spooler, driver, application, or Windows installation instead.
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Start with two simple comparison tests
Before resetting anything, narrow down the scope:
- Print from the affected legacy application.
- Print a test page or open printer properties in Windows.
- Try Windows Notepad or another simple application.
- If available, test a current 64-bit application.
- Try Microsoft Print to PDF or another printer.
- Compare direct printing with Print Preview.
The results point to the next branch:
- Only one old application fails: suspect its printing subsystem, add-ins, rendering path, compatibility settings, or interaction with the driver.
- Every application fails: focus on the queue, Print Spooler, printer driver, printer connection, or Windows components.
- Only one printer fails: investigate that printer’s driver, port, queue, or device.
- Print to PDF works but a physical printer fails: focus on the physical printer driver, port, print server, or vendor software.
- Only a redirected printer fails in Remote Desktop: investigate RDS redirection and server-side driver configuration.
Clear the queue and restart Print Spooler
Start here when jobs are stuck, the print dialog hangs, or the spooler has stopped. In Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the affected printer, open its print queue, and cancel all queued jobs.
Canceling the queue removes pending jobs. Documents that have not reached the printer will need to be submitted again.
Next, restart the service:
- Press Windows key + R.
- Enter
services.mscand press Enter. - Find Print Spooler.
- Right-click it and choose Restart.
If the service will not restart or jobs return immediately, perform a full spooler reset. This requires appropriate permissions:
- In
services.msc, right-click Print Spooler and select Stop. - Open
%WINDIR%System32spoolPRINTERS. - Delete the files inside that folder, but do not delete the
PRINTERSfolder itself. - Return to Services and start Print Spooler.
- Set its startup type to Automatic if it has been changed.
An elevated Command Prompt provides the equivalent reset:
net stop spooler
del /q "%WINDIR%System32spoolPRINTERS*"
net start spoolerUse the graphical procedure if you are not comfortable with an administrator command prompt. Microsoft’s guidance is available in Fix Print Spooler service not running errors in Windows and Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows.
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Update or reinstall the printer driver
Printer drivers are among the most common causes of spooler and splwow64.exe failures. Problems can come from an old 32-bit driver on a 64-bit system, a damaged package, duplicate driver versions, a vendor print monitor, a print processor, or a driver that fails only when its advanced preferences window opens.
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Use this sequence:
- Identify the exact printer model and the Windows architecture.
- Download a supported driver only from the printer manufacturer’s official support site.
- Choose a package that explicitly supports your Windows edition and architecture.
- If the issue began after adding another printer, remove obsolete or duplicate printer drivers.
- Reboot if the installer requests it.
- Test a Windows test page, the affected application, and a second application.
“Latest” is not automatically synonymous with “best.” A manufacturer may offer universal, class, Type 3, or Type 4 drivers with different feature support. A generic driver may restore basic printing but remove label sizes, finishing options, color controls, scanning integration, or other proprietary features. For label printers, specialized drivers and print processors deserve particular attention.
If vendor status-monitor or print-monitor software is installed, test whether the printer works after removing unnecessary components, following the vendor’s supported uninstall procedure. A network printer that works on one PC but not another may also involve different driver versions, ports, credentials, print-server policy, or architecture.
On ARM-based Windows PCs, manufacturer installer packages can have compatibility problems. Microsoft recommends considering Windows’ built-in printer-addition path where appropriate. See Microsoft’s printer connection guidance.
Repair Windows system files
Use system-file repair after checking the queue, spooler, and printer driver, unless the error strongly suggests missing or corrupted Windows components. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:
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DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthWhen DISM completes, run:
sfc /scannowDISM repairs the Windows component store, while SFC checks protected system files and can replace incorrect versions when possible. Microsoft documents these tools in its DISM best practices, Windows image repair, and SFC command documentation.
Interpret the result as follows:
- “Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations”: SFC did not find a protected-file problem.
- SFC found and repaired files: restart Windows and test printing again.
- SFC found files but could not repair some: review
CBS.log, run DISM before repeating SFC, or move to an in-place repair or managed-support path. - DISM cannot find source files: Windows may need access to Windows Update or a matching repair source. Do not substitute a randomly downloaded executable.
These commands repair the running Windows installation. Offline recovery environments require different command parameters and should be handled separately by an experienced administrator.
Check updates and recent changes
Ask when the failure began. Did it follow a Windows update, a printer-driver installation, a Windows 10-to-Windows 11 upgrade, or a change to an RDS host?
Install pending Windows updates when the device is otherwise stable, and check the printer manufacturer’s support notes. If the problem clearly began after a particular update, record its KB number and follow your organization’s rollback policy before uninstalling anything. Do not remove updates indiscriminately, and do not assume that timing alone proves Windows caused the failure. Third-party drivers, print processors, legacy applications, and print-server configuration can produce the same symptoms.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhen only a 32-bit application fails
A failure limited to one older application strongly suggests a compatibility boundary rather than a globally broken Windows printing system. Check whether the application has a current update, known printing limitations, or a vendor-recommended compatibility setting.
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Also test:
- Direct printing versus Print Preview.
- Printing with application add-ins disabled, where supported.
- A simpler document and a different font or page size.
- A basic Windows printer driver instead of a feature-heavy vendor package.
- The same printer from a current 64-bit application.
If the driver’s advanced preferences dialog crashes but a plain text print succeeds, the rendering or vendor UI path is a stronger suspect than splwow64.exe itself. If only a proprietary label-printing program fails, contact that application’s vendor as well as the printer vendor.
Remote Desktop and Windows Server cases
Do not apply RDS remedies to an ordinary Windows 10 or Windows 11 desktop. On a 64-bit Remote Desktop Session Host, printing from a 32-bit application can launch splwow64.exe. Its timeout may cause a session to appear to hang or prevent it from terminating immediately.
Microsoft documents an administrator-level workaround using:
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlTerminal ServerSysprocsUnder that key, a value named splwow64.exe identifies the process as one that may be safely terminated during session cleanup. This is an RDS-specific procedure, not a general desktop-printing fix. Back up the registry, follow the exact steps in Microsoft’s Remote Desktop guidance, and test on one controlled host before applying it across a production server farm.
A session that remains open may also involve other spawned processes, printer redirection, profile cleanup, or the legacy application itself. The registry entry will not correct a crashing printer driver or a stuck local queue.
Use Event Viewer when the basic fixes fail
- Open Event Viewer.
- Go to Windows Logs > Application.
- Find an Application Error event at the time of the crash.
- Also check Windows Logs > System for Print Spooler and driver-service events.
- Record the faulting application, faulting module, exception code, fault offset, printer, and application involved.
The faulting module may point toward a vendor driver DLL, print processor, graphics or rendering component, the spooler, a Windows file, or the legacy application. It is a useful lead for isolation and vendor escalation, but it does not prove that the named module alone caused the failure.
When to contact support
Stop repeating generic spooler resets when the problem returns immediately, affects several users, or occurs only on a server or print server. Give the printer or software vendor:
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- Printer model and driver version.
- The application name and whether it is 32-bit.
- The exact error message and code.
- The Event Viewer faulting module and exception code.
- Whether printing is local, network-based, print-server based, or redirected through RDS.
- The results of queue clearing, spooler reset, driver reinstall, DISM, and SFC.
This information distinguishes a legacy application defect from a driver, spooler, print-server, or Windows-integrity issue and avoids unnecessary registry changes or executable replacement.
Quick Recap
What not to do
- Do not delete
splwow64.exe. - Do not permanently disable the Print Spooler.
- Do not download executable or DLL replacements from unverified sites.
- Do not change timeout values before determining whether the behavior is normal, local, or RDS-specific.
- Do not blame or uninstall a Windows update solely because the timing appears coincidental.
- Do not apply a registry edit to a production server without a backup, testing, and a clear understanding of its scope.
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