Printing a document using the Printer is quite easy, however, for some users, an error has made this simple procedure a hassle. They are seeing Printer Error 0x000006BA, Operation could not be completed every time, they try to print something. In this post, we are going to end this misery by presenting some simple solutions to fix this issue. Following is the exact error message users are seeing
Operation could not be completed (error 0x000006ba)
The server print spooler service is not running. Please restart the spooler on the server or restart the server machine
What is error code 0x000006BA?
Error Code 0x000006BA is caused due to Print Spooler. Maybe, the service is not running, this can be manual or automatic, however, the solutions will be the same in both cases. Another reason why this is happening is because of a glitch. Whatever the case is, try executing the solutions mentioned here to resolve the issue.
Fix Operation could not be completed, Printer Error 0x000006BA
If you are seeing Printer Error 0x000006BA, Operation could not be completed, try the following solutions.
- Start or restart Print Spooler Service
- Restart your System
- Run Printer Troubleshooter
- Clear Printer Folder
- Update your Printer Drivers
- Reinstall Printer Drivers
Let us talk about them in detail.
1] Start or restart Print Spooler Service
The error message clearly says that the Print Spooler Service is not running. However, sometimes, this can just be a glitch that can be resolved by stopping and starting the service in question. We are going to do the same on your computer and see if that helps. Follow the given steps to do the same.
- Open Services by searching it out of the Start Menu.
- Look for Print Spooler, right-click on it and click Properties.
- Set Startup type to Automatic and click on Start.
This will do the job for you. If the service is already running, you have to restart it. This will do the job for you.
If this worked for you, go to the Properties of Print Spooler > Recovery tab and change the First failure to Restart the Service, and do the same for the subsequent options. By this, we are just automating a solution, as in the future if your system stumbles upon a Print Spooler error, it will be restarted.
If the Print Spooler service keeps turning off automatically, check our guide to resolve the issue.
2] Restart your system
If that doesn’t work, try restarting your system as well as your Printer. This will restart any service and resolve any glitch that has been giving you trouble. So, let us go ahead and shut down the PC and Printer, then detach it, wait for 30 seconds, attach the Printer and check if the issue persists.
3] Run Printer Troubleshooter
Next up, we are going to deploy the infamous Printer Troubleshooter. It will scan for issues and resolve it. Following are the steps to run the Printer Troubleshooter and resolve the issue.
Windows 11
- Open Settings from the Start Menu.
- Click System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
- Look for the Printer troubleshooter, and click on the Run button.
Windows 10
- Open Settings.
- Go to Update & Security > Additional troubleshooter.
- Click Printer > Run the troubleshooter.
Hopefully, this will do the job for you.
4] Clear Printer Folder
The Printer folder on your computer contains files from your previous and current printer. If any of those files are corrupted, you can expect to see this issue. We are going to clear the Folder and see if the issue persists.
Go to File Explorer and go to the following location.
C:\Windows\System32\spool
Double-click on the PRINTERS folder and delete all of its content.
Hopefully, this will do the job for you.
5] Update your Printer Drivers
Next up, try updating your Printer Drivers. This will do the job for you if the driver is outdated. The following are some of the methods to update Printer drivers.
- Download Driver and Optional Updates via Windows Settings.
- Go to the manufacturer’s website and download the latest version of your Drivers.
- You can also use free driver update software to keep your drivers up-to-date.
Hopefully, this will do the job for you.
Do Check: Download Printer Drivers and Software for Windows 11/10
6] Reinstall Printer Drivers
If updating doesn’t work, try reinstalling Printer drivers and see if the issue persists. It is pretty simple, detach the Printer from your computer, then open Device Manager, expand Printer Queues, right-click on the Printer and select Uninstall device. Just restart your computer and connect the Printer, this will do the trick.
Hopefully, these solutions will do the job for you.
Also Read: A StartDocPrinter call was not issued on Windows 11/10
How do I fix Operation cannot be completed?
You can try executing the solutions mentioned in this article to fix Operation could not be completed. It would be ideal if you start executing from the first solution and then move your way down. This way, a lot of your time will be saved.
That’s it!
Read Next: Print Spooler Service Error 1068, The dependency service or group failed.
