Cancel a Print Job with cancel
The CUPS cancel command removes a pending print job by ID, or empties a printer's entire queue at once.
Run `cancel Office_Printer-142` (the ID from `lpstat -o`) to delete that job, or `cancel -a Office_Printer-Printer` to clear everything.
01Command
Command
$ cancel Office_Printer-14202What it does
Print jobs keep a printer busy and can block everything behind them, so clearing a stuck job is a common fix. Get the job ID from `lpstat -o`, then pass it to cancel. With no arguments, `cancel -a` clears the default printer's queue; naming a printer limits it to that printer. Jobs already sent to the printer's own memory cannot be recalled from the Mac — turn the printer off and on if it keeps printing.
03Risk
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- cancel — cancel print jobs (macOS man page)Evidence: Documents `cancel job-id` to remove a queued job and `cancel -a` to cancel all jobs on a printer.
Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: System & Settings