“Another computer is using the printer” is a common type of error in Canon printer that is shared on a network.

The error generally goes away once the other computer on the network completes printing.

However, if the printer is unavailable even when no one is printing, here are some easy fixes you can apply to get the printer back.

Check the Print Queue and Clear It

You can quickly clear pending print jobs in the queue and restart the print spooler service to initiate a new print job. Here’s how.

1. Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
   
2. Run these commands and ta-da! The error will go away.
   • net stop spooler
   • del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\* /Q
   • net start spooler
   • exit
     

Run the Printer Troubleshooter

If clearing the print queue does not seem to work, run the printer troubleshooter.

It has, many times, helped me fix a lot of printer issues including the stuck print queue and similar stuff.

All you need to do is open Windows Settings > navigate to Troubleshoot Settings and run the printer troubleshooter.

Pro Tip: Now that you are here, you probably fixed the issue. If not, restart all three devices – your printer, router and the computer. See if that works.

Access Printer from Single User Account Only

Sometimes, having multiple user accounts logged in also causes the “Another computer is using the printer” error. To fix it,

1. Open Task manager on your computer. The easiest way to do it is pressing the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys together.
2. Then, jump directly to the Users tab on the top.
3. Right-click the guest account or another account that you are not using currently and Sign off/Disconnect from there.
   
4. Try printing and see if the issue persists.

Adjust WSD Timeout Settings

Canon printers have a special network setting called WSD Timeout.

This setting specifies the time a printer waits for a computer before ending connection with it.

If this setting is too high, the printer stays connected to one computer longer than necessary.

This causes other computers on the network to receive the “Another computer is using the printer” error.

Assume the WSD timeout is 3 minutes.

It means the printer will wait for 3 minutes of inactivity from first computer before it allows another computer to take over.

If you try to print from a different computer within this time, you might get the error message.

To avoid this, what you can do is check and re-configure this setting.

A lower value is generally preferred.

The setting is available under LAN Settings > Other Settings > WSD Settings > Timeout settings on your printer.

You can use the touch screen or the button panel of the printer to do the needful.

Conclusion

Well, that’s all for today.

If you need any kind of assistance or get stuck anywhere during the process, feel free to comment down below with your printer model name and number.

I will reply to you as soon as possible😉