There will be many times when it is useful to know what has been printed from a particular computer. You can find out everything you are about to print, as well as how to view what you have already printed – recently or a long time ago.
You can also check to see if anyone has typed from your computer without your permission.
How to access the print queue
How to access the print queue
Viewing the print queue allows you to see the document you are about to print. This is useful if you think you’ve accidentally sent the wrong file to the print queue.
If you send the wrong file to the print list, you will waste time, ink, and paper. Decision? Check your print turn to be 100% sure.
- First, click the Windows button and search for Printers & Scanners. Once it appears, run this.
- Now find the list of printers.
- Then select the name of your printer. Click on it to open the menu directly below it. Then select “Open Queue”.
- After you click “Open Queue”, a pop-up window will appear. There you will see a list of what will go through your printer. You can also view the last print job.
The print queue provides you with all the information you need about the documents that are and were in your queue. This includes document name, status and size .
How to view recent print history
How to view your most recent print history
Although your printer’s queue allows you to view print jobs, it is limited to recent documents. If you want a complete log of all recently printed documents, you’re out of luck. You cannot count on your printer’s queue for this.
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But luckily there is a workaround. Instead of going to your printer’s queue, you can refer to the event manager.
- First press the Windows key, search for Run, and then launch the application.
- Enter eventvwr.msc. Then click OK. This will confirm the action and start the task.
This gives you access to the event viewer. This program allows you (as well as all administrators and users of your computer) to access event logs on a remote computer.
While it’s easy to use Run , there is an alternative. That is, launch the Event Viewer directly from the Start menu.
- Press the Windows key, locate the program, and then press Enter.
- Here, select Application and Service Logs.
- Next, select Microsoft. Then go to Windows.
- When you expand Windows , you will see many elements. Fortunately, this list is alphabetical, making hunting easier. So scroll down to “P” and find PrintService. Then select that option.
- Select “Worker”. Right-click it and select Properties from the list.
- Here go to the General tab. Look for Enable Logging. Nearby is a field that allows you to record the relevant information.
- When finished, click Apply. Then click OK to save your changes and close the window.
From now on, you will have a record of future print jobs. You can view this entry at any time.
- To see it in action, just run the PrintService folder. Right-click it and select “Open Saved Log”.
- Once you open this, you will see a list of logs from the moment you turned on logging. Or you can simply launch Event Viewer and select Open Saved Log.
How to check print history
How to check print history
One useful feature is to allow your system to record future print jobs. But what if you want to look back at something you’ve been typing since time immemorial ?
If you have Windows 10, this won’t be a problem. Just follow these simple steps.
- First press the Windows button and start Printers & Scanners.
- Scroll down to the Related Settings section. Then you need to run the print server properties.
- From there select the “Advanced” tab.
- On this tab you can check your queue folder. You should also select the following check boxes: Show info notifications for local printers and Show info notifications for network printers.
- Click Apply to save your changes. Now choose OK.
- Restart your computer to ensure that any changes you have made take effect.
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