What’s going on with my printer?

If you’ve ever yelled or murmured such words under your breath, you may understand how aggravating it can be when your printer stops responding or consistently breaks down. But don’t panic, fixing printer issues is simpler than you would imagine.

The causes of a printer being offline.

You’ll be able to tell when your printer goes offline because, in most cases, a notice will appear on your computer or it won’t function at all.

Typically, the Wi-Fi or computer connection of your printer is the issue. Your PC and printer may not be able to communicate, or a misconfigured configuration may have made your device seem to be offline.

Let’s look at some troubleshooting steps you may do.

VERIFY CABLES, CONNECTION, AND PRINTER

Always investigate the fundamentals first when technology fails. Is paper in the input tray and is your printer turned on? Is there sufficient toner or ink? Are there any blinking lights or error warnings on the control panel?

Next, check for physical damage to your printer, wires, and ports. Ensure that your printer is powered on and that all of the cords are properly plugged in. To make sure the cable isn’t the issue, verify your connection on every port on your device if you’re connected via cable. Run a wire from your printer to PC if you’re using Wi-Fi to check if your printer is functioning. If it is, your network connection could be the problem.

ASSURE YOU HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION

Check that your printer is linked to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer and that your internet connection is operational. You may check your printer’s built-in menu to see which network it is currently linked to, or consult the handbook for further information on creating a Wi-Fi network.

How to proceed if your printer is still unresponsive.

Here are some actions to attempt on your computer if it is running Windows 10 and your connection is active but your printer is still offline.

REBOOT YOUR COMPUTER AND PRINTER

For 30 seconds, turn off your printer and computer. After that, restart them both and check the printer connection. This can sometimes resolve the issue.

 PLACE THE PRINTER IN DEFAULT MODE

By doing this, you can be confident that your computer will print and scan tasks to the appropriate printer. This is how:

1. Click Start, then Settings, followed by Devices, then Printers & Scanners
2. After selecting your printer, choose Open queue.
3. Click Set As Default Printer under Printer, then uncheck Use Printer Offline and Pause Printing if they are chosen.
4. Click OK if the notification “Windows will cease managing your default printer” appears after you set this printer as the default.

ELIMINATE ALL CURRENT PRINT JOBS

Try the following to empty the print queue:

1. Click Start, then select Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners.
2. After selecting your printer, choose Open queue.
3. Click on any of the papers listed under Document Name, then click Document > Cancel. All pending print jobs will be deleted as a result.

 RUN THE TROUBLESHOOTER ON THE PRINTER

1. Click Start, then select Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners.
2. After selecting your printer, click Manage.
3. Click the Troubleshooter button and adhere to the instructions to check if Windows can identify any problems.

 DISABLE USE OFFLINE MODE FOR PRINTER

It won’t operate if your printer is set to “Use Printer Offline.”

Select Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners to disable it. Click Open queue after selecting your printer. Make sure Use Printer Offline is not checked under Printer.

PUT THE PRINTER BACK IN PLACE

It’s time to uninstall and add your printer back if nothing has worked so far.

Connect your printer to your computer first, then go to Start > Settings > Devices > Printers and scanners. Select Delete device after choosing the printer you wish to remove.

Reconnect your printer to your computer, then turn it on to reinstall it. Choose the Add a Printer or Scanner option, then choose your printer if it’s a wireless printer (or if it doesn’t appear immediately). By selecting The printer that I want isn’t displayed and adding it manually, you may do this.

FIX THE DRIVERS AGAIN

Although it may seem difficult, there are just a few steps needed:

1. Select Printers and Scanners under Devices in the Start menu. Select Print server characteristics from the list of Related Settings.
2. Click Remove > Remove driver and driver package > OK after selecting the driver for your printer under Drivers.

Return to the Printer Server Properties window and choose Drivers > Add. To reinstall your printer driver, use the Add Printer Driver Wizard.