How to Fix Brother Printer Offline Issues on Mac and Windows

The "printer offline" error commonly happens when your computer just can't communicate with your Brother printer. It can occur on both Mac and Windows systems. Therefore, it makes users very frustrated if there is a case for printing some important documents. Connection problems, use of very outdated drivers, or system settings make many users face this problem with the Brother printer.


This solution must be prompt to reinstate the functionality and avoid delays, particularly in home offices or business environments where printing is a day-to-day affair.

 

Understanding the Printer Offline Error

What makes a printer go offline?

Most often, a printer can go offline due to problems with connectivity, a wrong setting, or buggy drivers. Equally probable issues involve network-related problems such as a bug in Wi-Fi behavior or a wrong IP address of the printer, which make it lose contact with your computer. Sometimes, this error could also be brought about by print jobs getting stuck in the queue.


Common Symptoms and Error Messages

They may also find their printer status marked "offline" in the print queue and no jobs processing. Typical error messages would be "Printer Not Connected" or "Unable to Communicate with Printer." Normally, these indications point to the printer and computer not being correctly connected, whether through the network or by USB.

 

Read: How To Get My Printer Online

 

 

General Troubleshooting Steps

 

For Mac Users

Check physical connections: This might include ensuring a USB connection is securely attached to both the printer and the Mac, or a wireless connection where the printer and the Mac are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.


Turn the printer on: Most have power lights or an on-screen display that shows it is powered up. Sometimes printers go into some sort of power save or sleep mode; maybe the power button will turn it on.


Wi-Fi connectivity check, in case of wireless printers: Check its status via "System Preferences" > "Printers & Scanners." If not found, again set up the printer to connect with your desired wireless network directly from the printer's screen display.


Printer and Mac Restart: Switch the printer off. Restart your Mac. On restarting both systems, again give a print command. This may help to catch up on the lost connection.

 

Users of Windows

Physical connections: The USB should be properly connected to the printer and your Windows PC or, in case of wireless, connected to the same network. Is it turned on? Just in case, a check of the light or display will be necessary on the printer. Sometimes, pushing the power button wakes up printers from their sleep mode.


Wi-Fi connection: Make sure it is connected in case of a wireless printer. Check via "Control Panel" > "Devices and Printers" whether the printer is present and the connection is green. If it is not connected, reconnect via its display panel.


Restart printer and computer: Switch the printer off; restart your PC. Turn them both back on and send a print job to test whether the issue has been resolved.

 

 

 

How to Resolve Brother Printer Offline Problem on Windows

 

Check the status of the printer in the Windows settings

Go to "Control Panel" > "Devices and Printers" and locate your Brother printer. Right-click the printer icon and click "See what's printing." If it shows printer offline, unmark the "Use Printer Offline" check box to put the printer online.


Set printer as default

In the "Devices and Printers" window, right-click your Brother printer and select "Set as Default Printer." This will route all print jobs from your computer to the proper printer by default.


Clear print queue

Stuck print jobs in the queue may also be one of the causes for the offline printer status. So right-click the printer in "Devices and Printers" and choose "See what's printing." Highlight all pending jobs and then click "Cancel" to clear the queue.


Update/Reinstall printer drivers

The old drivers may create a gap in communication between computer and printer. Access the Brother website, download the updated drivers for your model, and install them. If the problem remains unresolved, uninstall the present drivers via "Device Manager" and reinstall them.


Temporary disable Windows firewall

Sometimes, this prevents the printer from communicating with the computer. For troubleshooting purposes, temporarily turn off the firewall: Under "Control Panel," click "System and Security," then "Windows Defender Firewall," and click "Turn off Windows Defender Firewall." After that, try printing. If it works, change your firewall settings to permit printer communication.

 

 

 

How to Fix Brother Printer Offline Issue on Mac

 

Check the status of your printer in System Preferences

Go to "System Preferences" > "Printers & Scanners" and look for your Brother printer. If it shows offline, right-click the printer and select "Resume" to choose it online.


Reset the printing system

You would need to go ahead and reset the whole printing system if that's the case. In "Printers & Scanners," right-click anywhere in the printer list and select "Reset Printing System." This will clear all printers and queues; you will afterwards need to add the printer again by clicking the "+" button and select your Brother printer.


Update printer software

In addition, problems caused by older software include communication issues. See if there is an update available for your printer:Apple Menu > System Preferences > Software Update. If an update is available, install the update and attempt to print once more.


Printer Settings Reconfiguration

Sometimes, a setting is simply incorrect and may be the cause of the printer not working right. Under "Printers & Scanners," delete the printer by selecting it and clicking the "-" button. Then click the "+" button once more to add the printer and go through the setup correctly. Make sure that the printer is set up to use the correct network or type of connection.

 

 

Advanced Troubleshooting

Check for IP address conflicts

Sometimes, a printer goes offline because of some IP address conflict on your network. You'll need to check the network settings on the printer to make sure that it is using a unique IP address. You may access this via the printer's control panel, or you can log in to your router's settings to check on all connected devices. Assigning a static IP address to your printer prevents this conflict in the first place.

 


Diagnostic on Network

For Windows Users

If it is a connection problem, then use the inbuilt network diagnosis tool. Go to "Settings" > "Network & Internet" > "Network Troubleshooter." Follow the on-screen instructions to detect and resolve any network problems that may interfere with your printer from connecting properly.


For Mac Users

For a Mac: "System Preferences" > "Network," then click the "Assist me" option at the bottom of the window. You will be guided through a network diagnostic to help identify and resolve problems that may interfere with your printer's connectivity.

 


Contact Brother support if these issues persist.

In case the printer keeps reverting to an offline status even after carrying out all these steps, then that means the problem might be much more complicated. You can contact Brother for support. They will give more specific instructions or recommend hardware repairs if needed.

 

 

Preventive Measures

 

Printer Maintenance Tips


Perform regular maintenance on your Brother printer to avoid any issues that may cause your printer to go offline.

Cleaning of the print head, dust, and debris, removal of paper jams are some easy tasks one can do that would keep the Brother printer in very good working condition and avoid any further malfunction in the future.

 

Updating drivers and software

Also, don't forget to update your printer drivers and software from time to time. Manufacturers often publish updates that will fix bugs, improve performance, or increase operating system compatibility.

Under Windows, you do this from "Device Manager"; under a Mac, from "System Preferences" > "Software Update." Keeping everything up to date reduces the chance of connection problems.

 

 

Proper shutdown procedures

Shutting down the printer will save you from a lot of technical problems. One should not just switch it off during a print job or unplug it suddenly.

Keep the printer off with the power button so that it may shut down properly, especially for those printers which connect wirelessly.

It will save its internal parts and provide uninterrupted network connections.

 

 

Summing it up

Let's summarize in simple words what was discussed in the above-mentioned steps.

Is that the common methods involve cables being plugged in, printer is online, and start both printer and computer again. For more serious fixes, reset the system, clean out the print queue, and update drivers.


Why the Root Cause Matters

Knowing why your printer went offline is important in laying the groundwork to ensure that it does not keep happening over and over. This may be as simple as a connection problem or a software issue, but the resolution of the core problem is where the permanent solution lies.

 


When to Seek Help

If you have tried all of the above and your printer remains offline, this may be a good time to call in the cavalry. This is where a Brother support expert or professional technician will be able to give you the advanced help that will sort out those older problems.