When you want to print a document, you sometimes click "Print" and choose your preferred printer, but nothing happens. Follow these easy steps to change the status of your printer from "offline" to "online."
It's something that happens every day. When you look at the printer menu, you see that it says "Printer Offline." With a few simple checks and steps, you can quickly and easily get your printer back online.
When printing, there are times the computer or device thinks the printer is offline, but the printer is actually on and ready to print. This can happen if there is a problem between your computer or device and the printer. Sometimes the problem is as simple as a cable that isn't attached properly or a paper jam.
But if your printer shows "Offline," it could be because of a problem with your printer driver or software. This can depend on how old your printer is or if you've installed updates or not.
This printer offline to online troubleshooting can be used with HP, Brother, Epson, Canon, and many other types of printers.
How to get my printer online
Check on the printer and cables
Make sure that both ends of the USB cable are securely plugged in.
If the printer is connected to a network, make sure the Ethernet cable is in tightly.
If the printer is wireless, check your internet connection or make sure it is connected to your router.
If you're connected by cable, try plugging the other end of the printer cable into more than one port or socket on your device.
Try a different cable to make sure that the problem isn't just with the cable.
If you're on a network or using a wireless device, you can easily make sure your printer is working by connecting a cable to your computer or device.
Manually put the printer back online
- Go to the Start button in the lower left corner of your screen, then choose Control Panel and then Devices and Printers.
- Select "See what's printing" by right-clicking the printer in question.
- From the menu bar at the top of the new window, choose "Printer."
- From the drop-down menu, choose "Use Printer Online."
Cancel all pending printing tasks
- From the "See what's printing" menu, which we already talked about, right-click on any print jobs and click "Cancel."
- Select "Use Printer Online" again after the print jobs have been removed.
- If there are still any unfinished print jobs, try restarting both your PC and printer.
Take Your Printer Off and Put It Back On
- In Devices and Printers, right-click the printer and choose "Remove device."
- Select Add a Printer from the Devices and Printers menu to add the printer again.
Remove Printer Packages and Drivers
- Make sure you use Windows as an administrator or log in as one.
- In the search bar, type CMD.
- Type "printui /s /t2" with the spaces to open the Print Server Properties window. The command prompt must be open.
- Now, get rid of the Driver and Package for the printer in question.
- You can now add your printer again by going to Devices and Printers and clicking on "Add a Printer."
Now, your printer should show that it is online and let you keep printing. If not, there may be a problem with the printer's electronics. You could also talk to the printer's manufacturer or a printer technician for more help.
Always find out how much it will cost to fix a printer error. In some cases, it may be cheaper to buy a new printer than to fix and maintain the old one.
You can get your printer back online in another way.
Here are the steps to take:
- To try to connect your printer to the Internet. Click "Settings" and then "Printers." Select "Use Printer Online" when you right-click on the printer.
- Check to see if any print jobs are waiting and clear them. Double-click on the printer you want to use.
- Select "Cancel All Documents" from the "Printer Menu."
- If there was a printer jam or job, the printer might give an error message and stop working.
- To get the printer back online, try printing again. Try printing a test page to see if the problem is still there.
- Find the printer and turn it off by turning the switch to "printer off." Then turn it back on.
- Check to see if there is a jam in the printer, which could cause an error.
- Check all the wired and wireless network connections to make sure they all work. Start up the machine or device again.
If that didn't work, you need to reinstall your printer's drivers
- Go to "Settings," then "Printers," and choose the printerto reinstall the drivers.
- Click "Properties" after right-clicking on the printer.
- Look for the driver button under "General" or "Details,"click it, and then choose the driver again.
- You may also need to get the driver from the website of the printer's maker.
- Set up the printer again. Go back and choose the printer under "Printers" in the "Settings" menu.
- Delete the printer from the menu and reinstall it using the "Add printer" wizard.
- Use the most recent printer driver from the website of the printer's maker.
If that STILL didn't work, you can try these simple steps:
1. Click "Start," then choose "Devices and Printers" from the list of folders.
Or, in the search bar, type "Devices and Printers."
Or, you can type "Printers" to get to the menu of settings.
2. Right-click on the printer icon. It may be part of the name of the device or the name of the printer. Check your device if you're unsure.
Click the option that says "See What's Printing."
3. Or, click the printer's icon on the left and choose "Manage Device."
4. In the window that opens, click the "Printer" menu and uncheck "Use Printer Offline." Then, your printer will print whatever is in the print queue.
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