Nothing is more annoying than a printer that doesn’t work just when you want to print something. The message ‘printer is offline’ is a common problem. Whether your Brother printer, Canon printer, Epson printer or HP printer is offline, in this article we discuss all possible solutions, so that you can quickly get back to printing via WIFI.
1 Check if the printer is connected to the same Wi-Fi network
The most obvious solution is that the printer cannot make a good connection to the WiFi network, so that the printer is offline. For example, the printer may be too far away from the router, the network cable is not properly inserted into the printer, or there is something wrong with the WiFi network itself.
The problem could also be that the printer is connected to a different Wi-Fi network than the device you want to print from. Therefore, check the name of the Wi-Fi network to which both devices are connected and see if they match each other.
2 Delete all open print jobs
An open queue of print jobs can sometimes prevent the printer from printing, because it actually wants to print the files in the queue first but has not been able to print in the past. Therefore, always check whether the print job queue is empty:
- Go to the ‘Settings’ app by typing ‘settings’ at the bottom left of the Windows search bar.
- Go to ‘Devices’.
- Then click on ‘Printers and scanners’.
- Select your printer.
- Click on ‘Open Queue’. Here you will see all the documents in the printer queue.
- Select the documents and click ‘Delete’ or right click on the documents and then click ‘Cancel Printing’.
The queue for open print jobs has now been removed. Try printing the desired document(s) again.
3 Restart the ‘Print Spooler’
The so-called ‘Print Spooler’ is a system program that prepares and manages documents to be printed. A solution may be to restart this service:
- Type ‘services’ in the lower left corner of the Windows search bar and click on ‘Services’ in the list.
- In the service app, search for “Print Spooler” or “Print Spooler”.
- Right click on it and choose ‘Restart’.
- Wait a few minutes and try printing the file again.
4 Set the printer as the default printer
Setting the printer as the default printer allows the printer to transition from offline to online.
- Go to ‘Settings’ via the Windows start button or via the search bar (bottom left).
- Then click on ‘Devices’.
- Choose ‘Printers and scanners’.
- Select your printer and click ‘Open Queue’.
- Select the ‘Printer’ option.
- Then make sure the checkmark next to ‘Set as default printer’ is checked. If not, check this one.
5 Make sure that ‘Pause Printing’ and ‘Use Printer Offline’ are unchecked
In the same window as the previous solution, you can uncheck ‘Pause printing’ and ‘Use printer offline’ . If these are already unchecked, you don’t have to do anything.
6 Disconnect the printer from the power
When you disconnect the printer from the power, the printer sees this as a kind of reset. You breathe new life into the printer in this process, as it were, because the printer can no longer ‘think’ when it has no power.
- Turn off the printer.
- Remove the plug from the socket.
- Have a cup of coffee or tea and wait about 10 minutes.
- Plug the power cord back in and turn on the printer.
Now check if the printer is listed as online.
7 Restart the PC
Besides restarting the printer, you can of course also restart the computer. Perhaps the offline printer problem is precisely in the computer, because, for example, printing software or a print job has crashed.
8 Check if there is another problem
When the printer encounters a problem, the printer may go offline. So check the display of the printer to see if there is a message about a possible problem. Common causes that cause the printer to go offline include:
The printer gives an error → Find the error message and find out how to solve it.
The cartridges or toners need to be replaced.
The printheads are dried up and clogged → Clean the printheads.
The printer can no longer connect to the Wi-Fi network → Reconnect the printer to the Wi-Fi network.
There is a problem with the paper → Paper is out or is jammed in the printer.
The printer is not turned on or is in sleep mode → Press the power button.
9 Remove and re-add the printer to your device
If the problem still persists, disconnect the printer from the PC and add the printer again. Removing the printer and re-pairing it with your computer or laptop ensures that the drivers restore themselves.
- From your PC, go to ‘Settings’ via the search bar or Windows start button.
- Click on the ‘Devices’ option.
- Then go to ‘Printers and scanners’ and click on the ‘name of your printer’.
- Click ‘Remove’ to remove the printer from your PC.
- When you receive the message whether you are sure you want to remove the printer, click on ‘Yes’.
- Wait a minute after removing the printer and then click ‘Add a printer or scanner’.
- If all is well, the previously deleted printer will show up. This may take a while. Doesn’t this one come up? Then restart the computer. Then follow the instructions to add the printer to your computer again.
10 Print via the Wifi-Direct function
Did the above solution still not help? Then we have an alternative solution for you where you can connect the printer wirelessly to your device in a different way. Nowadays, many printers offer the option to print with Wifi Direct .
Printers with Wifi Direct give you the option to print wirelessly without the printer having to be connected to a Wifi network. Instead, the printer connects directly to your PC by acting as a WiFi network itself.
