Printer requires user intervention: what to check
"Printer requires user intervention" (or "your attention") means the printer is waiting for you to do something. Here is how to find and clear it.
What this error means
Windows shows this status, worded "Printer requires your attention" on newer versions, when the printer has paused and is waiting for someone to act. The printer usually tells you what's needed on its own screen or with its lights: load paper, clear a jam, close a door, replace a cartridge, or confirm a prompt. Sometimes the prompt is on the computer instead, in a pop-up from the maker's software.
Common causes
- A prompt on the printer's control panel waiting for confirmation
- Out of paper, paper jam, or the wrong paper size in the tray
- Ink or toner empty, or a cartridge the printer wants you to acknowledge
- An open door or cover
- A hidden message from the manufacturer's software on the computer
How to fix it
Start with the first fix. They’re ordered from safest and quickest to most involved.
Fixes for Windows
0 of 7 steps tried
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Check the printer’s control panel
Look for a message on the printer's display, such as a request to load a specific paper size, confirm the paper type, acknowledge a cartridge, or scan an alignment page. Follow the prompt and press OK. On printers without a screen, check which lights are on or blinking and match the pattern in the manual.
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Look for a message on your computer
The maker's status software may have opened a window behind your other apps or put an icon in the hidden-icons area of the taskbar. Also open the Windows print queue from Printers & scanners > your printer > Open print queue to see the status of the job.
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Check paper, ink and doors
Make sure the tray has paper of the size the job asks for, that no paper is jammed, that every door and cover is fully closed, and that cartridges or toner are seated and not empty. Many printers pause with this status for any of these reasons.
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Make sure the printer isn’t paused
In the print queue window, open the Printer menu and make sure Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline are not ticked. If either is ticked, click it to clear it.
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Cancel and resend the job
In the print queue, choose Printer > Cancel All Documents. Turn the printer off and on, wait until it's ready, then print the document again.
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Restart the Print Spooler
If the status sticks even though the printer is ready, open Command Prompt as administrator and run the command below to refresh the Windows print service.
net stop spooler && net start spooler -
Update or reinstall the driver
If the message keeps appearing with no matching prompt on the printer, the driver may be misreading the printer's status. Download the current driver from the manufacturer's official support site, remove the printer, and add it again.
Did this fix it?
Good. To confirm everything is healthy, print a test page. It takes a minute and shows any quality problems early.
Still stuck? The troubleshooter asks a few questions and narrows it down. If your printer is under warranty, the manufacturer can repair or replace it at no cost. Find their official support site on our brand pages.
Common questions
The printer says Ready. Why does Windows still say it needs attention?
Windows may be holding an old status. Cancel the queued jobs, restart the Print Spooler and power-cycle the printer to make Windows read the status afresh.
Can a non-original cartridge cause this?
It can. Some printers pause and ask you to acknowledge a non-original or refilled cartridge on the control panel before they continue printing.