Independent printer help. Not affiliated with any printer manufacturer.

Quick fix

Turn the printer off, unplug it for 30 seconds and plug it back in, then restart your computer. Print a test page. On Windows, open the print queue and make sure Use Printer Offline and Pause Printing are not ticked.

Didn’t work? Go to the full steps

You might see

  • The printer is listed as Offline in Windows or macOS settings
  • Jobs sit in the queue with a status such as Offline or Printer not connected
  • The printer works for other devices but not for yours
  • It went offline after a restart, an update or a power cut

Usually caused by

  • Printer asleep or disconnected from Wi-Fi
  • Printer given a new IP address by the router
  • Queue paused or set to Use Printer Offline
  • Computer on a different network, guest Wi-Fi or a VPN
  • Unreliable WSD port or a stuck Print Spooler on Windows

Step-by-step fix

Work through the steps in order and check each one off. Most people are printing again before the last step.

Windows 11 / 10

0 of 5 steps tried

  1. Check and restart the printer

    Clear any error on the printer's screen, such as a jam or empty cartridge, and check it's on the same Wi-Fi network as your PC. Turn it off, unplug it for 30 seconds, plug it back in, then restart the PC.

  2. Turn off offline mode

    Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners (Windows 10: Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners), select the printer and choose Open print queue. Cancel old jobs, and if there's a Printer menu, untick Use Printer Offline and Pause Printing.

  3. Restart the Print Spooler

    Select Start, type cmd, choose Run as administrator and run the command below. Both parts should report success; then try printing again.

    net stop spooler && net start spooler
  4. Check the port address

    Note the IP address on the printer's network configuration page. On the printer's page, open Printer properties > Ports; if the ticked port shows an old address, click Configure Port and enter the new one.

  5. Replace a WSD port

    If the ticked port starts with WSD, click Add Port > Standard TCP/IP Port > New Port, enter the IP address and tick the new port. If it then prints but still says offline, untick SNMP Status Enabled under Configure Port.

Common questions

Why does my printer say offline when it is turned on?

Offline means your computer can't reach the printer, not that the printer is off. Usually it dropped off Wi-Fi, changed IP address, or the queue was paused.

Will reinstalling the printer delete anything?

No. Removing and re-adding a printer only removes its entry and any waiting jobs on your computer. Your documents aren't affected.

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