Printer Not Printing on Windows (But Not Offline): Fixes

Printer in error state   -> a problem with the printer itself (paper, ink, cover, jam)
Offline                  -> a separate problem, covered in the offline guide
Ready / Idle             -> Windows can reach the printer; look at the queue, spooler, app and driver

Why it happens

Microsoft's guide to printer connection and printing problems and its linked pages document these causes when a printer is reachable but does not print:

• Jobs are stuck in the queue. Microsoft's stuck queue page covers the case where documents "are stuck in the print queue and aren't printing", or where new jobs "do not proceed due to stuck tasks".
• The Print Spooler has crashed. According to Microsoft's spooler page, the spooler "manages all print jobs in Windows 11, and when it fails, documents stay stuck in the queue and the printer becomes unresponsive". The same page says that "Conflicting drivers are a common cause of spooler crashes."
• The app is printing somewhere else. Microsoft's page on printing problems in Word, Excel or other apps notes that "Apps can default to a different or unavailable printer", and that Print to PDF or Print to file being selected stops a job from reaching paper.
• The printer reports a fault. Microsoft's general guide says that if the status displays "Printer in error state," there may be a problem with the printer itself, and lists low paper or ink, an open cover and a paper jam.
• The driver is wrong or out of date. Microsoft says outdated or incompatible drivers may cause printer issues. Epson's Nothing Prints page adds that you should use the Epson driver for your product, or the available functions are limited, and that the printer port setting must match the port the printer is actually connected to.

How to fix it

Try to print after each step, and stop once it works.

1. Run the printer troubleshooter. On Windows 11, Microsoft's first step is the automated printer troubleshooter in the Get Help app, which runs diagnostics and attempts to fix most printer problems.

2. Read the printer's status. Go to:

   Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners
   

   Select your printer. If the status is Offline, follow the offline guide instead, because the job cannot reach the printer at all. If it says Printer in error state, look at the printer's own display or lights: Brother's cannot print FAQ says to check whether the machine is showing an error and, if so, to look it up in the troubleshooting section for your model. Microsoft's checks are low paper or ink, an open cover and a paper jam. Follow your printer manual for clearing a jam.

3. Cancel every job in the queue. In Printers & scanners, select your printer, then select Open print queue. Right-click each job and select Cancel, or, as Brother describes for Windows 11, use the menu button and select Cancel all.

4. Restart the Print Spooler. Press Windows key + R, type the command below and press Enter:

   services.msc
   

   Scroll down to Print Spooler, right-click it and select Restart.

5. If jobs will not cancel, clear the spool folder. Microsoft says to use this when cancelling does not clear the queue:

   1. In Services, right-click Print Spooler and select Stop.

   2. Open File Explorer, go to the folder below and delete all the files in it:

      C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
      

   3. Back in Services, right-click Print Spooler and select Start. Microsoft's general guide also sets Startup type to Automatic in the service's properties.

6. Make sure the job goes to the right printer. In the app, select File > Print and check that your printer is selected and its status shows Ready, not Print to PDF or Print to file. To make it the default, open Printers & scanners, select the printer and select Set as default. If that button is missing, the Let Windows manage my default printer option may be on; turn it off first.

7. Print a test page from Windows. In Printers & scanners, select the printer, then Printer properties, and on the General tab select Print Test Page. Microsoft says that if the test page does not print, you should troubleshoot the printer or driver before looking at the app.

8. Update or reinstall the driver. Open Device Manager, expand Printers (or Print queues), right-click your printer and select Update driver. If no update is available, select Uninstall device and restart, and Windows will attempt to reinstall it. Microsoft's spooler page also tells you to uninstall old or duplicate printer drivers and install the latest driver for your model from the manufacturer's website.

9. Remove and re-add the printer. In Printers & scanners, select the printer, select Remove, then Yes. With the printer on and connected, select Add device (or Refresh) and add it again. If it is not listed, select Add manually.

10. Restart the printer and the PC. Microsoft's stuck queue page says: turn off the printer, wait at least 60 seconds, turn it back on, then restart the PC with Start > Power > Restart.

It prints from Notepad but not from Word or Excel

If Windows prints but one app does not, the problem is in that app. Microsoft's steps: print from a different app such as Notepad or Paint, and print a different file from the same app. If those work, check the page size, orientation and the pages to print setting in the app. For Microsoft 365, go to Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select Microsoft 365, then Advanced options, and run Quick Repair; if the problem continues, run Online Repair. Brother gives the same advice: confirm its driver is selected in the app's Print window, and if another app prints, the issue lies in the app you were using.

Large jobs or many jobs at once never print

Epson notes that in Windows, the product may not print if a large number of print jobs are sent, and suggests selecting Print directly to the printer on the Advanced tab of the printer properties. This option is described by Epson for its own printers; check whether your printer's properties offer it before changing anything else.

Check that it worked

• The queue for your printer is empty, or a new job moves through it and disappears.
• Print Test Page under Printer properties produces a page.
• The printer's status in Printers & scanners no longer shows Printer in error state.
• Printing from the app you started with now works, not only from Notepad.

If nothing prints even after a driver reinstall, Microsoft recommends checking the manufacturer's website for troubleshooting information or driver updates for your exact model. When the status flips to Offline instead, the printer offline guide covers the network, port and IP address checks that this page leaves out. A Wi-Fi printer depends on the PC's own connection too: if the PC cannot get online, start with Wi-Fi not working on Windows 11. If the printer only fails after a Windows update, the Windows Update failed to install guide covers the update side.