Printer Offline on Windows 11: How to Get It Printing Again

Offline

Why it happens

Microsoft's page on offline printer problems covers the case where "the printer appears as Offline even though it is powered on and connected". HP's printer offline page gives the underlying reason: you see the error when your device "can't communicate with your printer". The documented causes, and the fix for each, are:

• The PC and the printer are not on the same network. Microsoft notes that if you use wireless access points, extenders or several routers with separate SSIDs, your PC must be connected to the same network as the printer.
• Jobs are stuck in the queue. Both Microsoft and Brother tell you to cancel every pending job; Microsoft notes that clearing stuck jobs helps the spooler restart cleanly.
• The Print Spooler service has stopped responding. Microsoft's spooler page describes the spooler as the service that "manages all print jobs in Windows 11". When it fails, documents stay in the queue and the printer becomes unresponsive.
• The printer port points at an old IP address. Brother's network offline guide says to find the machine's current IP address and create a Standard TCP/IP port for it. If the printer has picked up a new address, Windows keeps sending jobs to the old one.
• The driver is outdated or there are duplicates. Microsoft says conflicting drivers are "a common cause of spooler crashes" and tells you to remove old or duplicate drivers.

How to fix it

Work through these in order and try to print after each one.

1. Run the printer troubleshooter. On Windows 11, Microsoft's first step is the automated printer troubleshooter in the Get Help app, which "will automatically run diagnostics and attempt to fix most printer problems". If it does not solve the problem, carry on below.

2. Restart the printer. Turn the printer off and unplug it, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in and turn it on. Microsoft notes that power-cycling the printer can clear the fault on its own. HP's offline steps also restart the device you print from and your internet router.

3. Check the connection.

   • USB printer: make sure the USB cable is firmly connected at both ends. Brother also suggests connecting directly to the computer rather than through a hub.
   • Wi-Fi printer: make sure the printer's wireless option is turned on, and run the printer's wireless connectivity test if its menu has one. Then confirm the printer and the PC are on the same network. Microsoft points out that wireless access points, extenders and multiple routers with separate SSIDs can leave the two on different networks.

4. Set it as the default printer. Go to:

   Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners
   

   Select your printer, then select Set as default. If that button is missing, turn off Let Windows manage my default printer first, as Microsoft explains.

5. Clear the print queue. In the same Printers & scanners page, select your printer, then select Open print queue. Select the ... (ellipsis) and choose Cancel all. You can also right-click each job and select Cancel until the list is empty.

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

   services.msc
   

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

7. If jobs still will not clear, empty the spooler folder. Microsoft's connection troubleshooting page gives this sequence:

   1. In Services, double-click Print Spooler, select Stop, then OK.

   2. In the taskbar search box, enter the path below, open the folder, and delete all the files inside it:

      %WINDIR%\system32\spool\PRINTERS
      

   3. Back in Services, double-click Print Spooler, select Start, set Startup type to Automatic, then select OK.

8. Update or reinstall the driver. Microsoft says most printers need the latest driver to work well. To remove old or duplicate drivers, open Device Manager, expand Print queues or Printers, and uninstall any you do not need. Then install the current 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. Make sure the printer is on and connected, then select Add device next to Add a printer or scanner. If Windows does not list it, select Add manually and follow the options shown.

10. Restart the PC. Microsoft notes that a restart can refresh the services and components Windows needs to talk to the printer.

When the printer's IP address has changed

A network printer that worked yesterday and is Offline today may simply have a new IP address. Brother's guidance for this case (written for Windows Vista and 7; the port dialogs are the same):

1. Print the printer's network configuration report, using the printer's own menu or its manual, to see its current IP address.
2. In Windows 11, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer, then select Printer properties.
3. Open the Ports tab, select the printer's network port and select Configure Port... to see which address the port uses.
4. If they differ, select Add Port..., choose Standard TCP/IP Port and select New Port.... The Add Standard TCP/IP Printer Port Wizard opens. Select Next, enter the IP address from the report, then select Next and Finish. If Windows says the port name already exists, Brother suggests a name such as Brother_[your machine's IP address].
5. Make sure the new port is listed and ticked. Select Configure Port..., set Protocol to Raw and select OK.

To stop the address from changing again, Brother tells you to switch the printer's Boot Method (IP Config) from AUTO to STATIC, using the printer's control panel under the LAN or Network > TCP/IP menu. The menu names on other brands differ, so look up the equivalent setting in your printer's manual.

Use Printer Offline is ticked (Windows 10 and earlier)

On Windows 10 and earlier, the queue window has a manual switch. Brother's Offline or Paused guide says to right-click the printer, choose See what's printing, open the Printer menu and remove the tick from Use Printer Offline. If the option is greyed out, select Open As Administrator first. The same menu has Pause Printing, which you should also untick if the printer shows as Paused. Brother says this step "is available until Windows 10", and its Windows 11 instructions move straight to the next check.

A second copy of the printer is listed

Brother documents a variant where Windows lists the same printer twice, for example Brother [model name] (Copy 1). A copy appears when you connect the printer to a different USB port or install the same driver more than once, and some copies may not work. On Windows 11, turn on only the printer you want to use, open Printers & scanners and select each entry in turn. The one whose status reads Idle has a working driver, so print to that one. You can rename it under Printer properties and set it as the default.

Check that it worked

• In Printers & scanners, select the printer. Its status should no longer read Offline.
• Open the printer's queue. It should be empty, or your new job should move through and disappear.
• Print a test page from the printer's settings. Microsoft suggests this as the way to confirm the printer is working after a reinstall.
• If you changed the port, restart the printer and print once more to confirm the new port still works.

If the status keeps returning to Offline after all of this, go to the manufacturer's support pages for your exact model, which Microsoft also recommends for troubleshooting information and driver updates. HP, for example, offers a Diagnose & Fix tool in its HP app for Windows (Windows 10 or later). Other guides on this site: Steam disk write error (library folder and download cache), Disney+ error code 83 (unsupported device or weak connection) and Roblox error code 279 (game server unreachable).