Printer Showing Offline — Quick Fix Guide

The “offline” status in Windows almost never means the printer is broken. It usually means Windows lost track of it.

Fix 1 — Restart Everything First

Before anything else:

  1. Turn the printer fully off (not just sleep — press the power button)
  2. Unplug the USB or ethernet cable (or forget the WiFi connection)
  3. Restart your PC
  4. Plug everything back in and turn the printer on
  5. Wait 30 seconds and check the status

This resolves it about 40% of the time.

Fix 2 — Clear the Print Queue

A stuck print job can freeze the entire printer status.

  1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter
  2. Find Print Spooler → right-click → Stop
  3. Open File Explorer and go to: C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
  4. Delete all files inside that folder (don’t delete the folder itself)
  5. Go back to services → right-click Print Spooler → Start
  6. Try printing again

Fix 3 — Set as Default and Uncheck “Use Printer Offline”

  1. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners
  2. Click your printer → Printer properties
  3. In the Printer menu at the top, make sure Use Printer Offline is unchecked
  4. Also set it as the default printer

Fix 4 — Remove and Re-Add the Printer

If the above doesn’t work, Windows may have a corrupt printer entry.

  1. Go to Settings → Printers & scanners
  2. Click your printer → Remove device
  3. Click Add a printer or scanner
  4. Let Windows detect it and reinstall

If it doesn’t detect automatically, go to the printer manufacturer’s website and download the latest driver.

Network/WiFi Printers

If your printer connects over WiFi:

  • Make sure the printer and PC are on the same WiFi network (not one on 2.4GHz and one on 5GHz)
  • Restart your router as well
  • Print a network configuration page from the printer’s own menu to confirm it has an IP address

Still showing offline?

Hardware faults, damaged USB ports, or failed network cards in the printer can cause persistent offline status. Bring it in and we’ll diagnose it.

Submit a service request →