Detailed guide on how to fix a printer that is offline covers cable, USB, wifi connections, firewall problems and solutions for several brands.
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Is your printer offline and unsure what to do? Do not worry. We have listed various problem solutions for you here for how to fix a printer that is offline. This is sure to be a quick and easy way to fix the problem and use the printer again.
How to fix a printer that is offline – solutions for various manufacturers and operating systems
There are many possible reasons a printer could show up as offline. Here it depends, for example, on the operating system (such as Windows 7 or Windows 8). But the different manufacturers also have their own characteristics – sometimes the printer is suddenly just offline. Even though the printer is connected, it often appears offline – a common problem even for advanced users, so it helps to know how to fix a printer that is offline.
Most of the time, the “printer status offline” can be remedied in a few simple steps. Once this has happened, the printer can be used again. Even if the status cannot be deactivated, the various manufacturers offer tips and tricks that can help solve the problem.
If the printer no longer prints, you shouldn’t despair; instead, you should solve the problem quickly and easily using the various instructions. If, for example, a network printer is always shown offline because the network is on strike and no longer recognizes the printer, you can find advice here.
You can also find solutions below for how to fix a printer that is offline when there are W-Lan problems with printers and the printer status shows as “offline” even though the printer is switched on.
Table of Contents
1. General tips for printer status offline
1.1. Printer offline (USB connection)
1.2. WiFi printer offline
2. Firewall is blocking the printer
2.1. What problems arise when using firewalls?
2.2. How can I tell if the firewall is causing the problem?
2.3. The basic troubleshooting for firewall problems
3. Advanced troubleshooting
4. Printer offline: Listed several times in the device manager
4.1 Mac does not recognize printer
5. Printer is shown as offline – tips for different manufacturers
5.1. HP printer is offline – what to do?
5.2. Brother Printer Offline – What Now?
5.3. Canon printers offline – what to do?
1. How to fix a printer that is offline: general tips
Here you will find general solutions for how to fix a printer that is offline continually. Please also note the information in the relevant manual from your printer manufacturer . The following tips and tricks for changing the printer status back online from offline are only guidelines for the different printers on the market. Often times, the solution to the problem is very simple. In the event of major difficulties, however, you should contact the support of the respective manufacturer .
1.1. Printer offline (USB connection)
If your printer is connected to the computer via USB and is shown as offline, please check the following points
- Test that your printer is turned on and properly connected . Errors with the USB device driver are displayed as a yellow warning symbol in the lower right corner of the system tray. Try to connect the printer to the PC using a different USB port.
- If your printer or multifunction device has switched to energy-saving mode during operation , this can also be a reason for the printer being displayed as offline. Here it helps to restart the printer and reconnect it to the computer as a test.
- If your printer is not allowed by Windows settings , you can simply activate the Windows control panel, switch to “Show devices and printers” and then open a status window with a right-click on the printer that is now displayed. There you will find the menu item “Printer Properties”. Now check the box for “Allow” under the “Security” tab and the printer will no longer be displayed as offline.
- Sometimes it can help the printer driver to reinstall, and add the printer together with the drivers installed again in the system registry. To do this, simply follow the installation instructions in your printer manual. Check for a new, updated driver version on the manufacturer’s website for your printer .
If these general tips do not help, please contact the support of the respective printer manufacturer and check the manual for specific solutions to the error message.
1.2. WiFi printer offline
Network problems are the most common cause of the wireless printer showing as offline. In addition to the general tips above on the page (driver installation, check printer, Windows security problems), you will find brief and concise important tips to be able to use your printer in the WLAN again and to set the printer status to “Online” :
- Make sure your printer is on and check the WiFi LED on your router . Your printer can only be successfully registered and displayed as online if the router is switched on and WiFi is properly activated. The printer must be in the same WiFi network as your computer.
- Enter the password and the IP address of your router again on the printer or in the software . Use the instructions from your manual to correctly register the printer in the WiFi. Your printer can only be registered with the correct password and IP address and is no longer displayed as offline.
- Check the display of your device for possible error codes . Some printers are displayed as offline if there are problems with the printer accessories (toner, drum unit, printer cartridges). Contact your printer manufacturer’s support with the error code.
- Check that there is enough paper in the printer and that there is no paper jam.
- You can display your devices and printers in your printer software or the Windows control panel and rule out general error messages here. Many printers also offer an internal test routine and thus provide detailed error messages.
- Check whether you have activated the WLAN on the laptop .
2. Firewall is blocking the printer
Another potential problem that can cause the printer status to switch to “offline” is the computer’s security software. The respective software sees the printer as a threat and therefore locks it to protect its own network. Depending on the security software, different types can be included that are intended to keep the PC tidy. These include anti-virus, anti-spy, parental controls and of course the famous firewall. One of the biggest problems will be the firewall. This is specially made to block threats from outside the network.
The firewall may prevent the connection between your printer and the network, which means that you cannot use your network printer. In addition to the firewall of your security software, your own operating system also has a firewall that fulfills the same purpose. In either case, you need to be careful not to let your printer go offline.
2.1. What printer problems arise when using firewalls?
- When you install your printer driver , the printer will not be found on the network
- The printing is suddenly no longer possible
- In your folder “Printers” or application “Printer” on a Mac, your printer offline display
- The in-house printing software shows the status “Not connected” , although you have connected the printer to the network
- With a multi-function device, it can happen that certain features can be used while others do not work
2.2. How can I tell if the firewall is causing the problem?
The easiest and fastest way to determine whether your firewall is causing the problem is to temporarily disable your firewall . To do this, call up the start menu, whereupon you go to “Control Panel” and then to “Windows Firewall”. Under the “Turn Windows Firewall on and off” tab, check the box “Deactivate Windows Firewall”. After that, you can try out whether your printer is online and ready to use. If so, do not leave the firewall disabled.
Use the steps above to enable it again and start troubleshooting. If you are not sure whether a firewall is installed on your PC, you can download and install a print and scan doctor for Windows. This program is available for free on the Internet; it helps you to recognize different types of firewall. The “doctor” can also help identify other causes of your printer problems.
2.3. Basic troubleshooting for firewall problems
The following procedures are approaches to solving the most common firewall-related problems. If you have specific questions, continue with the advanced troubleshooting or contact the firewall manufacturer. This can help with the individual printer properties.
- Always keep your security software up to date . As a rule, the firewall and Co. update themselves independently and you do not have to do anything. If this is not the case, update your software.
- If your firewall has various security settings such as high, medium or low, set the setting to “Medium” when you have connected the PC to the network.
- Many firewalls have the “Trust Zone” setting . You can use these when the PC is connected to the printer.
- In some cases the firewall does not display warning messages, which are often important when installing a printer. You should activate the warning messages in the firewall settings and then connect your printer to the Fritz Box. If you get a warning message that offers you the choice between “Allow”, “Allow” or “Unlock”, you must allow the entire process. If the options “ Remember this action” or “Create rule for this warning” are available in your warning , use them. This will prevent future warning messages and the printer will be allowed directly.
- Make sure that your PC does not have multiple firewalls at the same time. These can come from the operating system or from other manufacturers of security software. If you have installed multiple firewalls, this does not make your computer more secure but often leads to problems. Therefore deactivate the desired firewall by clicking the mouse button.
3. Advanced troubleshooting
If the above steps didn’t work, there are other options you can try. Your router will assign an IP address to your printer. The printer’s IP address can change every time you turn it on and off. This can lead to errors that the firewall cannot deal with. Often the printer is not recognized by the network, which is why you should assign your printer an IP address. To do this, you should take the following steps:
- Print the network configuration page and wireless test range from your printer’s menu and make a note of its IP address.
- Compare the address of the printer with the gateway IP address . Both must be the same format.
- Enter the IP address of your printer in the address bar of the Internet browser and press Enter.
- On the web page that appears, select the Network, Wireless, and Ipv4 tabs . Now set an IP for the DHCP range, if you know it. The number cannot be higher than 254. If you don’t know the DHCP range, choose a high IP address such as 250.
- Use the subnet address 255.255.255.0 unless it is different.
- Enter the gateway address and the first DNS field of the IP address of your router. Then click on Apply.
- Then turn off the wireless router and printer.
- Start the router first and then the printer.
4. Printer offline: Listed several times in the device manager
Another problem that results in print jobs not being completed is when the device is listed several times in the computer’s hardware list and the PC can no longer determine which printer should be used. In addition, if the printer is displayed as offline, you must perform the following steps so that it can be used again.
- Completely remove the printer from “Devices and Printers”.
- Then restart the computer.
- Stop all printer services, which can be done using the printer’s button or the start bar.
- Enter the following addition in the search field in the start menu: printui.exe / s / t2 and search for it. Start this service and remove the entire driver package from the printer.
- It should then be possible to manually remove all possible printer objects in the device manager.
- The entire PC will restart after this process.
- Then install the printer manually and try out whether it is no longer displayed offline and can be found several times in the device manager.
Model selection
First select a manufacturer, then a series and finally the model for which you want to find products. Manufacturer e.g. Brother, HP, Canon
4.1 How to fix when Windows sees printer as offline
Incorrect settings in Windows can result in the printer being displayed as offline. It is possible that it is there under the “Use printer offline” mode. Open the control panel and enter “devices” in the search bar. Select “Devices and Printers” from the search results. In the Devices and Printers list, right-click your printer. Click “See What’s Printing” to open the queue. If there is a checkmark next to “Stop printing” or “Use printer offline”, remove them.
4.2 How to fix when a Mac sees printer as offline
Go to the system settings. Then open the menu item “Printers and scanners”. If there are any printing tasks that are not running, delete them. Verify that the printer is reported as paused. If so, log him back on. Of course, it is also possible under Mac to completely reinstall the printer and driver if all measures remain ineffective. To do this, open the “Printers and Scanners” menu under “System Settings”. Right-click to open another menu and confirm the “Reset” function with “OK”. Disconnect the printer from the Mac and then add the printer again with the +.
5. Printer shows as offline – tips for different manufacturers
You can easily find the useful instructions for your printer by selecting the manufacturer and, if necessary, the appropriate operating system.
5.1. HP printer is offline – what to do?
For owners of HP printers whose printers are displayed as offline, HP has created a separate help page. There you will find step-by-step instructions depending on the operating system. Please also note the general solutions on this page, in addition to the specific HP help. HP covers the following guides for different operating systems:
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- Windows 10
- Mac OS X 10.6
- OS X 10.7 and 10.08
5.2. Brother Printer Offline – What Now?
Even Brother offers a help page to its customers when the printer is displayed as offline. Different solutions are available depending on the operating system. In any case, it is recommended to first look on the Brother help page for a suitable solution before contacting support. Our general solutions on this page can also help you to successfully establish the desired printer status.
5.3. Canon printers offline – what to do?
Wifi problems occur frequently with Canon printers. Help is available here to stop your Canon printer from appearing offline. If all else fails, you should contact Canon’s support hotline.
