It’s a common frustration: your printer is on, connected to your network, but stubbornly displays as “Offline” on your computer. This issue can halt your workflow and leave you wondering what’s gone wrong. If you’re facing this problem, especially with an ARM-based PC, you’re not alone. Many users encounter this, particularly after using printer manufacturer installers. Fortunately, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to get your printer back online and printing smoothly.
Initial Troubleshooting Steps
Before diving into more technical solutions, let’s start with some quick and easy checks that often resolve the “printer offline” issue.
Power Cycle Your Printer
Sometimes, the simplest solution is the most effective. Power cycling your printer can refresh its connection and clear temporary glitches.
- Turn off your printer: Locate the power button and switch it off.
- Unplug the power cord: Disconnect the power cord from the back of the printer.
- Wait 30 seconds: This allows any residual power to dissipate.
- Plug the power cord back in: Reconnect the power cord to the printer.
- Turn your printer back on: Switch the printer back on using the power button.
After restarting, check your computer to see if the printer status has changed from “Offline” to “Online”.
Verify Wi-Fi Connection
If you’re using a wireless printer, ensuring it’s properly connected to your Wi-Fi network is crucial.
- Check the printer’s display: Many printers have a built-in menu that displays Wi-Fi connection status. Look for Wi-Fi symbols or network settings in the printer’s menu.
- Consult the printer manual: If you’re unsure how to check the Wi-Fi connection through the printer’s menu, refer to your printer’s manual for specific instructions.
- Ensure correct network: Verify that the printer is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
A stable Wi-Fi connection is essential for wireless printing. If the connection is weak or dropped, it can cause the printer to appear offline.
Windows Troubleshooter: A First Line of Defense
Windows has built-in troubleshooters that can automatically diagnose and fix common printer problems. Running the printer troubleshooter is a quick way to identify and resolve the issue.
Using the Get Help App Troubleshooter
For Windows 10 and Windows 11 users, the Get Help app provides a dedicated printer troubleshooter.
- Open the Get Help app: Search for “Get Help” in the Windows search bar and open the app.
- Describe your problem: Type “printer offline” or “printer troubleshooting” in the Get Help window.
- Run the troubleshooter: The app should offer a printer troubleshooter. Follow the on-screen instructions to run the diagnostics.
The troubleshooter will automatically attempt to identify and fix common printer issues, including connectivity problems and driver errors.
Advanced Troubleshooting Steps
If the basic steps and the troubleshooter haven’t resolved the “printer offline” issue, you can try these more advanced troubleshooting methods.
Set Your Printer as Default
Sometimes, Windows might not be directing print jobs to the correct printer, especially if you have multiple printers installed. Setting your printer as the default ensures that applications automatically use it for printing.
- Open Printers & scanners settings: Press Windows key + I to open Settings, then go to Bluetooth & devices and select Printers & scanners.
- Select your printer: Find your printer in the list of installed printers.
- Set as default: Click on your printer and select “Set as default”.
If the “Set as default” option is not available, check if “Let Windows manage my default printer” is enabled. If it is, you’ll need to turn it off to manually set a default printer.
Clear the Print Queue
A backlog of print jobs stuck in the queue can sometimes cause a printer to appear offline. Clearing the print queue can resolve this issue.
- Open Print Queue: Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Select your printer and click “Open print queue”.
- Cancel all documents: If there are documents listed in the queue, click “…” (ellipsis) and select “Cancel all”.
Clearing the queue removes any pending print jobs that might be causing conflicts.
Restart the Print Spooler Service
The Print Spooler service is responsible for managing print jobs on your Windows system. Restarting this service can often fix printer communication problems.
- Open Services: Type “services” in the Windows search bar and select the “Services” app.
- Locate Print Spooler: Scroll down the list of services and find “Print Spooler”.
- Restart the service: Right-click on “Print Spooler” and select “Restart”.
Restarting the Print Spooler service can resolve issues related to print job processing and printer status detection.
Reinstall Your Printer
If none of the above steps work, removing and reinstalling your printer can be a more drastic but effective solution. This process ensures you have a fresh driver installation and can resolve deeper software conflicts.
Remove your printer:
- Open Printers & scanners settings: Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Select your printer: Choose the printer you want to uninstall.
- Remove the printer: Click “Remove” and confirm by selecting “Yes”.
Reinstall your printer:
- Open Printers & scanners settings: Go back to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Add a printer or scanner: Click “Add device” next to “Add a printer or scanner”.
- Follow instructions: Windows will scan for available printers. Select your printer from the list and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Ensure your printer is turned on and connected during this process.
Reinstalling the printer provides a clean slate and can eliminate driver-related issues causing the “offline” status.
Restart Your PC
As a final step, restarting your computer can refresh system services and components, potentially resolving any underlying issues that are preventing your computer from communicating correctly with the printer. A simple reboot can often clear up temporary software glitches.
Conclusion
Seeing your printer marked as “Offline” when it’s clearly connected can be perplexing. However, by systematically working through these troubleshooting steps, from basic power cycling to reinstalling your printer, you should be able to identify and resolve the issue. In most cases, one of these solutions will bring your printer back online and ready to print. Remember to check your printer’s connection, utilize the Windows troubleshooters, and systematically try each step to pinpoint the fix for your “Printer Says Offline But Is Connected” problem.
