“My printer will not print”
Printer not working? Let us get it printing
Offline. Driver unavailable. Stuck in queue. Printers fail in a small number of ways, and almost all of them are fixable from your screen without anyone touching the printer but you.
How to recognize it
- The printer shows Offline although it is switched on
- It stopped printing after a Windows or macOS update
- It prints from one computer or phone but not another
- Jobs sit in the queue and nothing comes out
- It disappeared after you changed the router or the Wi-Fi password
- Scanning to the computer stopped working
What you can try yourself first
- Turn both off, then on, in orderSwitch off the printer and the computer. Turn the printer on first, wait until it is quiet, then start the computer. This clears more printer problems than anything else.
- Check the printer is on your Wi-FiMost printers can print a network report from their own menu. If it shows no network name or a different one from your computer, the printer needs to be joined to the Wi-Fi again.
- Clear the queueWindows: Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Printers and scanners, choose the printer, Open print queue, cancel everything. One stuck job blocks all the others.
- Remove the printer and add it againIn the same settings page choose Remove, restart the computer, then Add device. The computer rebuilds the connection from scratch.
- Try a USB cable onceIf it prints over USB, the printer itself is healthy and the problem is the network. That is useful to know before calling anyone.
When to stop and call us
- It worked until an update and no setting brings it back
- The printer joins Wi-Fi and drops off again every few days
- Several people in an office share it and only some can print
- You need scanning to email or to a folder set up properly
How a remote session fixes it
The technician checks how your computer is talking to the printer, installs the manufacturer's current driver in place of the generic one, fixes the port or address the printer is reached on and prints a test page with you. For printers that keep dropping off, we look at the router side as well.
You stay near the printer for the few things that need hands: pressing a button, reading a code from its screen, loading paper. Everything else happens over the session.
Questions
Can you fix a printer remotely?
Yes, when the problem is drivers, settings, Wi-Fi or the print queue, which is most of the time. A paper jam, a worn roller or a dead print head is hardware, and we will tell you if that is what it is.
My printer stopped working after a Windows 11 update. Why?
Updates sometimes replace a printer's driver with a generic one or reset its port. Removing the printer and installing the manufacturer's current driver usually settles it.
Do you set up new printers?
Yes. Wireless setup, printing from phones and tablets, scanning to a computer or email. One session is normally enough for a home printer.
Related problems
Help with this across Colorado
Remote sessions work anywhere with an internet connection. On-site visits are for business clients, by appointment.
Still reading? Just call.
(720) 222-0110Mon–Fri 8 AM–6 PM Mountain. For emergencies, call or buy a session any time and we answer as fast as we can.