Your printer was working fine before. But now it has gone offline or does not display the list of available printers. Sometimes the printer appears offline if the system is unable to communicate with the device.
This can be due to outdated printer drivers, loose cable connections, problems with basic system services, etc. Don’t worry. We got you. We looked at 15 solutions to change printer status from offline to online.
Solutions for Changing Printer Status from Offline to Online
- Check the printer’s network or cable connection.
- Check the printer status light
- Disable printer offline
- Reboot the system
- Update your printer’s firmware
- Run the printer troubleshooter
- Troubleshooting printer software
- Restart the print spooler
- Changing the Windows Feature Detection Series
- Uninstall and reinstall the printer
- Install new Windows updates
- Restart the printer
- Delete pending print jobs
- Add a second printer
- Update printer related drivers
- Clearing print queues
Solutions for Changing Printer Status from Offline to Online
1. Check the printer’s network or cable connection.
Before checking PC settings, make sure the printer is properly connected to an electrical outlet. If you are using a wireless printer, check if the PC and the printer are on the same network. Sometimes the printer enters sleep mode after a few minutes of inactivity.
If it goes to sleep, it will appear offline on your PC. To wake him up, press the printer’s power button. Wait a few seconds and check if the printer has gone online or not. Also make sure that the cable connecting the printer to the router or computer is properly connected to the appropriate port.
If the problem persists, switch the printer to a different port on your router or computer. If you are using a wireless printer, please restart the printer. Reconnect the printer to the network.
2. Check the printer status light.
One of the easiest ways to find out if the printer is offline is to check the status of the light. If the Wi-Fi light on the printer is red, then there is a problem with the Wi-Fi connection. It may also indicate other problems such as a paper jam in the cassette or a firmware update failure.
Refer to the manufacturer’s website or the printer’s manual for more information about the status light.
3. Disable printer offline.
Follow the steps below to disable printer offline mode.
- Open the Settings app on your PC or laptop.
- Click Devices.
- Click Printers & Scanners.
- In this section, select the affected printer.
- Click “Open Queue”.
- Select your printer from the menu bar. Make sure the printer is offline.
4. Reboot the system
Sometimes the problem can occur due to a temporary file failure on your PC or laptop. In this case, turn off or unplug the printer. Now turn off the system and turn it back on. Reconnect the printer.
5. Update your printer firmware.
This issue may be caused by a printer firmware issue. If this is the root cause of the problem, install the latest printer firmware. You can download it directly from the printer through the manufacturer’s website or the printer software.
6. Run the printer troubleshooter.
Running the Printer Troubleshooter may help you resolve this issue. This is a built in tool. It finds and fixes printer related issues on your devices. Follow the steps below to run the printer troubleshooter.
- Open the Settings app on your PC or laptop and click on Update & Security.
- Click Troubleshoot and select additional troubleshooters.
- Click Printer.
- Select the option to run the troubleshooter.
This will check your printer’s print spooler service and check the network configuration of the printer. This will also run other troubleshooting checks. If it finds any problem with the affected printer, it will suggest solutions.
7. Troubleshoot printer software
Most printer manufacturers have special software that solves printer-related problems. For example, an HP printer has a print and scan tool. This finds all issues related to HP printers on your devices.
You can contact your printer manufacturer and see if there is an application associated with your printer or not. You can also visit the support or download section of the printer manufacturer’s website to download the appropriate software.
8. Restart the print spooler.
It is an important component that performs printer jobs. If the print spooler service is not running, your printer will appear offline. Go to the Windows Services Manager section and make sure everything is in order.
- Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard.
- The launch dialog box will open. Enter
services.mscand click OK.
- This will launch the Windows Service Manager window.
- In the list of services, select the Print Spooler option.
- Click on the “Restart”option. This will stop the process and restart it. If the restart process is greyed out in the context menu, the print spooler is not running.
- Click the “Start”button. It will start the service.
- Double-click the print spooler service and change the startup type to automatic.
- Click Apply and click OK.
After completing the above steps, check if your printer is working normally.
9. Change Windows Feature Detection Series
If your printer uses WSD technology, make sure the Windows Feature Detection Series is working properly on your PC or laptop. Follow the steps below to change the Windows feature detection series.
- Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard.
- Enter
services.mscand click OK. - Click on the Feature Discovery Provider node and Feature Discovery Resource Publication.
- Double-click the feature discovery provider.
- Start the service. Change the startup type to automatic.
- Click “Apply”and “OK”.
- You must repeat the same steps to publish a feature discovery resource.
10. Uninstall and reinstall the printer
Sometimes the best solution is to uninstall and reinstall the printer. Unplug the printer from the network or disconnect it from the PC or laptop, and follow these steps.
- Open the Settings app on your PC or laptop and click Devices.
- Click Printers & Scanners. Select the printer that is causing the problem. Click Remove Device.
- Click on the “Yes”button to continue.
- Now restart the printer. Connect the printer cable. If you are using a wireless printer, connect it to a Wi-Fi network or router.
- Click Add Printer or Scanner.
- Follow the on-screen instructions on the next page.
11. Install new Windows updates
Installing the latest Windows update may resolve this issue. Follow the instructions below to install the latest Windows update.
- Open the Settings app on your PC or laptop and click on Update & Security.
- Click on Windows update.
- Select the option to check for updates. It will look for the latest Windows updates.
- If it shows any pending updates, update them.
12. Restart the printer
If all else fails, turn off the system. Wait two or three minutes and turn it on. At the same time, unplug the printer from the power source. Could you wait a few minutes and turn it on?
13. Delete pending print jobs
Follow the instructions below to delete pending print jobs.
- Right-click the menu to see what’s printing and click Cancel if there are any print jobs.
- Click Use Printer Online when all pending print jobs are cleared.
- If there are any secondary print jobs, restart the printer and PC.
14. Add a second printer
Set manually the IP address for your printer. Now add a port to your computer to match them. The IP address can be found in the printer’s manual. You can get the IP address from the manufacturer’s website if you don’t have the manual. Follow the instructions below to add a second printer.
- Press the Windows logo and the l key on your keyboard at the same time.
- Click on the devices option.
- Click on the “Devices and Printers”option. You can also achieve this through settings.
- Right click on your printer and select printer properties.
- Select the port tab at the top.
- Click on add port.
- Select a standard TCP/IP port and click a new port.
- In the next window, click the “Next”button.
- Enter the printer’s IP address and click Next.
This will add a second printer.
15. Update printer related drivers.
Sometimes missing or outdated drivers can cause your printer to shut down. To fix this problem, you must first check if the drivers on your laptop or PC are up to date. If they are not up to date, then update these drivers.
Two methods are available to find the latest version of your drivers. You can manually find it from the manufacturer, download and install it on your computer. But it takes time and requires a lot of computer skills. If you are confident in your computer skills, use this method.
The second way is done using Device Manager.
- Right-click the Windows icon and select Device Manager. You can also get to it from the control panel.
- Click on the search icon and search for Control Panel. When the Control Panel window opens, click Device Manager.
- Expand the Display Adapters section. It will show the installed drivers. Right-click the driver and select Update Driver.
- You can either update it with existing updates or automatically search for updates.
16. Clear print queues
Sometimes a clogged print queue can cause a lot of problems. Follow the instructions below to clear the print queues.
- Click the Windows logo icon and press l. The Settings app will open.
- Click on Devices and click on the Printers and Scanners option.
- Select a printer and click on an open queue.
- In the top area of the toolbar, navigate to the printer.
- Click Cancel All Documents.
Conclusion
I hope the methods above have given you the solution to change the printer status from offline to online. Try to implement the solution individually and find where the problem exists. We are sure that one of these solutions will solve your problem.
FAQ
Why does my HP printer say it’s offline?
This can happen if the printer cannot communicate with the PC or laptop. Follow Solution 7 in this article and troubleshoot the printer software. This might fix the issue.
How to change printer status from offline to online?
You can change the printer status by checking the printer’s network or cable connection, restarting the printer, turning off the printer offline, updating printer-related drivers, installing the latest software updates, and troubleshooting printer software.
Why is my printer offline but connected to Wi-Fi?
This may be caused by an error between the device and the printer. This is due to a disconnected cable or a paper jam. Sometimes it also indicates a problem in your software or driver.
How to change Epson printer status from offline to online?
You can change the status of your Epson printer from offline to online by turning off the printer’s offline mode. You can complete this method by following Solution 3 in this article.