Troubleshooting printer offline issue: Common fixes

I often think of printers as a necessary evil of the modern world. You need them around in an office or home office environment, but they generally boast of a primitive, unintuitive UI, there are running costs to consider, not to mention the exorbitant price of ink, and lastly the fact that troubleshooting any issues can be unnecessarily complicated.

There’s not much we can do about most of the above, but if your printer is giving you connectivity issues and stubbornly refusing to connect to your PC or network, here are some tips that can help:

1. Is your printer running?

This might seem obvious, but it’s a step we often miss out on. If the printer isn’t being detected, it’s quite likely that it’s simply not powered. Check that the power cables are plugged in and that the switch is turned on. If the printer isn’t powering on regardless, you should first try a different socket, then a different cable, or lastly, assume that your printer is damaged and get it serviced.

2. Try turning it off and on again

Another basic but essential step, this. Reboot your printer, PC, and your network at least once and try reconnecting to the printer. Networking is a complex subject and issues often get resolved with a simple reset.

ALSO READ: Inkjet vs Laser: How to choose the right printer for you

Once everything is reset, check again to see if your printer is connected. You might also want to check your printer’s status lights if it has them. If your printer has a display, you should be able to check network connectivity status on that as well.

3. Are your PC and printer on the same network?

This can be a problem when you have multiple networks in your home. Ensure that your PC and printer are on the same network to ensure that they can talk to each other. Sometimes your PC or printer might switch to another network after a power outage, for example. If your printer has the option, delete other network profiles from it to make sure that the printer connects to the right network by default.

ALSO READ: How to find the IP address of a printer

Another issue that can pop up with mesh networks in particular is that the printer and PC are on different channels and are somehow not able to communicate with each other. A network reset should help. If you’re on a wired network, check to ensure that the network cable is working properly.

4. Uninstall and reinstall printer drivers

If your printer shows that it’s connected to the network but is not being detected by your PC, try uninstalling and reinstalling printer drivers. You can do this in Windows by right clicking on the Start Menu > Device Manager > Printers. If your printer is listed here, right click on the printer icon and select ‘Uninstall device’. 

Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the driver, then head to the printer manufacturer’s website to download the latest drivers for your printer. Additionally, if you see an exclamation mark on the printer icon in Device Manager, it’s possible that there is a software issue. In this case as well, uninstalling and reinstalling your printer driver should help.

ALSO READ: Printing made easy: How to connect a printer to your laptop

These quick tips should get most printers online again. If you’re still having trouble connecting to your printer, you might be facing a deeper issue with either your printer or PC, and we’d recommend contacting the printer maker’s service centre to get the issue resolved. If your printer’s warranty has expired, you will be charged a service fee.