Printer shows offline
Separate USB from network printing, check whether another device prints and use queue state to choose the next step. An Offline entry does not mean Windows stopped detecting the printer.
Try this first
1 quick checks · ~3 min
Find your situation
See all the clues. Choose the one that matches what you observe.
Diagnostic signals
- ObservationWindows still lists an Offline entry
- This is different from failing to detect the printer. Stay here while the correct entry exists.
- ObservationAnother device can print
- The printer and part of the network work; next compare this PC’s queue and connection.
- ObservationPrints after restarting Print Spooler
- This points toward local queue or service state, without proving a faulty driver.
Step-by-step solutions
Identify the connection and the correct printer
Confirm power and check the printer’s display for an error. In the printing app, choose the entry for the printer you intend to use rather than an old copy. Changing the default fixes the selected destination, not an unreachable printer.
For USB, check a direct cable connection to the PC and the correct printer port. When no printing is active, try a compatible port or known working cable. If it becomes available, the connection was relevant; TCP/IP port changes do not apply to USB.
For Wi-Fi/Ethernet, follow the network comparison. If a server or another PC shares it, check that host is available and ask its administrator; do not replace a shared queue with a direct connection without authorization.
If its name remains in Printers & scanners but says Offline, stay here. Use the printer-not-detected guide only if the entry disappears.
Compare the printer from another device
Check connectivity on the printer’s display or network report. Confirm the PC can access that network; a guest network may be separate. If the printer reports disconnected, fix its connection using manufacturer guidance before reinstalling Windows drivers.
If another phone or PC is already configured, try a short document without private data. If it prints, the printer and part of the network path work: focus the next checks on this PC. If none can print, investigate shared connectivity; this does not automatically mean hardware damage.
If the model has a web interface, obtain its current IP from the printer and check whether it opens from this PC. An identifiable printer page confirms web access, not that the printing protocol works. Failure to open is not proof of disconnection either: the interface may be disabled.
If all clients fail and no operations are running, notify other users, shut the printer down normally, unplug it for 30 seconds and turn it on again. Record improvement that is only temporary; repeated power cycles are not a lasting solution.
Read the queue and troubleshooter result
Select the correct entry and open its queue. If it is empty but still Offline, there are no jobs to cancel: move to the troubleshooter or connection. For a stuck document, the advanced branch lets you cancel it without immediately clearing the entire queue.
- Settings
- Bluetooth & devices
- Printers & scanners
Run the Get Help printer troubleshooter for that entry and review its proposals. If availability returns, try one short document. A connection finding sends you back to USB/network checks; a queue or service finding points to Print Spooler. Keep an inconclusive result rather than treating it as proof of a bad driver.
Advanced checks
Continue if the earlier steps did not help. Read each procedure’s precautions first.
Cancel the stuck job and assess Print Spooler
For a clearly stuck job, cancel that document first with its owner’s permission. Use Cancel all only if everyone affected accepts losing pending jobs. If printing resumes after cancellation, the queue blockage was relevant.
If it continues, open Services from Start, find Print Spooler and choose Restart with authorization. This affects this PC’s printing service; do not restart a shared server yourself.
Try a short document. If it prints, the result points toward local queue/service state, not proof of a printer fault. If the service stops again or jobs cannot be removed, use the Print Spooler or stuck-queue guide before repeating restarts. Do not manually delete service folders.
Review WSD only for a network printer failing on this PC
This branch requires other clients to print, a stable printer IP reachable from this PC, and earlier checks to have failed. It does not apply to USB or a disconnected printer. Do not change ports if those conditions cannot be confirmed.
In Printer properties > Ports, record the selected port. WSD identifies the connection mechanism, not the cause of Offline status. HP documents a Standard TCP/IP workaround for certain LaserJet models and older Windows versions; it is not universal Windows 11 guidance.
If WSD is selected and the conditions hold, have the manufacturer or IT confirm support for your model and Windows before creating or selecting a Standard TCP/IP port with the verified IP. Keep the old port for rollback if it does not help; a changing IP makes this test unreliable.
If an authorized TCP/IP setup restores printing, that points toward the local connection path; it does not prove all WSD ports fail. If it does not help, restore the earlier selection and ask for assistance. Do not disable SNMP or change IP, router settings or policies to force this branch.
Reinstall only the entry when diagnostics justify it
If connectivity works but that entry still fails after queue and troubleshooter checks, record its name, port, model and preferences and confirm how to add it back. Ask IT to handle a managed printer.
With authorization, remove only that printer in Printers & scanners and use Add device to install it again. If a driver is needed, use the official package for the model and Windows; do not remove every print driver.
Try a page. Recovery points toward local configuration; continued Offline status calls for inspection of that connection/model with the recorded result. If the entry disappears, then use printer-not-detected troubleshooting.
Still not working?
Report the connection type, whether other clients print, printer status, port and queue/service results. Ask IT or the manufacturer to investigate that difference. Use printer-not-detected only for a missing entry; stuck jobs and a stopping service have their own guides.
Sources
Documentation behind this guide. Editorial recommendations are identified separately.
- Microsoft SupportOfficialTroubleshooting offline printer problems in Windows
- Microsoft SupportOfficialFix printer connection and printing problems in Windows
- HP SupportOfficialSelected HP LaserJet MFP models: Offline or Print error over a network connection in Windows
Source review: . A documentation review, not a physical hardware test.
Related problems
Printer not detected in Windows
Check whether Windows 11 finds the printer over USB or the network before installing software or changing drivers.
View solutionPrint job stuck in the Windows queue
A queued document is not completing. Identify the job and printer before canceling anything or changing the printing service.
View solutionPrint Spooler service is not running
Check the service that manages print jobs before changing a queue or reinstalling a printer.
View solution