Printer problems are quite common. If the Printer status shows Offline, this means that it is having trouble communicating with your computer. It could be connectivity problems or a problem with your printer. But, the most likely reason is a missing or corrupt driver for your printer. No matter what the cause, this article will provide you with every solution for changing the status of your printer from offline to online.
How to convert your printer from offline to online
If your Printer status shows offline, it means that the printer is having trouble communicating with your device. printer is showing offline First, let’s check the connectivity between your printer and computer.
Make sure you check the USB cable that connects your printer to your computer or laptop.
You should check the cable that connects your printer to your router if you have a network printer.
You can check again if your computer is connected to the same network. This can be done using the command. Check the status of your printer if you are connected to a VPN network.
You can fix the temporary glitch by restarting your printer and PC.
Clear all print jobs by pressing “cancel all documents on my printer” This will clear your printer’s queue and allow you to restart your machine.
Online printer status change
- Open control panel, then Devices and Printers
- This will show you the installed printer list. Locate the printer that you wish to change online.
- Right-click it and set the default printer
- Right-click again on the printer and select “See what is printing”
Click Printer to open a new window. If you see a tick next to the option Pause Printing or Use Printer Offline, click on it to remove them. This will allow you to change your printer status to offline.
Print port
Also, make sure that the printer is properly configured and uses the correct USB port.
- Open the control panel, then the Devices and Printers section.
- Right-click your printer and select Printer properties
- Navigate to the Ports tab. Make sure the correct port (USB01), is selected
- After making these small changes, make sure the printer is working correctly.
Status of the Print Spooler Service
The print spooler, a software program that manages the printing order of documents, is an important utility. To function properly, the print spooler must be running.
- Click Windows key + R to type services.MSc, and then click OK.
- This will bring up the Windows services console. Scroll down to locate Print Spooler. Check if it is running.
- If it is running correctly, click on print spooler and select restart
- If it is not listed here, this means that the print spooler service has not been started.
- Double-click on the print spooler to open its properties
- You can change the startup type to automatic and then start the service.
- Click Apply to check if your printer’s online.
Run Printer Troubleshooter
The built-in printer troubleshooter will automatically detect and fix driver problems, connectivity issues, and restart printer-related services.
- Look for Troubleshooting in the Start Menu and choose Troubleshoot Settings.
- Click the link for additional troubleshooting (refer to the image below).
- Locate the printer and select it. Click Run the Troubleshooter.
- This will allow you to identify and fix any problems with the printer’s operation.
- After the diagnostic process is completed, restart your printer and PC. This should resolve the offline status of the printer.
Reinstall Printer Driver
To communicate with and work properly, all printers require a printer driver to be installed on your computer. A Faulty or out-of-date printer driver can also cause the printer offline error. Let’s delete the old printer driver and download the most recent driver from the manufacturer’s site.
First, remove your printer driver:
- In the control panel of your computer, open the “Devices and Printers” tab.
- Locate the printer you wish to delete and right-click it.
- When the confirmation dialog appears, click on Yes
- Now, press Windows key + R. Type appwiz.CPL into the search box and click OK.
- This will open the programs and features window. Check if your printer is listed there.
- Right-click the printer driver and choose to uninstall. Follow the on-screen instructions for the complete removal of the printer driver. Once done reboot your PC. hp printer offline
Reinstall printer driver
You can manually download the most current printer driver by visiting the manufacturer’s site and searching for the correct driver.