1. Check the basics
Make sure the printer is on and its screen shows no error. Unplug the power cable and the cable to your computer, then plug them back in. Check that there is paper in the tray and no jam. When ink or toner runs out, many printers stop printing completely. Switch the printer off, wait 30 seconds, and switch it on again. This simple move works more often than you would expect.
2. Clear the print queue
One stuck document blocks everything behind it. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select your printer and click "Open print queue". Right-click each document and choose "Cancel". If a document will not disappear, move on to the next step.
3. Restart the Print Spooler
Press Windows key + R, type services.msc and press Enter. Find "Print Spooler" in the list, right-click it and choose "Restart". If a job is still stuck, choose "Stop", delete the files inside C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS (the files, not the folder), then "Start" the service again. The queue should now be empty.
4. Check the default printer and "offline" status
In Printers & scanners, select your printer and click "Set as default". In Windows 11, turn off "Let Windows manage my default printer" first if it is on. In the queue window, open the "Printer" menu and untick "Use Printer Offline" if it is ticked. Sometimes nothing comes out because "Microsoft Print to PDF" is selected by mistake. Check the printer name in the print dialog.
5. Check the IP address of a Wi-Fi printer
A wireless printer can get a new IP address after the router restarts. Your computer keeps printing to the old address, so the printer looks offline. Find the current IP address on the printer's screen or on its network settings page. Then remove the printer and add it again: Printers & scanners > "Add device". If it is not found, choose "The printer that I want isn't listed" and enter the address by hand. The computer and printer must be on the same Wi-Fi network. For a lasting fix, you can reserve a fixed IP address for the printer in your router.
6. Reinstall the driver
Remove the printer with "Remove" in Printers & scanners. Then press Windows key + R, type printui /s /t2 and remove the driver package for your printer from the list that opens. Restart the computer and add the printer again. Windows downloads the driver for most models by itself. If it does not, get the right driver for your model from the maker's official site (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother).
Warning: do not install files from unfamiliar sites that promise a "free printer driver". They often carry adware or malware. Get drivers only from Windows Update or the printer maker's own website.
7. Try another USB cable and port
Plug a USB printer into a different USB port. If you can, use a port directly on the computer, not a hub. Replace the cable if it is worn or longer than about 3 metres. When the printer appears on a new port, Windows detects it again, and the problem sometimes clears on its own.
8. Run the Windows troubleshooter
Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and click "Run" next to "Printer". The tool checks the spooler service and the driver, and it usually fixes what it finds. If nothing helps after all these steps, the printer itself may have a hardware fault.
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