Printer showing offline

Your printer is on but Windows says it's offline and won't print. This is usually a paused queue, a lost connection, or a stale driver — here's how to get it back online.

Updated 1 September 2026 · 29 min read

Why this happens

The printer queue is paused or set to 'Use printer offline'.
The Wi-Fi link has dropped, or the printer has moved to a different network.
A loose or faulty USB cable (for wired printers).
The print spooler service has stalled.
The printer's network settings have been reset (e.g. after a router change).

'Offline' means Windows has lost, or is refusing, the connection to the printer — the printer itself may be perfectly happy. The fix is to restore that link, which usually means un-pausing the queue, checking the physical or Wi-Fi connection, and restarting the print spooler.

Make sure it's not paused

Open the printer's queue: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → your printer → Open print queue. At the top, check that Pause printing is off and Use printer offline is unticked. If either is on, click to turn it off. This is the single most common cause, and it's a one-click fix.

Check the connection

For a Wi-Fi printer: look at the printer's own screen or lights to confirm it's connected to Wi-Fi. If you recently changed your router or network name, the printer has probably forgotten it — re-run its Wi-Fi setup (usually a WPS button or a settings menu). For a wired printer: check the USB or Ethernet cable at both ends, and try a different port or cable.

Restart the print spooler

The spooler is the Windows service that hands jobs to the printer, and it stalls more often than you'd expect. Press Win+R, type services.msc, find Print Spooler, right-click → Restart. Then try printing again. If it was stuck, this will clear it.

Remove and re-add the printer

If it's still offline, remove the printer (Settings → Printers & scanners → your printer → Remove), make sure the connection is solid, then Add printer or scanner and add it back. This rebuilds the driver and connection cleanly.

Power-cycle everything

As a last resort: turn the printer off, turn off the router, wait 30 seconds, bring the router back up, wait a minute, then power the printer on. This re-establishes the network path from scratch and fixes a surprising number of persistent offline states.

If the printer lights are all on and steady but it's still 'offline' in Windows, the problem is almost always the queue setting or the spooler — not the printer hardware.

Step-by-step

1 Un-pause and clear 'Use printer offline'

Open the print queue and switch off Pause printing and Use printer offline.

2 Check the physical or Wi-Fi connection

Confirm the printer is on the right network (Wi-Fi) or that the cable is firm (wired). Re-run Wi-Fi setup if the router changed.

3 Restart the Print Spooler

In services.msc, restart the Print Spooler service and try printing again.

4 Remove and re-add the printer, then power-cycle

Remove the printer, re-add it, and if needed power-cycle the printer and router to rebuild the connection.

Frequently asked questions

The printer says 'offline' but it's clearly on.

'Offline' is a queue status, not a power state. It usually means the computer can't reach the printer. Check the network (Wi-Fi name matches, cable firmly seated), restart the printer and the PC, and re-add it if it drops off the network.

It works on my phone but not the PC.

That points at the PC's network or the print spooler. Restart the Print Spooler service, re-check that the PC and printer are on the same network, and try re-adding the printer. If a phone on the same Wi-Fi sees it, the hardware is fine.

Is re-adding the printer safe — will it wipe my settings?

Re-adding resets the PC-side print settings (paper size, duplex, drivers) but not anything on the printer or your documents. It's a normal, low-risk fix when the printer has dropped off the network.