Printer says offline? A practical checklist

"Offline" means Windows cannot reach the printer, not that the printer is broken. These steps start with the simplest causes and work up to the more involved ones.

1. Check the printer itself

   Make sure the printer is switched on and not in sleep mode. Look at its screen or lights for an error such as a paper jam, an open cover or an empty cartridge, and deal with that first. Some printers go offline until an error is cleared.

2. Check the connection

   • USB printers: unplug the cable at both ends and plug it back in firmly. Try a different USB port on the PC, and avoid USB hubs while testing.
   • Wi-Fi or network printers: use the printer's own screen or network report to confirm it is connected to the same network as your PC. Printers often lose their connection after a new router is installed or the Wi-Fi password is changed.

3. Make sure the right printer is selected

   Open Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners. Look for duplicates such as "Printer name (Copy 1)". The copy may be the one that works, while the original points to an old connection.

   Select the printer you want to use and choose Set as default. If that option is missing, turn off Let Windows manage my default printer first.

4. Clear stuck print jobs

   One stuck document can block everything behind it. In Printers & scanners, select your printer, then Open print queue. Cancel any job that is stuck or shows an error, then try printing again.

   If jobs refuse to cancel: restarting the PC usually clears them. Advanced users can restart the Print Spooler service instead, but a restart is simpler and safer.

5. Restart everything, in order

   Turn off the printer. For a network printer, also restart your router and wait until its lights show a normal connection. Then turn the printer back on, wait until it is ready, and restart the PC last.

6. Run the Windows troubleshooter

   Windows 11 includes a printer troubleshooter. Depending on your version, it is under Settings, then System, then Troubleshoot, or in the Get Help app (search for "printer troubleshooter"). It checks the spooler, the driver and the connection for you.

7. Reinstall the printer driver

   If nothing else has worked, remove the printer from Printers & scanners and add it again. If Windows cannot find a working driver, download the current one from the printer manufacturer's official support website. Search for your exact model number, which is usually printed on a label on the printer.

   Be wary of sites offering "driver updater" tools. Use the manufacturer's own site instead.