16 Best Ways To Change Printer Status From Offline To Online

Your printer was working fine earlier. But now it has gone offline or does not display the list of available printers. Sometimes, a printer will appear offline if the system cannot establish communication with the device. 

This could happen because of the outdated printer drivers, loose cable connections, problems with essential system services, etc. Don’t worry. We got you. We have covered 15 solutions to change printer status from offline to online. 

Solutions to Change the Printer Status From Offline To Online

1. Check the Printer’s Network or Cable Connection
2. Check the Printer’s Status Light
3. Disable the Printer Offline Mode
4. Reboot the System
5. Update the Firmware of your Printer
6. Run the Printer Troubleshooter
7. Troubleshooting the Printer’s Software
8. Restart the Printer Spooler
9. Changing the Windows Function Discovery Series
10. Remove and Reinstall the Printer
11. Install the New Windows Updates
12. Restart the Printer
13. Remove the Pending Print Jobs
14. Add a Second Printer
15. Update the Drivers Related to the Printer
16. Clearing the Print Queues

Solutions to Change Printer Status From Offline to Online

1. Check the Printer’s Network or Cable Connection

Before checking the PC’s settings, ensure the printer is correctly plugged in with the power outlet. If you are using a wireless printer, check whether the PC and printer are on the same network. Sometimes the printer goes into sleep mode within a few minutes of inactivity. 

If it goes to sleep mode, it will appear offline on your PC. To wake it up, press the printer’s power button. Wait for a few seconds and check whether the printer status has turned online or not. Also, ensure that the cable connecting the printer to the router or computer has been fitted correctly in the appropriate port. 

If the issue persists, switch the printer to a different port on your router or computer. If you are using a wireless printer, reboot your printer. Reconnect the printer to the network. 

2. Check the Printer’s Status Light

One of the easiest ways to tell whether the printer is offline is by checking the light status. If the wifi light on the printer is red, then there’s some problem with the wifi connection. It could also tell other issues like jammed paper in the cassette or firmware update failure. 

Refer to the manufacturer’s website or the printer’s manual to know more about its status light. 

3. Disable the Printer Offline Mode

Follow the steps provided below to disable the offline printer mode.

• Open the Settings app on your PC or laptop.

• Click on Devices.

• Click on Printers and Scanners.

• In that section, select the affected printer.
• Click on Open Queue.
• In the menu bar, select printer. Make sure that the printer’s offline mode is unchecked.  

4. Reboot the System

Sometimes a temporary file glitch on your PC or laptop can cause the problem. In this case, disconnect or unplug the printer. Now, shut down the system and turn it on again. Reconnect the printer. 

5. Update the Firmware of your Printer

If there’s a malfunction with the printer’s firmware, it will cause this problem. If this is the root cause of the problem, install the latest version of the printer firmware. You can download it directly from the printer via the manufacturer’s website or the printer software. 

6. Run the Printer Troubleshooter

Running the printer troubleshooter can help you to solve this issue. This is a built-in tool. It finds and fixes printer-related problems on your devices. Follow the steps provided below to run the printer troubleshooter. 

• Open the Settings app on your PC or laptop and click the Update and Security option.

• Click on Troubleshooter and select additional troubleshooters.

• Click on Printer.
• Select run the troubleshooter option.

This will check the spooler service of your printer and examine the printer’s network configuration. This will also run other troubleshooting checks. If it finds any problem with the affected printer, it will provide solutions. 

7. Troubleshooting the Printer’s Software

Most printer brands have dedicated software that solves printer-related issues. For example, the HP printer has a print and scan doctor tool. This finds all the problems related to HP printers on your devices. 

You can contact your printer’s manufacturer and find out if there’s an app associated with your printer or not. You can also visit the supports or downloads section of the printer manufacturer’s website to download the related software. 

8. Restart the Print Spooler

It is an essential component that executes the printer jobs. If the print spooler service is not running, your printer will appear offline. Go to the windows service manager section and make sure everything is fine. 

• Click on Windows + R Key on your Keyboard.
• The run dialog box will open. Type services.msc and click Ok.

• It will launch the windows service manager window. 
• From the list of services, click the print spooler option.

• Click on the Restart option. It will stop the process and restart it. If the restart process is greyed out on the context menu, the print spooler wasn’t running. 
• Click on the Start button. It will launch the service. 
• Double click on the print spooler service and change the startup type to automatic.
• Click on Apply and click on Ok.

After performing the above steps, check whether your printer works fine or not. 

9. Changing the Windows Function Discovery Series

If your printer uses WSD technology, make sure the windows function discovery series runs appropriately on your PC or laptop. Follow the steps provided below to change the windows function discovery series.

• Click on Windows + R Key on your keyboard.
• Type services.msc and click on Ok.

• Click on function discovery provider host and function discovery resource publication.

• Double click on function discovery provider.
• Start the service. Change the startup type to automatic.
• Click on Apply and Ok.
• You have to repeat the same steps for function discovery resource publication.

10. Remove and Reinstall the Printer

Sometimes the best solution is to remove and reinstall the printer. Unplug the printer or disconnect it from your PC or laptop and follow the below steps.

• Open the Settings app on your PC or laptop and click on the Devices option.
• Click on Printers and Scanners. Select the printer that causes the problem. Click on remove device. 
• Click on the Yes option to proceed.
• Now, restart your printer. Plug in the printer cable. If you use a wireless printer, connect it to a Wi-Fi or router network.
• Click on add a printer or scanner option.
• Follow the onscreen instructions provided on the next page. 

11. Install the New Windows Updates

Installing the latest windows update could solve this issue. Follow the instructions provided below to install the latest windows update.

• Open the Settings app on your PC or laptop and click on the update and security option.
• Click on Windows update. 

• Select the check for updates option. It will search for the latest windows updates. 
• If it shows any updates pending, update that.

12. Restart the Printer

If nothing has worked, shut down your system. Wait for two or three minutes and turn it on. Simultaneously unplug the printer from the power source. Could you wait for a few minutes and turn it on? 

13. Remove the Pending Print Jobs

Follow the steps provided below to remove the pending print jobs. 

• Right-click on see what’s printing menu and click cancel if any print jobs are present. 
• Click on use printer online when all the pending print jobs are removed.
• If any suborn print jobs exist, restart the printer and PC. 

14. Add a Second Printer

Set a manual IP address for your printer. Now, add a port on your PC to match them. You can find the IP address in your printer manual. You can get the IP address from the manufacturer’s website if you don’t have the manual. Follow the steps provided below to add a second printer. 

• Click on the Windows logo and l Key on your keyboard simultaneously. 
• Click on the devices option.
• Click on the devices and printers option. You can reach this via settings as well. 
• Right-click on your printer and click on printer properties. 
• Select the port tab at the top.
• Click on add port.
• Select the standard TCP/ IP port and click on the new port.
• In the next window, click on the Next option. 
• Type the printer’s IP address and click Next.

It will add the second printer. 

15. Update the Drivers Related to the Printer

Sometimes the missing or outdated drivers can cause the offline status on your printer. To solve this issue, you should first verify whether the drivers in your laptop or PC are up to date or not. If they are not updated, then update those drivers.

Two methods are available for searching for the latest version of your drivers. You can manually search for it from the manufacturer, download it, and install it on the computer. But this takes time and requires a lot of computer skills. If you are confident with your computer skills, go ahead with this method.

The second method is done using the Device Manager.

• Right-click on the Windows icon and click on Device Manager. You can also reach it from the control panel.
• Click on the search icon and search for the control panel. Once the control panel window opens, click on Device Manager. 
• Expand the Display adapters section. It will display the installed drivers. Right-click on the driver and click on the Update driver. 
• You can update it either by existing updates or search automatically for updates. 

16. Clearing the Print Queues

Sometimes a clogged print queue can cause many issues. Follow the instructions provided below to clear the print queues.

• Click on the Windows logo icon and l key. It will open the Settings app.
• Click on devices and click on the printers & scanners option.
• Select the printer and click the open queue. 
• On the top toolbar area, go-to printer.
• Click on cancel all documents. 

Conclusion

I hope the above methods would have given you the solution to change the printer status from offline to online. Try to implement the solution individually and find where the problem exists. We are confident that one of these solutions would solve your problem. 

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