Printers on Windows 10 can have offline and online status. I was surprised to see this because everyone wants their printer to be available and ready to print. You should know that when a printer disconnects, it does not mean that it has been deleted. It could disconnect due to an error during printing or a problem with the driver. The Windows operating system can set the printer status to be offline if there is a problem. In this article, I will show how you can change the state of the printer online or restore the printer to online state.
Is the printer offline? Change the state of the printer online
There is an advantage to taking a printer offline. No one can abuse it and if you have children at home who continue to print casually, you can block access. You may have forgotten to turn it off. So let's fix it:
- Restart the printer and check the connectivity
- Change printer status
- Run printer troubleshooting
- Remove and add a printer
- Network printer troubleshooting.
Make sure to check the condition after trying each of them.
1) Restart the printer and check the connectivity
If the printer has been online for a while, it could be in an idle state. Certainly you shouldn't take the printer offline but you never know. Try switching off, waiting for about 1 minute, then checking to see if that has fixed the problem
Then check out this essential tip. Make sure the printer is connected to a power source, that it is turned on, and that it is connected to the computer. This is one of the reasons why you can see it offline and sometimes offline. Be sure to check and correct this first.
2) Change the state of the printer
- Open Windows settings (Win + 1)
- Go to Devices> Printers and scanners
- Select the printer whose status you want to change, then click Open Queue
- In the Print Queue window, click Offline Printer. It will display a message saying: "This action will take the printer offline online. "
- Confirm and the printer status will be set to online.
You may need to empty the print queue before you can change the status. If this is the case, it may be due to the fact that a print job encountered a problem and chose to take it offline. While this corrects most cases, if not, follow the other tips for restoring the printer online.
3) Run printer troubleshooting
As part of the Windows internal troubleshooting package, the printer troubleshooter can help resolve driver, connectivity issues, restart printer related services, etc.
- Go to Settings> Update & security> Troubleshooting
- Select Printer Troubleshooter and run it
- This should help you to fix the offline state of the printer.
4) Remove and add a printer
If nothing else works, it is best to remove the printer from the system and add it again. This is a simple process which can also include downloading the driver and the OEM application.
- Unplug the printer from the computer
- Go to Devices> Printers and scanners
- Select the printer you want to delete> click on Remove device
- Reconnect the printer and Windows should add it again and also install the driver.
- Reinstalling will restore the printer to online status
If it does not appear, click on Add a printer or scanner and click on the link "The printer I want is not listed. »You can then add it manually.
Related: How to connect a wireless printer to a Windows 10 PC
5) Network printer troubleshooting
If you have a network printer, it will show up offline if the computer is unable to reach it. If the printer is running from another computer and not from your computer, it's time to resolve network issues. It could also be a firewall problem, but it would mean that someone intentionally blocked it. If you don't know more than what you need to work on the computer, I suggest you find someone who can help you solve the problems.
I hope one of these tips has helped you to change the state of the printer online or Restore the printer to online state.