Why is my Brother Printer offline but shows online in windows 10?
There are many reasons that could make your printer show offline while the windows show Online. You can fix this error without getting any professional help, on your own. Let’s get on to the possible solutions to resolve the brother printer offline error.
How do I get my brother printer back online?
Now, before you start troubleshooting the error, here are a few things that you might want to check:
Check is your printer on or off
- If the printer is not even starting, cross-check that the power supply is consistent and there is no interruption. One possible reason could be an issue in the power supply that makes the screen go blank.
- When the printer is unattended for too long, it goes into sleep mode. Check if the screen on the printer is blank and the brother printer is offline, you need to turn it on again to print documents.
- There could be other different issues like papers stuck in the tray, or the ink is finished. If the screen is on but it’s still showing offline status, you have to check for these possibilities.
Set your printer on default mode
If you have more than one printer connected to Wi-Fi, there is a chance that windows have selected that as the default printer. You need to ensure that Brother printer is the default printer in windows for brother printer offline fix. For doing that:
- Open “Run” by pressing the ‘Windows and R’ keys at the same time on your device.
- Type “Control Panel” and press “OK“
- Click on “Hardware and Sound”.
- Select “Devices and Printers”.
- Search for the Brother printer and ensure that one is checked as the default printer.
Clear all pending printing jobs
Sometimes old unfinished printing commands could be a hurdle in the way of printing new documents. To remove all printing commands, do the following:
- Right-click on the Brother printer’s icon.
- Click on ‘see what’s printing’.
- Click on ‘Cancel all documents’.
If you’re logged out as an administrator, you might have to click on ‘Open as Administrator’, log in with your credentials and then cancel all documents. You will have to do that if the canceling documents option appears in grey and you are not able to click on that.
Check jam printer
If the printer gets jammed for some paper stuck in it, it can show any error like the printer is jam or offline. To check and clear the flow, do the following:
- Turn it off and open the paper tray and take out the paper rollers. If there is any sheet stuck, remove that.
- Either there is paper stuck or not, you need to clean the tray with a moist cloth.
- Wait for it to dry and then put the rollers back in.
- Try printing new documents to check if solves the issue.
The connection between printer and system
- Ensure that the connection between the system and printer is uninterrupted. If you are connected to the printer through Ethernet, then check if it is properly linked to both. Print a network configuration page to help you out if you require an IP address.
- If you are connected through a USB cable, make sure it is connected properly. If you have any doubt, you can connect it directly without the hub.
- In the case of wireless connection, get the IP address through network configuration.
There are very high chances of at least one of these methods working out for you and resolve the Brother printer is offline issue. If none of this works, you might have to troubleshoot the issue and take some other steps which are listed below. These fixes will surely help you get your printer back online.
How to fix brother printer offline?
Following are some troubleshooting methods that will fix the brother printer showing offline error.
Check network connection
Cross-check the printer’s network connection by following these steps:
- Turn the printer off and let it cool down a bit.
- Turn it on after a few minutes and check the connection medium you’re using, either it’s a USB, Ethernet, or wireless connection.
- If you are using a USB cable, make sure that the wires are plugged properly. And also verify that the USB plug of both devices is also working well.
- In the case of Ethernet, make sure that the port is properly linked to the printer and the Wi-Fi router is also on and working fine.
- If the connection is wireless, check if the internet connection is active. Also, verify that your device is connected to the brother printer and not to any other device.
Once you’ve checked and fixed your respective connection, carry out a test print to check if the issue is resolved.
Printing Status
There might be a possibility that the brother printer is not your default printer due to which you are not able to print through that.
Here are the steps to set your printer as default printer:
- Restart the printer and click the ‘Windows + I” key on your device to open the “Settings”.
- Click on “Devices” and then choose “Devices and Printers”.
- From the drop-down menu, click on “see what’s printing”.
- If the brother printer does not have a tick mark on it, right-click on it.
- Choose “Set as default printer” for brother printer.
- Then check its status if it is online or offline. If the printer is offline or paused, uncheck it.
- Try printing something to check if the issue is gone.
Update your printer driver
Maybe your printer’s drivers are outdated or there is an update that you need to install to keep using your printer.
Here are the steps to update your borhter printer:
- Press ‘Start’ on your PC. Open ‘Devices’, click on ‘Printer’.
- Click on ‘Add printer’. In the dialogue box, select ‘Add a printer and choose brother printer.
- Select a printer port from the drop-down menu.
- To install drivers you can choose the CD that comes with the printer itself or go to their website to do so.
- Select the printer and install the compatible drivers.
- When the drivers are successfully installed, click on ‘finish’ and carry out a test print.
FAQs
Here are some commonly asked queries answered for you:
Why is my brother printer offline Windows 10?
It could be due to several reasons. For instance:
- The brother printer is not set as your default printer
- There is an issue with the connection between the printer and the device
- There is some issue with the printer, such as getting too hot, or paper stuck, or low ink level.
How to turn brother printer online?
For quick fixes try checking:
- Connection mediums are proper.
- Wires are plugged properly.
- Brothers printer is your default printer.
- Check the printer for any stuck paper etc.
If the issue persists, try the above-mentioned methods to fix the brother printer offline windows 10 error.
How to fix brother printer offline?
Turn the printer on and open settings. Click on ‘Devices’, then “Printers & Scanners” and select brothers printer. Open the queue and see if the status is Offline. Also, check if it is your default printer. Make both changes and see if the issue resolves. If not, contact Brother Printer Support Center.
Why does my brother’s printer keep going offline?
When the printer is not in working condition, it shows offline. The reasons could be technical default such as power issues, network issues, driver issues, change in the router, etc. Or it could be due to a lower ink level or paper jam in the device.
How to Reset My Printer?
Here’s how to reset brother printer:
- Turn the printer off and press the Menu button and select Go.
- Press the Up or Down button to start the initial Setup and press OK.
- Press any of the Up or Down buttons to select Reset and press OK.
- Select ‘Factory reset’ through the Up or Down button and press OK.
- Press the UP button to select ‘Reset’.
- Press the UP button to restart the printer.
This will reset your printer’s setting to factory settings.
Learn How to Reset Brother Toner?
How to get Brother Printer out Of Sleep Mode?
Here’s how to get brother printer out of sleep mode:
- Press Start and then the Options button.
- The LCD will display ‘Sleep Mode: ON’.
- Change that to OFF by pressing the UP or Down key.
Related Article
- How to Set up Brother Printer to WIFI
- What Is the Brother Printer Default Password?
- How to Fix Brother Printer in Error State
- Why is my Brother printer not connecting to Wifi
- How to Install Brother Printer Without CD
Conclusion
Brother printers are a leading name in the printer market. The company has a very large customer base and providing quality products for many years. But the brother printer showing offline error is a hurdle in the smooth transition of printing important documents and it’s very necessary and easy to resolve it. We hope that the above methods are helpful for you and get you out of this issue.
Followed all steps and still have a problem; can print a document or two then the next one says printer offline. This occurs from my Windows laptop and on my iPhone, also for the two devices my wife has. It is erratic and now making me seriously consider buying a new, non-Brother printer
This happens often for us. Try running the TROUBLESHOOTER, although it does not find any issues it just gets the Brother printer online again. A quick and simple fix for us, even if a pain in the neck.