You hit print on a document, the spooler whirs for a second, and then nothing reaches the paper tray on your Brother MFC-J1010DW. Whether the screen shows an error, the job seems to vanish, or the printer simply sits there ignoring you, the cause is almost always one of a handful of common snags: a stuck queue, a dropped Wi-Fi connection, a cartridge that needs attention, or a driver that lost track of the machine. The good news is that this all-in-one is a straightforward cartridge inkjet on a 2.4 GHz network, so the fixes are predictable. Work through the steps below in order, starting with the quickest and safest checks before moving to anything that resets your settings.
Start With the Screen and a Power Cycle
Before changing anything, look at the printer's LCD. Brother's network troubleshooting guidance says to first check whether the display is showing an error message, and to turn the machine off and back on. A simple power cycle clears many temporary states that block printing.
Confirm the printer is powered on, free of error messages, and connected to the same network as the computer or phone you are printing from. If your jobs are traveling over Wi-Fi, placement matters too. Brother advises positioning the machine as close to your wireless router as possible, with minimal obstructions and away from interference sources such as other wireless devices, Bluetooth gadgets, microwaves, and cordless phones.
Clear the Queue and Take Windows Off Offline or Paused
On a Windows PC, a single stuck job or an accidental "Use Printer Offline" setting will silently swallow everything you send. This is one of the most common reasons a perfectly healthy printer appears dead.
- 1.Right-click your Brother machine icon and choose "Set as default printer", making sure it has a checkmark.
- 2.Right-click the icon again and choose "See what's printing", then open the "Printer" menu and select "Cancel All Documents". If that option is grayed out, click "Open As Administrator" and enter your password, then try again.
- 3.Back under the "Printer" menu, remove the checkmark from "Use Printer Offline" and from "Pause Printing" (on Windows 10 or earlier).
With the queue empty and the offline and pause flags cleared, send a single test page and see whether it prints.
Check the Ink Cartridges Are Seated and Not Empty
The MFC-J1010DW uses individual Black, Yellow, Cyan, and Magenta ink cartridges (the LC401 standard and LC401XL high-capacity series) that are separate from the print head assembly. If a cartridge is empty, missing, or not clicked fully into place, the machine can refuse to print or produce no usable output.
Open the printer and check each cartridge. Brother's printing-problems guidance lists replacing cartridges that have reached end of life, and using genuine Brother ink, as fixes when the machine produces no printout or poor output. Reseat any cartridge the machine flags, and replace any that are exhausted. The standard set is LC401BK, LC401Y, LC401C, and LC401M; the high-capacity equivalents are LC401XLBK, LC401XLY, LC401XLC, and LC401XLM.
Get the Printer Back Onto Your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
This model's wireless radio is 802.11b/g/n, which means it operates on the 2.4 GHz band only and does not support 5 GHz. If your network recently changed, or the printer is trying to reach a 5 GHz-only SSID, it will fall off the network and stop receiving jobs.
Brother's wireless guideline notes that the machine may not support a 5 GHz network name, so set your wireless access point or router to 2.4 GHz, or to a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz mixed mode. Once your router is broadcasting a band the printer can use, reconnect from the control panel.
- 1.Press Menu and use the arrow keys to select [Find Wi-Fi Network], then press OK.
- 2.When [Enable WLAN?] appears, confirm it.
- 3.Select your SSID from the list and press OK.
- 4.Enter your Network Key if prompted, then press OK.
- 5.Wait for the LCD to show [Connected].
Reboot the Router, Then Retry the Wireless Setup
If the printer still cannot reach the network, the fault may sit with the router rather than the printer. Brother's network difficulty guidance recommends turning your wireless router off and back on, then trying the wireless settings again, and also turning the Brother machine off and back on.
While you are at it, confirm you are selecting the correct SSID and entering the correct Network Key. If the connection still fails, run the Find Wi-Fi Network wireless setup once more from the control panel after both devices have fully restarted.
On a Mac, Remove the Printer and Add It Back
If you print from a Mac and jobs stall, the cleanest fix is to delete the printer entry and re-add it so macOS rebuilds the connection with the correct driver.
On macOS 13 or later, go to Apple menu > System Settings > Printers & Scanners, select your Brother machine, and choose Remove Printer. Then choose Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax, select your Brother machine, pick your model from the Use pop-up menu, and click Add. On macOS 12 or earlier, the same steps live under System Preferences using the + icon.
After re-adding it, make sure the printer is set as the default and delete any leftover jobs in the queue. If the full software package is not available for your version of macOS, Brother recommends using Apple AirPrint, which prints driver-free from a Mac, iPhone, or iPad on the same Wi-Fi network.
Reinstall the Brother Driver or Print From Your Phone
A corrupted or outdated driver can leave your computer talking to the wrong device. Download and install the current Full Driver and Software Package from the model's Downloads page on Brother's official support site so the correct driver is selected for your operating system.
For printing from a phone or tablet, install Brother Mobile Connect, the official companion app that is free on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. Your mobile device must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the printer, or you can connect through Wi-Fi Direct. Brother iPrint&Scan remains available as a legacy desktop and mobile fallback if you prefer it.
Reset Only the Network Settings to Factory Default
If Wi-Fi still refuses to connect after the steps above, reset the network configuration alone before touching anything else. This clears stale wireless credentials and IP information without disturbing your other machine settings.
- 1.Press Settings and select [Network], then press OK.
- 2.Select [Network Reset] and press OK.
- 3.Press the right-arrow key for two seconds to confirm.
The machine restarts, and all network settings (including the password and IP address) return to factory defaults. Brother's reset overview describes this as restoring the print server to factory defaults. Once it reboots, run the Find Wi-Fi Network wireless setup again to reconnect.
Perform a Full Factory Reset as a Last Resort
When nothing else restores printing, you can return the entire machine to its factory condition. Treat this as a final step, because it undoes your configuration. Brother notes that faxes stored in the machine's memory may be deleted by a reset, so transfer any stored faxes you need before you begin.
- 1.Press Settings and select [Initial Setup], then press OK.
- 2.Select [Reset] and press OK.
- 3.Select the reset option you want, such as [All Settings], then press OK.
- 4.Press the right-arrow key for two seconds to confirm.
The machine restarts. According to Brother's reset overview, [All Settings] returns all machine settings to the factory original and is the option recommended before disposal, while [Machine Reset] resets only the settings you have changed. If the printer still will not print after a full reset, contact Brother support for further help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Brother MFC-J1010DW work on a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network?
No. Its wireless is 802.11b/g/n, which is 2.4 GHz only, with no 5 GHz support. Brother advises setting your router to 2.4 GHz or to a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz mixed mode so the printer can connect.
Which ink cartridges does this printer use?
It uses individual Black, Yellow, Cyan, and Magenta cartridges that are separate from the print head. The standard cartridges are the LC401 series (LC401BK, LC401Y, LC401C, LC401M), and the high-capacity versions are the LC401XL series (LC401XLBK, LC401XLY, LC401XLC, LC401XLM).
How do I clear a stuck print job on Windows?
Right-click the Brother machine icon, choose "See what's printing", open the "Printer" menu, and select "Cancel All Documents". If that option is grayed out, click "Open As Administrator" and enter your password first, then cancel the documents.
Will a network reset delete my documents or faxes?
A network reset only restores the print server's wired and wireless settings, including the password and IP address, to factory defaults. A full reset such as [All Settings] is different and may delete faxes stored in the machine's memory, so transfer any you need before performing one.
Can I print without installing Brother's driver software?
Yes. This printer supports Apple AirPrint for driver-free printing from an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac on the same Wi-Fi network. You can also use the free Brother Mobile Connect app on iOS, iPadOS, or Android when your device is on the same network or connected via Wi-Fi Direct.
