You hit print on an important document, and your Canon PIXMA TR8620a just sits there marked "offline" while the page never comes out. The printer looks powered on, maybe the touchscreen even lights up, yet your computer refuses to send the job. This is one of the most common headaches with wireless all-in-ones, and the good news is that it is almost always a connection or software hiccup rather than a hardware failure. The fixes below start with the quickest, safest steps and work toward the official reset and support path, so you can stop at the first one that brings your printer back.
Start With a Clean Power Cycle on Both Devices
Most offline states trace back to a brief wireless interruption between the printer and your router, and restarting both devices is Canon's recommended first move. A power cycle clears the temporary network state without changing any of your settings, which makes it the lowest-risk thing you can try.
- 1.Press the printer's ON button to turn it off.
- 2.Wait about 10 seconds.
- 3.Press ON to turn the printer back on.
- 4.If your router or access point has a power button, power it off, wait about 10 seconds, then power it back on.
Let both the printer and the router fully restart before you try printing again. Rushing this step is the most common reason it appears not to work, since the router needs time to finish booting and reissue the network connection.
Clear the "Use Printer Offline" Flag in Windows
Windows has a setting that can manually mark a printer as offline, and once it is checked your computer will hold every job back even when the printer is perfectly healthy. This is worth checking early because it takes seconds and fixes a surprising number of cases.
- 1.Open the print queue, right-click the Canon TR8620a, and choose 'See what's printing'.
- 2.Open the 'Printer' menu.
- 3.Confirm 'Use Printer Offline' is NOT checked. If there is a check mark next to it, click it to remove it.
While you are in the queue, clear any stuck jobs that may be piled up. A single jammed document at the front of the line can stall everything queued behind it.
Make the TR8620a Your Default Printer in Windows
If Windows is quietly sending jobs to a different or disconnected device, your real printer will look idle while the work disappears into the wrong queue. Setting the TR8620a as the default keeps every print job pointed at the right machine.
- 1.Open Control Panel, then Devices and Printers.
- 2.Right-click the Canon TR8620a.
- 3.Select 'Set as Default Printer'.
A green check mark appears on the printer icon to confirm it is now the default. From here on, applications that print without asking which device to use will route to the TR8620a automatically.
Confirm You Are on a 2.4 GHz Network, Not 5 GHz
This is one of the most overlooked causes of an offline TR8620a. Per Canon's official specifications, this model connects only on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN, 2.4 GHz, IEEE 802.11b/g/n) and cannot join a 5 GHz band at all. If your phone or computer is on the 5 GHz network and the printer is on 2.4 GHz, or the printer cannot find a 2.4 GHz network, they will not see each other.
Make sure the printer and the device you print from are both reachable on the same 2.4 GHz network. On many modern mesh or band-steering routers, the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands share one network name, so you may need to temporarily separate the bands or select a dedicated 2.4 GHz network name so the printer has something it can join.
Rejoin Wi-Fi Directly From the Printer's Touchscreen
If the printer has dropped off the network entirely, you can reconnect it by hand from its own display. This is the cleanest way to get it back on the correct 2.4 GHz network after a router change or password update.
- 1.From the HOME screen, tap the network symbol at the lower-left corner.
- 2.Tap 'Wi-Fi setup'.
- 3.Tap 'Manual connect'.
- 4.Select your network name (SSID).
- 5.Enter the Wi-Fi password to rejoin the network.
Choosing the network manually lets you confirm you are selecting the 2.4 GHz network name rather than letting the printer guess, which matters on routers that broadcast both bands.
Adjust Router Security if You Run WPA3 or a Mesh System
If your router, including many mesh systems, is set to WPA3 only, the printer can struggle to join and will show as offline even though everything else on your network works fine. Canon documents that a WPA3-only network can block the connection and that the router should be set to a WPA3 and WPA2 mixed mode.
In your router's wireless security settings, switch the encryption to WPA3/WPA2 mixed (transition) mode. This keeps the stronger WPA3 protection for devices that support it while still allowing the TR8620a to connect. A WPA3-only network can leave the printer unable to join, so the mixed mode is the setting that lets it back on.
Let Canon's Diagnostic Tool Repair the Connection
Canon provides an official network diagnostic utility on Windows that can both check and repair the printer's network status, which often resolves an offline state that manual steps miss. It checks the connection between your PC and the TR8620a and fixes mismatches automatically.
On Windows, run Canon's network diagnostic utility and let it diagnose and repair the network status. While you are at it, install the latest print driver and scanning software for the TR8620a from the official Canon support site, so an outdated driver is not the thing keeping the printer offline.
Reset the Printing System on a Mac and Re-Add the Printer
On macOS, a corrupted printer entry can leave the TR8620a stuck offline no matter how healthy the network is. Resetting the printing system wipes the stored printer configuration so you can add a fresh, working entry.
- 1.Open the Apple menu, then System Preferences (or System Settings), then Printers & Scanners.
- 2.Control-click the printer list and choose 'Reset printing system'.
- 3.Confirm the action.
Be aware that this removes all installed printers, not just the Canon, so anything else you print to will need to be added back too. After the reset, click + to add the Canon TR8620a again and let macOS rebuild the connection.
Verify the Connection With the Canon PRINT App
Canon's free mobile app gives you a quick way to confirm whether the printer is reachable at all, independent of your computer. If the app can see it, you know the printer is on the network and the problem is on the computer side.
Install Canon PRINT (free; iOS 16.0 or later, Android 7.0 or later; formerly named 'Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY') on a phone or tablet that is on the same 2.4 GHz network as the printer. Use it to set up or re-establish the printer connection, check ink levels, and confirm the TR8620a is reachable.
Run a Network Reset, Then Contact Canon if It Persists
When nothing above clears the offline status, resetting the printer's network settings gives you a clean slate. Start with the network-only option so you do not wipe more than you need to.
- 1.Go to Setup, then Device settings.
- 2.Scroll to the bottom and select 'Reset settings'.
- 3.Choose 'LAN settings only' to clear just the network. Choose 'Reset all' only if you want a full factory reset, and note that 'Reset all' deletes all fax documents stored in the printer's memory.
- 4.Select OK, then select Yes to confirm, then select OK.
After the reset, run wireless setup again from the touchscreen to put the printer back on your 2.4 GHz network. If it still shows offline after that, contact Canon support for hands-on help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Canon PIXMA TR8620a keep going offline on Wi-Fi?
The most frequent cause is a network mismatch. This model connects only on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and cannot use 5 GHz, so if your router steers it to the wrong band, or if a brief wireless interruption drops the connection, it will show as offline. A power cycle of the printer and router plus confirming the 2.4 GHz network usually restores it.
Will resetting the printer delete my saved faxes?
It depends on which reset you choose. The 'LAN settings only' option clears just the network configuration. The 'Reset all' option performs a full factory reset and deletes all fax documents stored in the printer's memory, so use it only when you intend a complete reset.
Does the TR8620a work with 5 GHz Wi-Fi?
No. According to Canon's official specifications, the TR8620a supports Wireless LAN on 2.4 GHz (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) only and does not support the 5 GHz band. You must connect it to a 2.4 GHz network.
Which app should I use with the TR8620a?
Canon PRINT is the official free companion app. It runs on iOS 16.0 or later and Android 7.0 or later, and it was previously named 'Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY'. It handles printer setup, printing, scanning, checking ink levels, and confirming the printer is reachable on your network.
What should I do if the printer is still offline after every step?
Run the network reset using 'LAN settings only', then complete wireless setup again from the printer's touchscreen. If the offline status persists after that, contact Canon support directly for further help.
