You send a document to your HP printer and nothing happens. Windows insists the printer is offline or "not connected to the internet," yet your Wi-Fi indicator is lit, your laptop is browsing just fine, and the printer's own screen says it is on the network. Annoying as that is, it almost always means a small communication problem between Windows and the printer, not a dead device. The fixes below run from safest to most involved, so you can stop as soon as your printer starts working again.
Why an "Online" Printer Still Reports as Offline
The "not connected" message usually means one of two things. Windows has quietly switched the printer to an offline state, or a stalled print job or service has frozen the connection. Neither is a hardware failure. A printer can be connected to your Wi-Fi while Windows still won't talk to it, which is why power-cycling and a couple of setting changes fix this more often than anything drastic.
Work through the steps in order. The early fixes change nothing permanent on your PC, so they carry no risk. Save the later ones, such as removing the device or reinstalling drivers, for when the quick options do not work.
Power-Cycle the Printer and Confirm the Network
Start with the move that resets a stalled wireless connection without touching a single PC setting. Make sure the printer is turned on, its wireless option is enabled, and it is joined to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
Turn off your printer and unplug it from power, then wait 30 seconds. While it is off, restart your computer and your router. Then plug the printer back in and turn it on.
Once the printer is back up, run its built-in wireless test from the printer's control panel to confirm it is on the network. If the printer rejoins Wi-Fi and Windows now sees it, you are done. If not, the issue is on the Windows side, so keep going.
Turn Off "Use Printer Offline" in Windows
This is the most common cause of a printer that shows offline while your Wi-Fi works. Windows can switch a printer to offline mode without telling you, even when your Wi-Fi is fine. Clearing that checkbox brings it right back.
On Windows 11, go to Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select your printer, then select Open print queue. On the Printer menu, make sure Use Printer Offline is not selected, and clear it if it is.
On Windows 10, go to Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners, select your printer, select Open queue, then select Printer and clear both Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline if either is selected.
Clear Stuck Jobs From the Print Queue
A single stuck or errored job can make a printer report as offline, so emptying the queue often fixes the connection by itself. Cancel everything that is pending before you try printing again.
On Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select your printer, choose Open print queue, then select the ellipsis (...) and choose Cancel all.
On Windows 10, open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners, select your printer, choose Open queue, then use the Printer menu to clear the pending jobs. With the queue empty, send a fresh test page.
Make Sure Windows Is Sending Jobs to the Right Printer
If Windows is sending your documents to the wrong printer, one that is offline, setting the correct printer as the default fixes it. First, stop Windows from changing the default on its own.
On Windows 11, go to Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Under Printer preferences, turn off Let Windows manage my default printer, then select your printer and choose Set as default.
On Windows 10, go to Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners. Make sure Let Windows manage my default printer is not selected, select your printer, choose Manage, then Set as default. If you see a message that says "Windows will stop managing your default printer for you," select OK.
Let the Built-in Windows Troubleshooter Do the Work
Before you touch any system services, run Microsoft's automated printer troubleshooter. It lives in the Get Help app on both Windows 11 and Windows 10, and it runs diagnostics and tries to fix most printer problems for you.
Open the offline printer troubleshooter directly, or use the general printer connection troubleshooter. Both run automatically and change nothing risky, so run one before you edit anything by hand.
Restart the Print Spooler Service
The Print Spooler is the Windows service that hands print jobs to your printer. If it stops responding, a printer that is actually online can still show as offline. Restarting the service fixes that.
Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter to open Services. Scroll to Print Spooler, right-click it, and select Restart (or Start if Restart is unavailable).
If a job is still stuck after that, clear the spooler folder. This deletes every pending print job, so make sure nothing important is still printing.
- 1.In Services, double-click Print Spooler, select Stop, then OK.
- 2.Open the folder
%WINDIR%\system32\spool\PRINTERSand delete all files inside it. - 3.Back in Services, double-click Print Spooler, select Start, set Startup type to Automatic, and select OK.
Run HP's Diagnose & Fix Tool
If the Windows fixes have not worked, use HP's own automated repair tool. Diagnose & Fix is built into the HP app (formerly HP Smart). HP Print and Scan Doctor has been retired, so use Diagnose & Fix instead.
- 1.Install the HP app from the Microsoft Store, or get it from 123.hp.com.
- 2.Open the app, select your printer, then select Diagnose & Fix (the wrench icon on Windows).
- 3.Click Start and keep the app open until the check finishes, then follow the on-screen instructions for any issues it finds.
Diagnose & Fix checks whether the printer is offline and reconnects it, clears print jobs stuck in the queue, resolves print spooler errors, and checks for and installs driver updates on Windows. That covers most of the causes behind the "not connected" message in one pass.
Remove and Re-Add the Printer in Windows
If the connection still keeps dropping, remove the printer from Windows and add it back so Windows sets up the connection again from scratch. Try this only after the quicker fixes above, because you will have to add the printer again.
On Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select your printer, and select Remove. Then select Add device to add it back. On Windows 10, open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners, select your printer, choose Remove device, then select Add a printer or scanner. If the re-added printer still shows offline, clear Use Printer Offline again in its print queue.
Reinstall the Latest HP Printer Driver
If the printer still shows offline after everything above, the likely cause is an outdated or broken driver. Installing the current printer software also makes sense after a major Windows update, which can leave an older driver out of step. Restart your PC afterward.
Download the latest printer software and drivers only from HP: the HP printer drivers and software page at support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/printers, or 123.hp.com. Avoid third-party driver sites, which can install the wrong package and cause new problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my HP printer say it is offline when the Wi-Fi is clearly on?
Usually Windows has switched the printer to offline mode, or a stuck print job or a frozen Print Spooler service is blocking communication. The printer can be fully connected to Wi-Fi while Windows still won't talk to it. Clearing the Use Printer Offline setting and restarting the Print Spooler fixes it in most cases.
Should I still use HP Print and Scan Doctor?
No. HP has retired HP Print and Scan Doctor and no longer maintains it. Remove it if it is still installed, and use the Diagnose & Fix tool in the HP app (formerly HP Smart) instead.
What is the fastest fix to try first?
Power-cycle the printer. Turn it off, unplug it, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in, and turn it on. This resets a stalled Wi-Fi connection without changing any settings on your PC, so it is the safest first step. If that does not work, clear the Use Printer Offline checkbox in Windows.
Does any of this apply to Windows 10 as well as Windows 11?
Yes. The Settings paths differ slightly. Windows 11 uses Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, while Windows 10 uses Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners. The Print Spooler steps, the Get Help troubleshooter, the default-printer fix, and HP's Diagnose & Fix tool all work on both versions.
The printer still shows offline after I reinstalled the driver. What now?
Confirm the printer and your PC are on the same Wi-Fi network, run the printer's built-in wireless test, and run the Get Help troubleshooter at aka.ms/OfflinePrinter. Then restart your router and run Diagnose & Fix in the HP app, which checks whether the printer is offline and reconnects it automatically.