You sent a document to your HP Smart Tank 5101, the page never came out, and the printer is sitting there labeled "offline" even though it is powered on and the lights look normal. It is a frustrating place to be, especially on a wireless all-in-one that worked fine yesterday. The good news is that an offline status is almost always a connection or queue problem rather than a broken printer, and most cases clear up with a few ordered steps. Work through the fixes below from the top, since the early ones are the quickest and safest, and save the reset for the very end.
Start With a Clean Power Cycle on Everything
Before touching any settings, give the whole chain a fresh start. Power-cycling clears the temporary error states that often make the printer report as offline even when nothing is seriously wrong.
Because the Smart Tank 5101 talks to your computer or phone over Wi-Fi, the router is part of the equation too, so restart all three pieces.
- 1.Turn off the HP Smart Tank 5101.
- 2.Restart the computer or mobile device you print from.
- 3.Restart your router.
- 4.Turn the printer back on, wait for it and your network to come fully back up, then try printing again.
If the offline label disappears after this, you are done. If not, the next steps narrow down where the connection is breaking.
Make Sure You Are on a 2.4 GHz Network
This is the single most common trip-up with this model. The HP Smart Tank 5101 connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only and cannot join a 5 GHz network, so if the printer and your device are not on the same band, they will not see each other.
Confirm that your router is broadcasting a 2.4 GHz band, and check that the computer or phone you are printing from is on the same network name (SSID) as the printer. Many routers list the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands under slightly different names.
If your device is currently on the 5 GHz band of the same router, switch it to the 2.4 GHz band so it matches the printer. Once both are on the same 2.4 GHz network, retry the print job.
Clear the Offline and Pause Flags in Windows
Windows keeps its own "offline" and "paused" switches that have nothing to do with the printer's actual connection. If one of those is checked, the printer will look offline no matter how healthy the Wi-Fi link is.
Open the printer's print queue and make sure "Pause Printing" or "Use Printer Offline" are not selected. If a checkmark displays next to either item, select the item to clear the checkmark.
This alone often takes the printer out of an offline state in Windows, so test a print right after clearing the flags.
Set the Smart Tank 5101 as the Default Printer in Windows
Sometimes Windows quietly routes your jobs to a stale or virtual printer that shows as offline, while your real printer waits idle. Making the Smart Tank 5101 the default stops that misdirection.
- 1.Search Windows for and open "Printers & scanners".
- 2.Make sure the box next to "Let Windows manage my default printer" is NOT checked.
- 3.From the list, click your printer name.
- 4.Click "Manage".
- 5.Under "Manage your device", click "Set as default".
With the printer set as default, Windows sends new jobs straight to it instead of to a phantom device.
Let the HP App Diagnose and Fix It
If the manual checks have not worked, hand the problem to HP's own automatic troubleshooter. The official companion app is the HP app, formerly called HP Smart, and you can download it from 123.hp.com for Android and iOS or iPadOS, from the Microsoft Store for Windows, or from the Mac App Store for macOS. Installing the HP app automatically installs the printer drivers you need.
To run the troubleshooter, open the HP app, click the printer, then click "Diagnose & Fix". Click "Start" and wait for the analysis to complete, and do not close the HP app while it runs.
On Windows and macOS, Diagnose & Fix checks common offline causes for you. It clears stuck and paused print jobs, checks whether the printer is offline and reconnects it to the network when possible, and resolves print spooler and driver issues. This is HP's current recommended troubleshooter, so use it before moving on to the manual steps below.
Flush a Stuck Print Queue by Hand
A single jammed job can hold the queue hostage and keep the printer reading as offline. If the automatic tool did not clear it, you can empty the queue manually on Windows.
- 1.Turn off the printer and unplug its power cord.
- 2.In Windows, search for and open "Services".
- 3.Right-click "Print Spooler" and click "Stop".
- 4.Open File Explorer and browse to C: > Windows > System32 > spool > PRINTERS.
- 5.Delete all files in the PRINTERS folder.
- 6.Shut down the computer, reconnect the printer's power, and turn it on.
On a Mac, you do not delete spool files this way. Instead you can reset the printing system, which is covered in a later step.
Put the Printer Back Into Wi-Fi Setup Mode
If you recently swapped routers, changed your internet provider, or updated your Wi-Fi name or password, the printer is still trying to reach a network that no longer exists, and a normal reconnect may not take. Forcing the printer back into Wi-Fi setup mode gives the HP app a clean slate to find and add it. The Smart Tank 5101 uses a specific button sequence on the control panel.
- 1.Press and hold the Information button for 5 seconds until the control panel buttons light up.
- 2.Then press and hold the Wireless and Cancel buttons at the same time for 5 seconds until the Wi-Fi light blinks blue.
- 3.Wait about 60 seconds for the Wi-Fi light to settle into a steady blink.
- 4.Within two hours, open the HP app to find and add the printer, then follow the prompts to join it to your 2.4 GHz network.
The two-hour window matters, since the printer leaves setup mode after that, so finish the pairing promptly in the app.
If your router has a WPS button, you can also rejoin the printer without typing the password. Within 2 minutes, press and hold the WPS button on the router until the connection process begins, and wait for the printer's wireless light to stop flashing.
Update the Firmware and Drivers
Outdated firmware or drivers can cause persistent offline behavior even when the network is fine. Keeping both current often resolves connection quirks that no amount of restarting will.
In the HP app, click your printer and open "Advanced Settings" to check for and install firmware updates. You can also download the latest firmware and drivers from HP's official software and driver download page for the Smart Tank 5101.
Do NOT turn off the printer during a firmware update, since interrupting one can leave the printer in an unusable state. Let any update finish completely before you use the printer again.
Remove and Re-Add the Printer, or Reset the Printing System
If the printer entry on your computer has become corrupted, deleting and reinstalling it gives the operating system a fresh, working profile to print through.
On Windows, open "Printers & scanners", select the printer, click "Remove device" then "Yes", then click "Add a printer or scanner" to reinstall it.
On macOS, open "Printers & Scanners", select the printer and remove it. If needed, right-click (or Control-click) in the Printers list and choose "Reset printing system", restart the printer, then click "Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax" and add it back. Be aware that resetting the printing system on a Mac removes all of your set-up printers and scanners, so you will need to re-add any others afterward.
Restore Factory Defaults as a Last Resort
If nothing above brings the printer back online, restoring factory defaults wipes the printer's stored settings, including its saved Wi-Fi connection, and returns it to setup mode. Treat this as a final step, because you will have to set the printer up again from scratch.
- 1.Turn off the printer.
- 2.Press and hold the Resume and Black Copy buttons at the same time.
- 3.Without releasing the buttons, turn on the printer.
- 4.Wait at least 5 seconds, then release the buttons.
The printer restarts to factory defaults and re-enters setup mode. Reconnect it to your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi using the HP app, and if it still will not come online after that, contact HP Support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my HP Smart Tank 5101 keep showing offline even though it is turned on?
An offline status is usually a connection or print-queue issue rather than a hardware fault. Start by power-cycling the printer, your device, and your router, confirm your device is on the same 2.4 GHz network as the printer, and on Windows clear the "Use Printer Offline" and "Pause Printing" flags. If it persists, run Diagnose & Fix in the HP app.
Can the HP Smart Tank 5101 connect to a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network?
No. The HP Smart Tank 5101 connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only and cannot join a 5 GHz network. Make sure your router is broadcasting a 2.4 GHz band and that the device you print from is on that same 2.4 GHz network. It also supports Wi-Fi Direct and a USB connection as alternatives.
Should I use HP Print and Scan Doctor to fix the offline error?
No. HP Print and Scan Doctor was retired on May 27, 2025 and is replaced by the Diagnose & Fix tool inside the HP app. Open the HP app, click the printer, click "Diagnose & Fix", then click "Start" and let the analysis finish without closing the app.
How do I factory-reset the HP Smart Tank 5101?
Turn off the printer, press and hold the Resume and Black Copy buttons at the same time, and without releasing them turn the printer on. Wait at least 5 seconds, then release the buttons. The printer restarts to factory defaults and re-enters setup mode, after which you reconnect it to your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi using the HP app. Because this clears your saved settings, including your Wi-Fi connection, use it only after the other fixes fail.
What do I do if the printer still will not come online after a reset?
If you have restored factory defaults and reconnected the printer to your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi through the HP app and it still will not come online, the next step is to contact HP Support. Before doing so, it is worth confirming your firmware and drivers are current through the HP app's "Advanced Settings".
