howtosimply.com/guides/printer-shows-offline-on-windows-11-8-fixes-to-try/ · Checked October 2026 · Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 (build 26200.9457), Microsoft Cloud PC

In this guide

Restart the printer properly
Check the connection
Restart the PC
Find your printer
Clear the print queue
Restart the Print Spooler
Remove and add the printer again
Run the printer troubleshooter
Good to know
Sources

Quick answer

Switch the printer off, unplug it for 30 seconds and switch it on again, and check that it is on the same network as the PC. Then open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, click the printer, open the print queue and cancel all jobs. If it stays offline, remove the printer and add it again.

5 of 8 steps with real screenshots · 1 official source below

Device: Windows
Shown on: Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 (build 26200.9457), Microsoft Cloud PC
App: Settings
Real screenshots: 5 of 8 steps
Checked: October 2026
Sources: 1 official, linked below

Step by step

Restart the printer properly
Turn the printer off and unplug it. Wait 30 seconds, plug it back in and turn it on. Wait until it has finished starting up.
Done
Check the connection
For a Wi-Fi printer, look in the printer's own network menu or print its network report. It must be connected to the same network as the PC, not to a guest network. For a USB printer, plug the cable straight into the PC, without a hub, and try another port.
Done
Restart the PC
A restart refreshes the services Windows uses to talk to printers. Do it now, before the deeper steps.
Done
Tap the picture to see it full size
Find your printer
Open Start, Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners. Your printers are listed below Add device. If the same printer appears twice, for example with Copy 1 in its name, you may be printing to an old entry.
Done
Tap the picture to see it full size
Clear the print queue
Click your printer. On its page, click Open print queue, then cancel all waiting jobs with the three dots at the top right. The page also shows the Printer status.
Done
Zoomed in on the setting. Tap to see the whole screenTap the picture to see it full size
Restart the Print Spooler
Press Windows + R, type services.msc and press Enter. Select Print Spooler and click Restart the service on the left.
Done
Zoomed in on the setting. Tap to see the whole screenTap the picture to see it full size
Remove and add the printer again
On the printer's page, click Remove. Then go back to Printers & scanners, click Add device, wait for the search and add it again. This also repairs a printer whose address on the network has changed.
Done
Tap the picture to see it full size
Run the printer troubleshooter
Open Settings, System, Troubleshoot, Other troubleshooters and click Run next to Printer. It opens the Get Help app, which checks the common faults and repairs what it can.
Done

About this guide

Offline means Windows cannot reach the printer, even though the printer may be switched on and look ready. The usual causes are a lost Wi-Fi connection after the router or the printer restarted, a stuck print job, or Windows sending to an old copy of the printer. Work through these in order.

Our Cloud PC prints through a redirected printer, so its status says Idle. Your printer shows its own name and, when it is the problem, Offline.

Good to know

If the printer goes offline again every few days, give it a fixed address: in the router, reserve the printer's current IP address so it does not change.

In the print queue window, the Printer menu has a Use Printer Offline entry on some systems. Make sure it is not ticked.

If jobs hang instead of the printer being offline: print job stuck in the queue on Windows 11.

More general causes: printer not working. Setting up from scratch: how to add a printer on Windows 11.

In short: Power cycle the printer, check its network, restart the PC, cancel all jobs, restart Print Spooler, remove and re-add, run the Get Help troubleshooter.

Sources