Printer shows offline on Windows 11: 8 fixes to try

2 min read · 8 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

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.

These steps are for Windows 11. The pictures are simplified diagrams, not screenshots, so colours and spacing on your PC look a little different.

Step by step

1. 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

2. 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

3. Restart the PC

   A restart refreshes the services Windows uses to talk to printers. Do it now, before the deeper steps.

   Done

4. Clear the print queue

   Open Start, Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners. Select your printer and open the print queue. Click the three dots and choose Cancel all.

   Done

5. Set it as the default printer

   On the same Printers & scanners page, switch off Let Windows manage my default printer. Select your printer and click Set as default. Check that you are not printing to an old entry with Copy in its name.

   Done

6. Restart the Print Spooler

   Type Services into the search box on the taskbar and open it. Scroll to Print Spooler, right-click it and choose Restart.

   Done

7. Remove and add the printer again

   In Printers & scanners, select the printer and click Remove. Then click Add device, wait for the search and add it again. This also repairs a printer whose address on the network has changed.

   Done

8. Run the troubleshooter

   Open the Get Help app from the Start menu and type printer. It runs an automated printer troubleshooter that checks the common faults and repairs what it can.

   Done

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, set as default, restart Print Spooler, remove and re-add, run the Get Help troubleshooter.