My printer won't print

Printers are stubborn. The good news: most printer problems are fixed by one of the five things below. Try them in order.

1. Turn the printer off, then on again

1. Press the power button on the printer to turn it off completely.
2. Unplug the power cable from the back of the printer.
3. Wait 30 seconds. (Important — gives it time to fully reset.)
4. Plug the cable back in and turn the printer on.
5. Wait until it's done warming up, then try printing again.

2. Restart your computer

The computer and printer sometimes "lose" each other. A computer restart usually puts them back together.

3. Check the basics on the printer itself

• Is there paper in the tray?
• Is there ink or toner? (Many printers refuse to print at all when one color is empty, even for black-and-white.)
• Are there any blinking error lights or messages on the printer's screen?
• Is the paper jammed? Open the doors and check.

4. Make sure the printer is connected

For wireless printers:

1. Make sure your wifi is working on your phone or another device.
2. On the printer, look for a wifi light. It should be on solid (not blinking).
3. If it's blinking or off, the printer may have lost its wifi connection. It usually needs to be reconnected — that's a good time to message us.

For USB printers:

1. Make sure the USB cable is firmly plugged in at both ends.
2. Try a different USB port on the computer.

5. Clear the print queue

1. Click Start → Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners.
2. Click on your printer.
3. Click Open print queue.
4. If there are old documents stuck there, right-click each one and choose Cancel.
5. Try printing fresh.

Still not working?

Printer driver problems can be frustrating to fix — that's worth a message. We can usually sort it out remotely.