
It’s really irritating when you face a situation where your printer appears ready to print, but your Windows 10 system shows it as offline. The reasons behind this problem could be network issues, poor printer connections, paper jams, etc.
Understanding how to switch your printer offline to online in Windows 10 is crucial to quickly resolve these issues and get back to your tasks.
In this article, we’ll guide you through several workarounds focusing on how to make printer online. Let’s dive right in!
1. Physical Checks
Before delving into software troubleshooting, conducting physical checks on your printer is important. These checks can often identify and resolve common issues that cause your printer to go offline.
- Check your power cable if it’s faulty. Try it in another port or simply replace it.
- Check your USB cable to see if both ends are inserted correctly as well as look at your ethernet cable.
- Check your printer for paper jams.
- Check for low ink cartridges and replace them if needed.
2. Run The Printer Troubleshooter
The Printer Troubleshooter is a handy tool in Windows 10 designed to detect automatically and resolve common problems that might cause your printer to go offline. Here’s how to turn printer online by running the troubleshooter:
- Begin by pressing the Windows key+I key simultaneously. This action will open the Settings application on your computer.
- In the Settings application, select the “Devices” option.
- From there, proceed to “Printers & scanners”.
- On the right side of the screen, under the “Related settings” section, you’ll find the “Run the troubleshooter” option. Click on this.
- The Printer Troubleshooter will then start working, performing a series of checks to pinpoint any potential issues with your printer.
If the Printer Troubleshooter doesn’t identify any specific issues, it can still provide valuable insights. By clicking on “View detailed information”, you can access a detailed report of the checks the troubleshooter performed.
3. Check Your Internet Connection

The condition of your Wi-Fi network can also affect the status of your printer. A slow or unstable network can cause your printer to go offline.
To check the status of your network, you can use the built-in network checking tools on your printer.
Moreover, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can also affect your printer’s status. If your printer goes offline when you’re connected to a VPN, try disconnecting from the VPN and restarting your printer. This can often resolve the issue and bring your printer back online.
4. Set Your Printer as the Default Printer

Another method for how to make printer online is to set it as the default printer on your Windows 10 device.
To do this:
- Navigate to Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Then find your printer and click upon the option “Set as default”.
This ensures that your computer automatically sends print jobs to the printer.
5. Clear The Print Queue

A jammed print queue can also cause your printer to go offline.
- Go to the Start menu.
- Then click on Settings.
- Here, open Bluetooth & devices.
- Then click on the option Printers & scanners.
- After clicking on your printer, choose “Open print queue”.
- Then go to “Document Name” and select any document in the list.
- Finally, go to “Document” and select “Cancel”.
This way, you can resolve the offline printer issue in Windows 10.
6. Reset The Print Spooler Service
The Print Spooler is a key software in Windows 10 that runs all printing tasks sent to your printer. If this service causes a problem, it might set your printer to appear offline. To resolve the issue, here’s what you need to do:
- Click on the Search icon located in the taskbar.
- Then move your cursor to “Services” in the search bar and select “Services” from the options. You can also press Windows Key + R and type ‘Services.msc’ in the search bar.
- In the list that appears, scroll down until you spot the “Print Spooler” service.
- Give it a right-click and choose “Restart” from the menu that appears.
7. Reinstall Your Printer
To resolve the issue, uninstall and reinstall your printer. Here’s how to get a printer online:
- Click on the Start button, then go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- From the list, select the printer you wish to uninstall and click on “Remove Device”.
- Confirm your action by clicking “Yes”.
To reinstall your printer, follow these steps:
- Make sure your printer is switched on and properly connected.
- Go back to the “Printers & scanners” section, and next to “Add a printer or scanner”.
- Here you need to click on “Add Device”.
- Finally, follow the on-screen instructions to add your printer back to the system.
8. Turn Off “Use Printer Offline” Mode

Sometimes, your printer might be set to “Use Printer Offline” mode. This could be accidental, or it might be due to some software changes. Here’s how to make printer online:
- Press the Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Navigate to Devices > Printers & scanners.
- Select your printer and click on “Open queue”.
- In the toolbar, click on “Printer” and look for “Use Printer Offline”. If there’s a tick next to it, click on it to turn this mode off.
9. Uninstall And Reinstall Printer Drivers And Packages
Sometimes, resolving an offline printer issue can be as simple as uninstalling and reinstalling the printer’s drivers and packages. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
- First, make sure you’re logged into your Windows account as an Administrator.
- Press the Windows key and type “Command Prompt” into the search bar to open the Command Prompt.
- Once the Command Prompt window is open, type in the command “printui /s /t2” (make sure to include the spaces).
- This command will open the Print Server Properties window.
- In this window, find the Driver and Package associated with the offline printer and remove them.
- After you’ve removed the driver and package, go back to “Printers & Scanners” in your computer’s settings. Here, you can add your printer back by selecting “Add a Printer”.
10. Update The Printer Drivers

If the issue is still there even after reinstalling printer drivers and packages, updating the printer driver will be the right idea.
To do so, try the following method:
- Press the Windows key+X. This will open up a quick-access menu.
- From this menu, select “Device Manager”. This will open a new window displaying all the hardware components connected to your computer.
- In this window, look for the “Printers” category and double-click on it.
- Right-click on your printer and select “Update driver”.
If your computer doesn’t find any updates, it’s a good idea to visit the printer manufacturer’s websites like HP, Canon, Brother, or any other.
11. Adjust Printer Properties
Here is how to get printer online by adjusting the printer properties:
- Go to your printer’s control panel and click on ‘Devices and Printers’.
- Right-click on your printer’s name and pick ‘Printer Properties’.
- Click on the ‘Ports’ tab and choose your printer’s IP address, then click ‘Configure Port’.
- If ‘SNMP Status Enable’ is ticked, untick it, then click ‘OK’ to save changes.
12. Restart Your Printer
If the printer’s connection is secure, but the device remains offline, try restarting your printer. Power cycling your printer can often resolve minor technical issues that cause the printer to appear offline.
To restart it:
- Power off your printer.
- Remove the power cable.
- Wait for a while and put the cable back in its port.
- Once your printer restarts, check if it’s back online.
13. Restart Your PC
Finally, if all else fails, try restarting your PC. By doing these steps, you’re basically giving a fresh start to the parts of your computer that help it communicate with your printer. This could help fix any problems that are making your printer show offline.
Conclusion
Dealing with an offline printer can be frustrating, but knowing how to make printer online can help you solve the problem quickly. By checking the printer’s connection, restarting your printer, setting your printer as the default, clearing the print queue, resetting the Print Spooler service, removing and reinstalling your printer, and restarting your PC, you can resolve most offline printer issues in Windows 10.
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