The printer refuses to print
My printer is connected but nothing prints. How do I fix it?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
The print queue jams easily, and Windows marks a printer offline the moment it misses one reply, even when the printer is perfectly fine. The quickest thing to try first: clear the stuck queue — Open Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Printers and scanners, choose your printer, open the print queue, and cancel every job including the old ones. Most people are done in about 15 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 5 steps for Windows and Mac, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •Jobs sit in the queue
- •Printer shows offline
- •Nothing happens after clicking print
Why it happens
The print queue jams easily, and Windows marks a printer offline the moment it misses one reply, even when the printer is perfectly fine.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Clear the stuck queue
Open Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Printers and scanners, choose your printer, open the print queue, and cancel every job including the old ones.
- 2
Restart the print helper
Press Windows and R, type services.msc, find Print Spooler, right click and choose Restart. This clears jams that cancelling alone cannot.
- 3
Take it out of offline mode
In the printer's menu, untick Use Printer Offline, and set it as the default printer.
- 4
Power cycle the printer
Switch the printer off at the button, unplug it from the wall for thirty seconds, then plug in and switch on. Wait for it to finish warming up.
- 5
Remove and add the printer again
Delete the printer from the list, restart the computer, then add it again. Choose the printer's own driver if Windows offers a choice.
If none of that worked
Print the printer's own test page from its control panel. If that fails too, the fault is in the printer, not the computer.
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Who wrote this and how we checked it
The CommonFixes team
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We are a small group of people who spend our days repairing laptops and desktops for family, friends and small offices. Every guide here starts with a problem someone actually brought to us, and we only write down the steps that put the machine right.
- Everyday repairs
- Windows and Mac
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CommonFixes review desk
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This guide was last updated on 10 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
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