Resolve Printer is Offline Or Not Responding - Windows
Article ID: ART180034
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Date published: 06/28/2021
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Date last updated: 04/10/2024
Description
Reasons and possible solutions for the "Printer Is Offline" and "Printer not responding" message when using a Windows PC
Solution
The following video outlines the information below.
There are many reasons that your printer may be indicated as being "offline" or "not responding". Basically the printer and computer are not able to communicate. Since there are multiple causes for these messages, there are also multiple possible resolutions. The steps below will help in resolving the issue and possibly identify the cause.
Make sure the printer power is on. Press the power button to turn on the printer.
If the printer will not power on, check the power cord connections. Disconnect and reconnect the power cable at both ends. Then press the power button to turn the printer on.
Before you print, be sure you have the appropriate printer selected.
If the wrong printer is automatically selected, you may want to set the desired printer as the default printer.
If the same printer is listed multiple times, you may have to remove the duplicates and try to print again. It may be necessary to remove all of the listed printers and then reinstall.
In some cases it may be necessary to power cycle the printer to potentially reset any error conditions or lost communication.
Simply turn the printer off with the power button on the printer.
Once turned off, disconnect the printer's power cord from the back of the printer. Wait approximately 30 seconds before you reconnect it.
Once reconnected, use the printer's power button to turn the printer back on.
Once the printer is powered on and is in a ready state, print or scan again.
If your printer is connected via USB connection, disconnect that from the printer as well as the computer, then reconnect them. In some cases there may be a loose connection.
If your printer had been connected wirelessly before, and no hardware changes have been made, you may simply need to reboot your computer.
You may need to reestablish the wireless connection, or set your printer up wirelessly if it has not been connected wirelessly before. If your printer has not been setup wirelessly already, or to reestablish a wireless connection, refer to this Wireless Setup article.
If your computer is connected to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), try disconnecting from the VPN to see if it is interfering with printer communication.
If you continue to have Wi-Fi communication issues, set a static IP address on the printer.
If your router and/or modem is not able to communicate with devices that are usually connected, you should power cycle the router.
First, disconnect the power from your router and/or modem.
Wait approximately 30 seconds and then reconnect them.
The booting process for the router and/or modem may take several minutes.
Once a proper connection has been reestablished, if this was the issue, then communication between your devices should be restored.
In some cases it may be necessary to restart your computer to refresh connections with the various peripherals such as routers, modems, printers, etc.
Save any needed work and close all open applications.
Shutdown and restart your computer.
Once fully rebooted, try to print or scan again.
Make sure that the printer is not displaying any errors (flashing lights or error codes on the screen). If the printer is in an error state (paper jam, ink has run out, etc.) please address the error state first. Then, move to the next step.
If there have been no changes to your wireless network (new router, new password for your router, etc.), turn off and unplug your printer. Unplug your wireless router for 15 seconds, then plug it back in. After it has fully initialized, plug the printer back in and power it on. Try to print again. If there is still no response, move to the next step.
If the printout shows that the connection is Active and the signal strength is less than 80%, try to move the printer and router closer. If neither the printer nor the router can be moved, try removing obstacles between the two devices, or turning off any devices that may interfere with network communication.
If the printout shows that the connection is Active and the signal strength is greater than 80%, try temporarily disabling any firewall software on your computer. If the printer responds to print commands after the firewall is disabled, you will need to open ports used by the printer for network communication. Please refer to your firewall vendor's documentation for instructions on opening these ports.
If the printout shows that the connection is Active and the signal strength is greater than 80%, check the Subnet Mask shown and make sure that it matches the subnet mask that the computer is using. If the Subnet Mask is different, then the computer and printer are on different segments of your network. Either the computer or the printer will need to be reconfigured to use the same Subnet Mask. To reconfigure the printer, use the Canon PRINT app for iOS / iPadOS, Android, or Chrome.
If the printout shows that the connection is Active and the SSID (network name) is BJNPSETUP, the printer's network settings have been reset to the factory defaults. The printer will need to be reconnected to the wireless network.
If the printout shows that the connection is Inactive and it shows the wrong SSID (network name), the printer will need to be reconnected to the network. This wlil happen if you got a new wireless router, or if you changed the SSID or password of your current network.
Depending on what's listed on the network information setting page that was printed, take the appropriate troubleshooting steps noted.
If your computer is connected to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), try disconnecting from that VPN and print again.
The following video outlines the information below.
There are many reasons that your printer may be indicated as being "offline" or "not responding". Basically the printer and computer are not able to communicate. Since there are multiple causes for these messages, there are also multiple possible resolutions. The steps below will help in resolving the issue and possibly identify the cause.
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If your printer is connected via USB connection, disconnect that from the printer as well as the computer, then reconnect them. In some cases there may be a loose connection.