Fix Brother printer offline [3 methods]

This video covers three methods to fix printer not waking up, remaining offline or failing to print problems

If your Brother printer is not printing with wireless, offline, stuck in deep sleep, or won’t print, find the solution here.

Quick Links / Table of Contents:
Intro - 00:00
Models Covered - 00:10
Method 1 – check for WSD and generic drivers - 00:30
Method 2 - verify printer is online - 00:50
Method 2 - remove and reinstall - 01:48

Transcript:

Welcome. Today we are going to look at the most common causes for print failure for your Brother wireless printer.

This video will cover multiple models for your Windows 10 Operating System. Even though your machine may not match the models showing on the screen the overall process is still the same.

There are several issues that may cause your Brother machine to fail to print. This video will focus on common driver and network troubleshooting.

Some Windows computers are setup to automatically install devices found on your network. When this occurs, your Brother device will be setup with a Windows WSD Port and generic driver.

These are common causes for Windows unable to print issues. Click the link on the screen to verify that your drivers are set up correctly.

We’ll begin by typing “Control Panel” in the search bar of the Windows Task Bar. Select Control Panel and then select View Devices and Printers.

Right click your Brother device icon and select See What’s Printing. If you have pending print jobs, Click Printer then Cancel All Documents and click Yes

Once the pending print job has been removed, check the Brother device status. If your Brother device says, “Use Printer Offline”, select Printer and Use Printer Offline to switch the device back online. You can now try printing again.

If your Brother device is still unable to print, you’ll need to remove the printer and add it again.

Right click your Brother device icon and select See What’s Printing. Delete any pending jobs and click the X to close the print job window.

Right click your Brother device and select Remove Device. Select Yes to confirm you wish to remove the device.

Select one of the other Printer icons within the Devices and Printers window. Once selected, Printer Server Properties will be displayed at the top.

Select Printer Server Properties and then select the Drivers tab. We’ll now uninstall your Brother printer driver. Locate and click on your Brother device driver. Click Remove. Click Remove Driver only and select OK. Click Yes to confirm the removal of the printer driver and click Close

If you receive a message that your printer driver is currently in use, reboot your computer and try again.

Now that your Brother device has been removed, click Add Printer to install the device again.

Your PC will begin to search for available network printers. Although your printer may be found, click “The printer that I want isn’t listed”. Now select, “My printer is a little older. Help me find it”. This will ensure the printer is discovered and reinstalled using its IP Address. Once your printer is discovered, select it and choose Next.

If your printer was not found, you will need to reboot your router, Brother device, and computer.

The printer will begin to add itself back to Devices and Printers. If prompted for a driver version, select “Use the driver that is currently installed” and then click Next. Click Next to use the Default Printer name. If prompted, select “Do not share this printer” and select Next. Click Print Test Page. The printer will now print a test page. Click Close, then click Finish.

Now try printing another document from your computer. If the machine fails to print your document, we recommend printing from a standard text application like Microsoft Notepad or Microsoft Word. If you find that documents print successfully from these applications, verify that the correct printer is chosen in your original app.

Thank you for choosing Brother

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An official Brother printer support resource

[kamberP]

I have been unsuccessfully trying to fix this issue for over a week. I can not thank you enough for your clear and very basic instructions. I absolutely was relieved that you went through all the what ifs, because I had them all happen. THANK

[shamoneavent]

Method 2 was a life saver!!! It was so frustrating trying to print something and discovering my printer is offline. Turning my printer on and off stopped working. After following this easy step by step tutorial. My printer is restored and up and running again! So grateful for this! Thank you!

[frankinney]

This step by step instruction has finally restored my wireless printing capability for my Brother HL-2280DW. Nothing but relief when the test page finally printed via wireless command.

[Storm-whnq]

I did everything including reboot and sadly test print didn’t work nor did sending from mobile device to print! THEN…I turned everything OFF and unplugged router AND printer and went for a walk. When I returned and plugged everything back in a miracle occurred!!! It ALL worked like in the past. I can print again…thx a million!!!

[MicrowaveBrrrrr]

Thank you, I no longer have to beat my printer again

[serafinhs]

restarting the router helped in my case, thank you

[AllyCakes]

OMG finally! Hope this works and keep my brother printer online. It keeps going offline. After following the uninstall methods, it's finally printing again. Ty!

[catalinacamargopalacios]

You went to the point, and your explanation was practical. Thank you!

[Bettyboo]

I finally figured it out. Every time my cable box glitched, I had to reboot my home hub 3000. When that happens, it always kicks my wireless brother printer offline. Nice to have a quick and easy fix...finally! Thank you so much :)

[meme]

Life SAVER! After paying almost $300 for someone to remotely "fix" this problem a few years ago....thanks 😊

[claytonedy]

Thank you. This has solved months of anguish!

[JonathanThompson]

At 4:33. It finally worked! OMG! Thank you!!! This has been so frustrating for months! We resorted to cable printing.

[sabrinaminuzzo]

Oh my god this fixed my offline issue and also the ability to scan straight to my computer which I have been able to do for at least a year or more now!!! Thank you!!

[JCBro-ygvd]

This was awesome! Fixed both PC and Laptop. Even had called Brother Help Line and they told me it was the fact my printer was too far away from my PC. This was easy to follow and very helptul. Much appreciated!!

[stephenjones]

DUDE!! Worked like a charm (second method). Thank you for not going too fast or too slow. PERFECT!

[yt]

Method #2 helped me out! Never underestimate the power of rebooting. Thank you for this! :)

[brendontyree]

So clear, easy to follow and worked like a treat, thanks! =)

[ililajko]

Totally fixed the problem right away!!! Thank you, your explanations were very easy to understand and precise.

[hzitxjp]

Success. Thank you. Why couldn't HP tell me this. 3 minutes rather than hours lost trying to connect via WiFi

[adamaubry]

Great helpful video. Walked me thru entire process without wasting my time