Printer only printing in black and white: how to get color back

A printer only printing in black and white when it is meant to print color is almost always obeying a setting rather than failing. Grayscale can be switched on in four places: the document, the app, the print driver and the printer itself. If those are all correct, the cause is the color supplies or the driver. This guide checks them in order, cheapest first.

If colors print but look wrong (pink instead of red, green tint, missing yellow), you want printer printing wrong colors instead. If black is the missing color, see printer not printing black.

Step 1: Print a test page from the printer

Most printers can print a status, configuration or quality report from their own menu. That page normally contains color.

• Color appears on the test page: the printer and its supplies can print color. The cause is a setting on the computer or in the document. Go to Step 2.
• The test page is grey or missing colors: the cause is in the printer: supplies, nozzles or a printer setting. Go to Step 5.

Step 2: Check the document and the app

• The document: a scan saved in grayscale, a PDF exported as black and white or a photo with no color data prints grey whatever you choose. Try printing a different document that clearly has color.
• Office apps: some apps have their own option to print in black and white or grayscale in their print or page setup menus. Make sure it is off.
• Browsers: the browser print dialog often has a Color option with Black and white as a choice, and it may remember the last setting you used.
• PDF readers: some PDF readers have a Print in grayscale checkbox in their print dialog. Clear it.

Step 3: Check the print driver in Windows 11

The driver remembers defaults that apply to every job.

1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and select the printer.
2. Choose Printing preferences.
3. Look for Color, Color mode, Print in grayscale, Black & white or Grayscale on the tabs. The wording depends on the maker.
4. Set it to color and choose Apply.

Also check Printer properties > Advanced > Printing Defaults on drivers that show it, because some drivers keep a separate default there. If you have duplicate entries for the same printer, check each one or remove the extras.

Step 4: Check presets on a Mac

1. In the print dialog, choose Show Details if you see only a short dialog.
2. Look for a Black & White checkbox and clear it. Some drivers put color options in a menu in the middle of the dialog, under names like Color, Color Matching or Quality & Media.
3. Check the Presets menu. If a saved preset includes black and white, switch to Default Settings or save a corrected preset.

Step 5: Check the color cartridges and nozzles

If the printer’s own test page lacks color, the supplies are the next suspect.

• Ink or toner levels: check the levels on the display or in the maker’s app. Some models print only black when a color cartridge is empty, and some laser printers offer a setting to continue in black when color toner runs out.
• Nozzle check on inkjets: print a nozzle check pattern from the maintenance menu. If the color blocks are blank or broken, run a head cleaning and check again. Long idle periods are the usual cause; printer ink dried out covers this in detail.
• Protective tape: a new color cartridge with its tape still on prints nothing in those colors.
• Recognition problems: if the printer refuses a color cartridge, see cartridge not recognized.

Step 6: Install the correct driver

A generic driver, a text-only driver or a driver for a monochrome model in the same family cannot send color. This happens when Windows picked a near match or someone chose a driver by hand.

1. In Printers & scanners, open the printer and check Printer properties to see which driver it uses.
2. If the name does not match your model, remove the printer.
3. Install the current driver for your exact model from the printer maker, or let Windows install its built-in driver for printers that support it, then add the printer again.

Printer driver is unavailable explains how to remove an old driver package completely.

Step 7: Check printer and office restrictions

• Printer settings: some printers have a color restriction or a black-only default in their own menus or embedded web page, often under security, usage or default print settings.
• Office print management: in workplaces, administrators often limit color printing by user, group or printer to control costs. If color works for colleagues but not for you, or only on one printer, ask whoever manages the printers before changing anything.
• Print servers: printers shared from a server can have server-side defaults that override what you choose. Your IT team can check those.

Quick checklist

• Printer test page shows color.
• Document actually contains color.
• No grayscale option in the app, print dialog, driver defaults or Mac preset.
• Color cartridges have ink or toner and pass a nozzle check.
• Correct color driver for the exact model.
• No color lock on the printer or office policy in the way.