Printer troubleshooting guide: find your fix by symptom

This printer troubleshooting guide is the starting point for every fix on Fix a Printer. Instead of sorting by brand, it sorts by what you can actually see: the printer shows offline, the paper jams, the page comes out blank or striped, or the computer throws an error. Find your symptom below, run the quick checks, then follow the link to the detailed guide. Everything here applies to inkjet and laser printers from any manufacturer, on Windows 11 and current versions of macOS.

Fix a Printer is an independent guide. We are not a repair shop and not affiliated with any printer brand; we explain the fixes you can safely do yourself and tell you honestly when a part has failed.

First, two checks that save time

Before you follow any of the paths below, do these two things. They take two minutes and point you in the right direction.

1. Read the printer. Look at its display or status lights. Messages such as “paper jam”, “cartridge problem”, “door open” or a blinking warning light usually name the problem directly. Clear that message first; many “the computer will not print” problems are really a printer waiting for someone to load paper.

2. Print from the printer itself. Most printers can print a test, status or network configuration page from the control panel menu, without any computer. The result splits the problem in two:

• Test page prints correctly: the printer works. The fault is in the connection, the print queue or the driver on your computer. Go to the offline or errors sections.
• Test page is blank, streaky or does not print: the fault is in the printer or its supplies. Go to the paper or quality sections.

The printer shows offline or cannot be found

This is the most common printer problem on home and office networks. The computer cannot reach the printer, usually because the printer has a new network address, joined a different network, went to sleep, or the computer is holding an old connection.

• Printer offline fix: the full step-by-step for Windows 11 and Mac, from restarting in the right order to fixing the port and re-adding the printer.
• Printer keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi: when the printer was working and keeps dropping off the network.
• Printer not showing up in Windows 11: when Add device never finds the printer, or it vanished from Printers & scanners after an update.
• Printer not working on Mac: macOS-specific fixes for printers that will not appear, stay paused or fail after a macOS update.

Quick checks: is the printer on the same network name as your computer? Does the network configuration page show an IP address? Did the router restart recently?

Jobs go into the queue but nothing prints

When jobs sit in the queue with “Error”, “Printing” or nothing at all, and cancelling them does not work, the print service on the computer is usually stuck.

• Print spooler error fix: how to stop the spooler, clear stuck jobs and restart it on Windows, and the equivalent on Mac.
• Printer in error state: what Windows means by “Error” next to the printer and how to clear it.
• Printer printing slowly: when jobs do print, but take minutes per page.
• Printer printing gibberish: pages full of random symbols, code or one line per sheet, almost always a wrong driver or a corrupted job.
• Printer won’t print PDF: when other documents print but a PDF fails, stalls or comes out incomplete.

Driver and software errors

Messages like “Driver is unavailable”, “Printer driver is not installed” or “The printer driver could not be installed” mean Windows has lost or rejected the software it uses to talk to the printer. This often happens after a major Windows update.

• Printer driver is unavailable: how to remove the broken driver package and install a working one, including the built-in driver that most modern printers support.
• Error 0x00000709: when Windows refuses to set or change the default printer, or a shared printer cannot be connected.

Note that Microsoft is changing how printer drivers are delivered on Windows 11 and now favours its built-in driver for printers that support the Mopria standard. Our driver guide explains what that means in practice.

Paper jams and paper feeding

Paper problems are mechanical, so the fix happens with the printer open and unplugged.

• How to clear a paper jam: the safe way to remove a jammed sheet without tearing it or damaging rollers.
• Paper jam but no paper: when the printer insists there is a jam and you cannot see one.
• Printer not picking up paper: when the rollers turn but the sheet stays in the tray, or several sheets go in at once.

Print quality problems

If the printer’s own test page shows the problem, the cause is in the printer: ink or toner, the print head, or the drum and fuser on laser printers. If the test page is clean but documents from the computer look wrong, check the paper type, quality and color settings in the print dialog before touching the hardware.

Nothing, or parts missing, on the page:

• Printer printing blank pages: from leftover protective tape to clogged nozzles.
• Printer not printing black: color prints fine but black text is missing or very weak.
• Printer printing faded: the whole page is pale, washed out or getting lighter with every job.

Marks and defects on the page:

• Printer printing lines or streaks: horizontal bands on inkjets, vertical lines on laser printers, and how to tell which part is responsible.
• Printer smudging ink: wet, smeared or rubbed prints, ink on the back of the sheet, or toner that wipes off.
• Laser printer ghosting: a faint copy of the image repeated further down the page.

Wrong colors and supplies:

• Printer printing wrong colors: color casts, missing colors or photos that look nothing like the screen.
• Cartridge not recognized: when the printer refuses a cartridge you just installed.

A useful shortcut: on a laser printer, measure the distance between repeating marks. Defects that repeat at a fixed interval come from a roller or drum whose circumference matches that distance, which tells you which part to look at. On an inkjet, a nozzle check pattern shows which color or which part of the print head is failing.

Windows or Mac: where to look

The same printer can behave differently on different computers, which is itself a clue. If it prints from a phone or another computer but not from yours, the printer is fine and the fault is on your machine: its queue, driver or saved connection.

• Windows 11: printers live in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Each printer has Open print queue, Printer properties (ports, sharing) and Run the troubleshooter, which opens the Get Help app.
• macOS: printers live in System Settings > Printers & Scanners. Selecting a printer shows its queue, options and supplies. Most current printers work over AirPrint without installing any software.

A sensible order for any printer problem

When you are not sure where to start, this order fixes the majority of problems with the least effort:

1. Read the display and clear any message (paper, door, cartridge).
2. Restart the router, printer and computer, in that order.
3. Print a test page from the printer to decide between hardware and software.
4. Open the print queue and clear stuck or paused jobs.
5. Check the connection: same network, correct port or address.
6. Run the built-in troubleshooter (Windows Get Help) or check Printers & Scanners on Mac.
7. Remove and re-add the printer.
8. Reinstall or replace the driver.
9. Check for printer firmware updates from the manufacturer.
10. Consider repair or replacement if a part has clearly failed.

What you should not do

• Do not pull jammed paper against its direction of travel or with metal tools.
• Do not download “driver updater” utilities from unknown sites. Get drivers from Windows Update, the built-in driver, or the printer manufacturer’s own website.
• Do not call phone numbers from pop-ups or search ads claiming to be printer support. Printer makers list their real support contacts on their own websites, which you can reach by typing the brand’s address yourself.
• Do not open the fuser or power supply of a laser printer. These parts get hot and carry mains voltage.

When to stop and get help

Some faults are beyond a home fix: a print head that stays blocked after several cleaning cycles, grinding noises, a fuser error on a laser printer, or a printer that will not power on. For printers under warranty, use the manufacturer’s warranty service, which you can find through the manufacturer’s own website. For older printers, compare the cost of the repair with the cost of a replacement before you go ahead.