How To Fix Brother Printer Offline? Get Instant Troubleshoot Now.
When a Brother Printer Offline it is not electronically connected to other devices, such as a laptop or desktop; when your printer is “Online,” it is able to connect to other devices. A connection to other devices is necessary, as the printer must receive information from other devices in order to print materials. Your Brother Printer could be listed as “Offline” because it is not turned on, it has errors such as empty toner, it is not set as the default printer or its USB cord or its Network have a connection problem.
Printer Not Turned On
Your Brother Printer could be listed as “Offline” because it is not turned on. Even if your printer is connected to your computer via USB, your computer will not recognize any connection if the printer is turned off. Brother recommends checking the printer’s LCD screen; if it is blank, then the printer may not be powered on. Make sure the printer is plugged into an electrical outlet, the outlet is working and all switches are turned to the “On” setting.
Printer Error
Your Brother Printer could be listed as “Offline” if it is experiencing errors such as “Toner Empty” or “Paper Jam,” both of which would prevent printing. Brother recommends checking the printer’s LCD screen for any possible error messages. If you see an error message, attempt to remedy the error before checking the printer’s online status again.
Printer not the Default Printer
Your Brother printer can be “Offline” if it is not set as the default printer on your computer. A default printer is the printer your laptop or computer automatically sends a print job (unless you specify otherwise) when you click “Print.” If your Brother printer is not the default, your computer may be trying to connect to a different printer. You can make your printer the default in your computer’s “Devices” section. If it is not listed as a device in the devices section, you must re-install the printer driver from a CD-ROM or Brother’s website.
USB Cable or Network Problem
Your Brother printer can also be listed as “Offline” if its connection is faulty. If you connect to your printer via a USB cable, the cable could have something wrong with its hardware; Brother recommends USB cables that have twisted pair wiring, are shielded and are not more than 6 feet long. If you connect to your printer via a network, the network could be down or firewall-protected; Brother recommends checking your network’s router or hub, checking your computer’s firewall setting to make sure it does not block the network connection and running network connection diagnostics
To Fix Follow These Steps Below.
STEP A: Verify the Brother machine is powered on and there are no errors
- If your Brother machine’s screen (hereinafter called LCD) is blank, the machine may not be powered on. Check the machine to see if it wakes from sleep mode.
- If it does not, then make sure it is plugged into a working socket and any power switches are turned ON.
NOTE: If you are unable to power on the machine, then this solution does not apply. Troubleshoot this hardware issue.
Check the LCD for any error messages. An example would be “Paper Jam” or “Ink/Toner Empty”. If the LCD shows an error, troubleshoot the error to clear the issue indicated.
STEP B: Make sure the printer is connected to the computer
- If using a USB cable, make sure the cable is connected to both the printer and computer.
- Try connecting it directly to the computer and not via a hub.
- If using an ethernet cable, make sure the cable is connected to both the printer and router/hub/switch.
- Print the network configuration page to check the IP address.
- If using a wireless connection, print the network configuration page to check the IP address.
If the issue continues, go to STEP C.
STEP C (Windows): Make sure your Brother machine is set as the default printer
- Open the printers folder and make sure there is a check mark on your Brother machine’s icon:
D : Now Delete all print jobs from the Devices and Printers window
E : Check the printer status in the Devices and Printers window
F : If a copy of your Brother machine’s icon (For example: Brother XXX-XXXX (Copy 1)) is listed in the Devices and Printers
- A copy of your printer with the same printer name may be created if you:
- Connected your Brother machine to a different USB port on the computer.
- Installed the same printer driver multiple times.
- This may lead to some copies of your printer driver not working correctly. To print, select a printer driver that you know is working.
To check which printer driver is working, do the following:
- Turn the Brother machine on. If any other machines are connected, only turn the Brother machine on that you want to use.
Open the printers folder:
(Windows 8 or later)
Open the Control Panel. (Click here to see how to open the Control Panel.)
Click Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers. - (Windows 7)
Click Start > Devices and Printers.
Hover the cursor over the printer icon until the printer status pop-up appears.
If the status is Ready, it means the printer driver is working correctly. Select this printer driver when printing.