Read this article if your Brother printer goes offline randomly or if it is always offline but you do not know how to get it back online. We discuss various reasons this problem happens and how to go about fixing them in this article.
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Brother Printer Goes Offline [What to Know]
Before we go into details on how to get your Brother printer back online, we will answer the question “what does it mean when Brother Printer is offline”.
When your brother printer is offline, it becomes disconnected from your other devices. This will result in the printer being unable to print anything at all.
Your Brother printer going offline is due to several possible reasons. Therefore, the next section will give solutions to these reasons.
Brother Printer Goes Offline [Solutions]
The following are solutions to the most common reasons a Brother printer goes offline…
1. Set the Brother Printer as the Default Printer
If you have connected other printers to your PC then your Brother printer may get disconnected from the system. The solution is to set your Brother printer as your system’s default printer.
A default printer is a printer the system automatically sends the command to print once you give the order. Therefore, as the default printer, your Brother printer will no longer get disconnected from the system and subsequently go offline.
How to Set Brother Printer as PC Default Printer
Do the following to make your Brother printer your PC’s default printer…
Step 1: Click on the start button, locate ‘control panel’ and select it. If the control panel is not seen immediately, search for it using your Window search.
Step 2: Several options will come up once you open the ‘control panel’, select the ‘devices and printer’ option. A list of all printers that have been connected to the system will come up.
Step 3: Locate your Brother printer among the listed printers and right-click on it. Some options will appear, click on the ‘set as default printer’ setting.
Step 4: Restart your Brother printer and then check to see if the problem has been fixed.
Do not worry if your brother printer still says offline after you have done this. It simply means this was not the cause of the error. Therefore, try the other solutions below.
2. Disable Antivirus and Firewalls
We understand the need to protect your computer at all times. However, the antivirus and firewall you have installed on your system to protect it can restrict connectivity between your printer and computer.
Disabling the antivirus and firewalls will make your Brother printer go back online if this was the problem. But, there are numerous antivirus programs and each program often requires different methods to disable it. We will be unable to go through how to disable all these various antivirus programs.
However, you may first attempt to disable your antivirus by opening the program’s setting and looking for a disable or off option.
After you have disabled the firewall or antivirus, do a test run and see if your Brother printer keeps going offline.
3. Disable the “Use Printer Offline” Option
Microsoft Windows 10 has a feature that allows you to ‘use printer offline’. This means that you can prepare documents for printing even when the printer is not available. While this may appear handy, it may be the reason your Brother printer keeps going offline with windows 10.
How to Disable “Use Printer Offline” On Windows 10
Do the following to disable “Use Printer Offline” on your Windows 10…
Step 1: Use the steps in our first solution to access the list of available printers.
Step 2: Click on your Brother printer to bring out the options. Select the ‘see what’s printing’ option.
Step 3: There is a ‘printer’ tab at the top menu. Select this tab.
Step 4: Unclick the ‘use printer offline’ option.
Step 5: Effect your changes by saving them and exit the control panel. This should get your Brother printer back online if the ‘use printer offline’ feature was the problem.
4. Check and Secure the Printer’s USB Connection
If your printer is connected to the system via a USB cable then the connection may be the cause of the offline error. Inspect the connection, if it is not properly connected, unplug and plug it back in.
If the connection is still not secured then the USB cable may be faulty. Therefore, inspect the USB cable and replace it if necessary.
5. Fix Paper Jam Error
A Brother printer may go offline if there is a paper jam error.
How to Fix Brother Printer Paper Error
Do the following to fix paper jam error on your Brother printer…
Step 1: Open the printer and inspect the rollers and see if there are papers jammed in it. Switch the printer off and disconnect it from the power source if any paper is jammed in the rollers.
Step 2: Gently remove the rollers from the printer and take the jammed paper out.
Step 3: If your model does not allow the rollers to be removed then carefully pull out the paper.
Step 4: Once you have all the jammed paper out, test print to see if the problem is solved.
Watch this instructional video for more information on how to fix paper jam error on your Brother printer…
To read more awesome articles, click any of the links below…
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How To Connect To Brother Printer [Detailed Guide]
Fax with Brother Printer [Detailed Guide]
How to Fix Printer Streaks [Detailed Guide]
How to Login To Brother Printer [Quick Guide]
6. Restart the Print Spooler
Restarting your print spooler may be all you need to get your Brother printer back online.
How to Restart Brother Printer Print Spooler
The following steps will guide you on how to restart the print spooler of your Brother printer:
Step 1: Use the Windows search to find the Service window and then open it.
Step 2: A list of options arranged in alphabetical order will appear. Look for and click on ‘print spooler’.
Step 3: Select ‘stop’ from the set of options that will appear.
Step 4: Open this path: C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
Step 5: Highlight all files in the printer folder then delete them.
Step 6: Go back to the ‘print spooler’ option and open it again. This time, select ‘start’ to restart the spooler. Run a print to see if the problem has been fixed.
If your Brother printer needs cleaning then read this quick guide on how to clean your Brother printer.
7. Update the Printer Driver
A Brother printer may go offline if the printer driver is outdated. Follow the steps below to update your printer’s driver:
Step 1: Open your Windows start menu then select ‘Device Manager’.
Step 2: A list of options will come up. Find the ‘print queue’ option and double-click on it.
Step 3: The ‘print queue’ will expand. You will see your printer among the expanded options so, right-click on it and select ‘update driver’.
Step 4: You will be given two options, choose ‘Browse my computer for driver software’. Click on ‘browse’ on the next screen.
Step 5: Select the folder that the driver will be stored and click ‘OK’. And then select the next option. Once the driver is updated, click done. Test the printer to see if the problem has been rectified.
8. Reinstall the Printer Driver
If updating the printer driver does not fix the problem, then you may have to reinstall it.
How to Reinstall Brother Printer Driver on Windows
The following steps will guide you to reinstall your Brother Printer driver on your Windows computer:
Step 1: Press Windows and R simultaneously. A dialogue box will appear type in ‘devmgmt.msc’ and enter. Or navigate to your device manager with the first step in the above solution.
Step 2: Find ‘Imaging devices’, then double click it to expand it.
Step 3: Locate your printer among the listed options and click it. Then select ‘uninstall device’.
Step 4: Select the ‘Delete driver’ option when prompted. Disconnect your printer from the power source; also restart your computer and router.
Step 5: Reconnect the printer all over and see if the problem has been resolved.
If your Brother printer keeps going offline on a Mac computer you can fix it by also reinstalling the printer driver:
How to Reinstall Brother Printer Driver on Mac
The following steps will guide you to reinstall your Brother Printer driver on your Mac computer:
Step 1: Open your ‘System and preference’ and then select ‘Printer and scanner’. Click your printer then the (-) to uninstall the printer.
Step 2: Go to the official Brother website and download the printer driver.
Step 3: Restart the printer. Next, open the newly installed driver. Click on your printer and then install ‘paper port’. Ensure you carefully read the instructions in the driver’s manual.
Step 4: Wait for the driver to be successfully installed and then go to ‘System preference’ from the ‘Apple’ menu. Next, select ‘Printers and scanners’.
Step 5: Select the (+) sign to choose your Brother printer and add it to the system. Test run the printer to confirm that you have solved the problem of your Brother printer going offline on Mac.
9. Check the Printer’s IP
Your Brother printer may keep going offline if the printer’s IP address is a dynamic IP address. When this is the case, the printer’s IP address will change automatically each time the router’s IP lease expires. This may also be the case if your Brother printer goes offline after a new router is gotten.
The solution to this problem is to set the IP address to a static one.
How to Change your Printer’s IP Address to Static
Change your printer’s IP address to static with these steps…
Step 1: Get to your printer’s properties by doing the steps in earlier solutions.
Step 2: Now, select ‘Port tab’ and check ‘Standard TCP/IP port’. And then click ‘Configure port’.
Step 3: A dialogue box will appear. Enter your computer’s IP address in the ‘Printer Name or IP Address’ and ‘Port Name’ space.
Step 4: Ensure to uncheck the ‘SNMP Status Enable’ option. This option causes some problems that can make a Brother printer go offline.
Step 5: Effect the changes and test run the printer to see if the problem has been rectified.
