HP Printer Not Printing but Connected [Reasons & Solutions]

Is your HP printer not printing but connected and you don’t know why? then we recommend that you read this article carefully to find out the reasons responsible for this issue. We will also provide solutions to this printer problem.

HP Printer not Printing but Connected [Whys & Fixes]

Below are some of the reasons your HP printer is not printing even though it is connected:

1. Bad Connection

If your HP printer is connected by USB not printing, it could be that the USB cable is faulty or it is not properly plugged into your computer’s USB port. This could equally be the case if you are connected to a network via an Ethernet cable.

Therefore, you need to plug the cable in use properly into your computer and printer. After that, check if the problem is resolved.

If the issue persists, check the cable for any damage. Wears and cuts on the cable are indications that the cable is faulty. If this is the case, you need to replace the USB or Ethernet cable with a new one.

Some HP printers can connect to networks wirelessly without the need for a USB or Ethernet cable. If you own such a printer, you need to ensure that your printer and your computer are connected to the same wireless network.

Another thing you can do if you own a wireless HP printer is to move your printer closer to your router. All routers have a range that their network can cover. If your HP printer is out of range, your printer might stop printing.

2. Empty or Low Ink

Once the ink or toner in your cartridge becomes low or empty, the printing function of your printer will cease.

Hence, you need to confirm the ink level of your printer by following the instructions we shared in this link: HP Printer Black Ink – How to Check HP Printer Estimated Ink Levels under the “How to Check HP Printer Estimated Ink Levels” section.

If the ink is low or empty, replace the cartridge rather than refill it since the latter option also presents its own troubles.

3. Documents Stuck in Print Queue

The number of print jobs in your print queue could prevent your HP printer from printing even though it is connected. Hence, you need to ensure that you aren’t sending so many print commands at a time.

In case your printer stops printing altogether, the best fix is to clear your printer’s print queue. 

To clear the print queue, click Clear HP Printer – How Do I Clear My HP Printer Queue and follow the instructions under the “How Do I Clear My HP Printer Queue [Solved]” section.

4. Printer Software Issues

Your HP printing might be connected but not printing due to an issue with the printer software such as a wrongly installed driver, an outdated driver, etc.

Whatever the case might be, uninstalling and reinstalling the driver and firmware is always the best solution for this problem.

To uninstall and reinstall your HP printer, we recommend that you follow the instructions here: HP Printer Won’t Scan to Computer – How to Uninstall and then Reinstall HP Printer under the “How to Uninstall and then Reinstall HP Printer Software” section.

To reinstall your HP printer, click this link: HP Printer Errors and Solutions – Reinstall your Printer Drivers, and then follow the instructions under the “Reinstall your Printer Drivers” section.

5. Your Printer isn’t the Default Printer

If your HP printer isn’t set to function as the default printer, it won’t print when a print job is sent because the command will be sent to the printer that serves as the default.

Therefore, you need to set your HP printer as the default printer by doing the following quick steps:

Step 1: Click on the Windows “Start” icon.

Step 2: Type “Control Panel” in the search box.

Step 3: From the search results, click on “Control Panel”.

Step 4: Right-click your HP printer.

Step 5: Choose “Set as Default Printer”.

Step 6: Click on Yes.

How to Fix HP Printer not Printer When Connected to a Wireless or Wired Network on Windows 8

In this section, we will guide you on how to fix the problem of your HP printer not printing on a wireless or wired (Ethernet) network after updating to Windows 8.

Do the steps below:

Ensure that your HP Printer and Computer are on the Same Network – Step 1

The first thing you have to do is to confirm that your HP printer and computer are connected to the same network by doing the following depending on your connection type.

HP Printer and Computer are connected to the Network via Wireless Connection

Do the following steps to confirm that your HP printer and computer are connected to the network if you are using a wireless connection:

Step 1: Right-click on your computer’s screen bottom left corner.

Step 2: Click on Desktop.

Step 3: Click on the icon for “Wireless” in the taskbar notification area.

  • If the connected wireless network belongs to you, jot it down as you will need it as we continue.
  • If the connected wireless network does not belong to you, ensure that you connect first to your network before you proceed.

Step 4: To confirm that your HP printer is connected to the network, print out a Network Configuration Page.

If you don’t know how to print a Network Configuration Page from your HP printer, do the following:

i. Visit this site.

ii. Type your HP printer model.

iii. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.

iv. If needed, click on the right model from the list showing similar printers.

v. Search the homepage of your HP printer for a “how to print a network configuration page” document.

Step 5: Look for the status of the wireless connection on the Network Configuration Page and look.

i. Ensure that your HP printer is connected. You should see “Connected” as the status.

ii. Ensure that the name of the network name is the same as the name of your network. Verify by checking the name you jotted down earlier.

If your printer isn’t connected or it is connected to another network, ensure that you connect to the right network.

If you don’t know how to connect to the right network, visit this site, and then type your HP printer model. After that, search for a “how to connect your printer to the right network” document or instructions.

HP Printer and Computer are connected to the Network via Wired Connection

Do the following steps to confirm that your HP printer and computer are connected to the network if you are using a wired (Ethernet) connection:

Step 1: Examine the ends of the Ethernet cord that is connected to your computer and router. Ensure that they are both connected securely.

Step 2: On your Windows 8 computer, right-click on the screen’s bottom-left corner.

Step 3: Click on “Desktop”.

Step 4: Click on the icon for “Wired” in the taskbar notification area.

  • If the connected wireless network belongs to you, jot it down as you will need it as we continue.
  • If the connected wireless network does not belong to you, ensure that you connect first to your network before you proceed.

Step 5: To confirm that your HP printer is connected to the network, print out a Network Configuration Page.

If you don’t know how to print a Network Configuration Page from your HP printer, do the following:

i. Visit this site.

ii. Type your HP printer model.

iii. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.

iv. If needed, click on the right model from the list showing similar printers.

v. Search the homepage of your HP printer for a “how to print a network configuration page” document.

Step 6: Go through the Network Configuration Page and check if the IP address of your printer has numbers beside it.

i. If the IP address has numbers beside it, move to “Uninstall the Built-in Windows 8 HP Print Driver – Step 2” below.

ii. If you don’t know how to connect to the right network, visit this site, and then type your HP printer model. After that, search for a “how to connect your printer to the right network” document or instructions.

Step 7: Move to “Uninstall the Built-in Windows 8 HP Print Driver – Step 2” below once your HP printer is connected to the right network.

Are you having other HP printer not printing problems? Then read this article: HP Printer Not Printing [Issues & Solutions] to learn how to fix that problem in no time.

Uninstall the Built-in Windows 8 HP Print Driver – Step 2

To uninstall the built-in Windows 8 HP print driver, do the following steps:

Step 1: Right-click on your computer’s “Start” button. Alternatively, you can right-click on your screen’s bottom-left corner.

Step 2: Click on “Search”.

Step 3: Type “Devices and Printers”.

Step 4: Click on “Devices and Printers”.

Step 5: Right-click on your HP printer’s icon.

Step 6: Click on “Remove Device”.

This action will cause your computer to uninstall the print driver software.

Download and then Install your HP Printer Software – Step 3

To download and then install your HP full feature printer software, do the steps below:

Step 1: Turn your HP printer on.

Step 2: Remove any connected USB cord from your HP printer. You will be prompted by the installation to plug the cord if necessary.

Step 3: Visit HP Customer Support – Software and Driver Downloads.

Step 4: Click on “Printer” if a page for “Let’s identify your product to get started” is displayed. 

Step 5: Type the number of your HP printer model.

Step 6: Click on “Submit”.

Step 7: Click on “Change” if you want to change your operating system. After that choose the operating system version before you click on “Change”.

Step 8: Click on “Download” under the heading for “Driver”. This will download the full software package.

If you want other printer driver options, click on “Basic Drivers”.

Step 9: Check if your printer is printing by printing a test page.

If it prints, then you don’t have to troubleshoot further.

If it doesn’t print, do the step below.

Update your HP Printer Firmware – Step 4

Updating your printer firmware might just solve the problem. You can only update the firmware if your printer firmware is not up-to-date. Hence, we will guide you on how to update your printer firmware if a new version is available for both windows and mac connected computers.

How to Update your HP Printer Firmware for Windows Connected Computers

To update your HP printer firmware if it is connected to a Windows computer, do the steps below:

Step 1: Ensure that your HP printer is powered on.

Step 2: Ensure that your HP printer is connected to your computer via a USB cable or local network.

Step 3: Visit HP Customer Support – Software and Driver Downloads.

Step 4: Click on “Printer” if a page for “Let’s identify your product to get started” is displayed. 

Step 5: Type the number of your HP printer model.

Step 6: Click on “Submit”.

The results page of your printer software will be shown and the default operating system will be selected.

Step 7: Click on “Change” if you want to change your Windows version. After that choose the operating system version before you click on “Change”.

Step 8: Click on “Firmware”.

Step 9: Click on “Download”.

If you can’t find a section for firmware, then it means there is no new firmware update for your HP printer.

Step 10: Save the firmware file to your PC.

Step 11: Go to the location on your computer where you saved the file.

Step 12: Open the file. The installation will then start.

Step 13: When you see a window for “HP Printer Update”, check if the serial number of your printer is displayed or a prompt is displayed for the printer model.

  • If you can see the serial number, click on the checkbox beside it. After that, click on “Update”.
  • If you can see the serial number but you can’t access it because it is grayed out, it means you don’t require the update. Therefore, click on “Cancel”.
  • If you can’t see the serial number, and your HP printer is connected to a network, plug a USB cord into your printer and PC. Wait for about 20 seconds before you click on “Refresh”. When the serial number is displayed, click on the checkbox beside it. After that, click on “Update”.
  • If you get a prompt to select a printer to update, select your HP printer model. After that, click on “Send Firmware”.

Step 14: Once the update is complete, click on “OK”.

Step 15: If you plugged in a USB cord to perform the update on your HP network printer, you have to remove the Windows installed USB driver.

i. Go to your Windows search bar.

ii. Type “Control Panel”.

iii. From the search results, click on “Control Panel”.

iv. Click on “View Devices and Printers”.

v. Right-click on the USB printer driver that matches that of your HP printer model.

vi. Click on “Remove Device”.

vii. Unplug the USB cord from your printer and PC.

viii. Restart your computer.

How to Update your HP Printer Firmware for Mac Connected Computers

To update your HP printer firmware if it is connected to a Mac computer, do the steps below:

Step 1: Ensure that your HP printer is powered on.

Step 2: Ensure that your HP printer is connected to your computer via a USB cable or local network.

Step 3: Visit HP Customer Support – Software and Driver Downloads.

Step 4: Click on “Printer” if a page for “Let’s identify your product to get started” is displayed. 

Step 5: Type the number of your HP printer model.

Step 6: Click on “Submit”.

The results page of your printer software will be shown and the default operating system will be selected.

Step 7: Click on “Change” if you want to change your Mac OS X or macOS version. After that choose the operating system version before you click on “Change”.

Step 8: Click on “Firmware”.

Step 9: Click on “Download”.

If you can’t find a section for firmware, then it means there is no new firmware update for your HP printer.

Step 10: Once the file has been downloaded, open the file with the name “[Printer_name].dmg”.

Note: Please note that “Printer_name” stands for the name of your HP printer. Hence, if your printer is HP 4620, the file name will read as “[HP 4620].dmg”.

Step 11: Double-click on “HP Firmware Updater”.

Step 12: Click on your printer name.

Step 13: Click on “Continue.

Step 14: The updater will check the version of the installed firmware, and will show the results in the window for “Update Information”.

  • If you see this displayed “Device is ready to be reflashed”, click on “Continue” to complete the firmware update. Once the update is complete, click on “Done”.
  • If you see this displayed “This Firmware Updater does not contain upgrades for your device”, then it means your printer firmware is already up-to-date. Therefore, click on “Cancel”. When you do that, the updater will close.