Posted by Brother Printer users often face a situation when they cannot print because of offline errors in their printers. The Brother Printer offline error can occur due to a paper jam, faulty drivers, or low ink. But you needn’t worry, as the problem isn’t too complex. This blog will highlight all the possible solutions to get your Brother printer up and working again.
Fixes for the Brother Printer Offline Problem
Here are some effective approaches to bring an offline Brother printer back online.
Fix 1. Examine the connectivity of Brother Printers
You’ll see an offline message on your printer if it isn’t linked properly to your Windows 10 system. Problems in the connection of the printer with the router or network can also cause this error.
- Turn off the printer. Now switch it on.
- When it’s powered on, wait for about two minutes.
- Examine the connection of the printer with the USB or Wi-Fi.
- Check whether you are linked to the correct network if you use Wi-Fi.
- Check for a wireless light on your Brother printing device. It points out that the machine is connected.
- In the case of a USB cable connection, check whether the wires are plugged properly into both the printer and computer.
- After making the changes, give a print command.
Fix 2. Set your Brother device as the default
Sometimes, users forget to configure their Brother printer as the default printer on their computers. It results in Brother printer offline Windows 10 issue.
- Navigate to the ‘Control Panel’ section.
- Here, open ‘Devices and Printers.’
- Choose your Brother printing machine.
- Right-click it and choose ‘See what’s printing.’
- Now, right-click the printer again and tap ‘Set as default printer.’
- Below it, you can view your printer status.
- If it shows paused, tap the ‘Resume Printing’ option.
- Now, give a print command.
Fix 3. Un-check the offline status
An effective Brother printer offline fix is to find whether your printer is in offline mode. Most often, unchecking this option brings the printer back online.
- In your Windows 10 system, launch the ‘Control Panel.’
- Hit the option, ‘Devices and Printers.’
- Right-click the printer’s icon.
- In the dropdown that opens, click ‘See what’s printing.’
- Now tap on ‘’ It is at the top-left.
- If there’s a mark on the ‘Use printer offline’ option, un-check it.
- You can uncheck it by clicking it.
- Next, tap the ‘Printer’ tab again.
- This time, opt for ‘Cancel all documents.’
- This will resolve the issue of your Brother printer going offline.
Fix 4. Fix the paper jam problem
The paper jam occurs because of incorrectly loading the paper or due to low-quality ink cartridges. But it almost always results in the Brother printer offline issue.
- Unplug the printer and the telephone line cord from it.
- Take out the paper tray and remove the jammed paper bits from it.
- Now stack the tray with the right paper and put it back in the machine.
- Raise the scanner cover and examine the printhead’s position.
- Move the printhead to the center.
- Check for the stuck paper under the printhead and remove them.
- Now close the scanner cover by pushing the scanner cover support down.
- To remove the paper jam inside your printer, take out the jammed clear cover on the printer’s back.
- Remove the jammed paper and re-insert the cover.
- Raise the scanner cover and examine the printhead’s position.
- Move it to the center.
- Examine the stuck paper under the printhead and remove them.
- Close the scanner cover by pushing the cover support down.
- Plug the power cord and telephone line back.
- Turn on the device and find if the error message still displays.
Fix 5. Restart the Brother print spooler
Have you come this far but still found that your Brother printer keeps going offline? Restarting the printer spooler can help.
- Use the ‘Run’ dialog box to access the ‘Services’ window.
- Once there, click the ‘Print Spooler’ option on the Windows right panel.
- Right-tap on ‘Print Spooler’ and choose ‘Stop.’
- Access the File Explorer and paste this path into its address bar: ‘Type C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS’
- Hit Enter.
- Choose all the files in this folder and hit delete.
- Return to the ‘Print Spooler’ option and right-tap it.
- Run the service again by choosing the ‘Start’ option.
- The spooler’s startup type should be ‘Automatic.’
Fix 6. Update the Brother printer driver
A good Brother printer offline fix is to update the outdated printer driver.
- Start by opening ‘Devices and Printers’ in your Windows 10 system.
- Now, click right on your Brother machine.
- Select ‘Remove device’ present at the dropdown.
- Hit ‘Yes’ to confirm the device removal.
- Next, head to the official download page of the Brother website.
- Choose the correct driver and software package for your printer model.
- You can search your printer by entering its model name.
- After that, open the downloaded file and use the directions on the screen to get the latest driver and software.
- That’s it. After updating the drivers, you won’t see your printer showing an offline status.
Fix 7. Check if your printer is in sleep mode.
Some good method to make your printer online is to wake it from sleep mode. Additionally, inspect the LCD screen of your printer. It should not show the error message. Try restarting the Brother printer and see if it comes online. You can also reset the printer to its factory settings.
Fix Brother Printer Offline Mac Issue
Offline issues in Mac arise mainly because of a bad connection between the printer and Mac. Use these instructions to establish the connection.
- Power on your printer.
- Find if it’s linked to the Mac.
- You must also have stable internet connectivity.
- Check for hardware issues.
- Examine the printer tray.
- There should not be any pieces of stuck paper.
- Now, examine the ink levels.
- If there’s low ink, replace the cartridge.
- Open ‘Printers and Scanners’ and choose your Brother printer.
- Click ‘Open Print Queue.’
- Delete the print commands.
- Now, run a test print.
Final Words
The Brother Printer offline problem can waste your precious time and productivity if you don’t know its troubleshooting. But these basic fixes will enable you to set up the connection between your printer and the system. If you need more guidance in troubleshooting printer errors, consult a printer technical expert.