Is your Brother printer offline even though it is turned on and connected to your computer? This is a common printing problem that can interrupt your work. Sometimes, your printer appears offline despite having a working WiFi connection.
The Brother printer offline issue may occur because of incorrect printer settings, outdated drivers, network problems, or pending print jobs. Fortunately, most of these problems can be resolved without professional assistance.
In this guide, you'll learn how to fix a Brother printer showing offline on Windows 10, Windows 11, and Mac.
Why Is My Brother Printer Offline?
Before troubleshooting, understanding the possible causes can help you identify the problem.
Common reasons include:
Weak or disconnected WiFi connection.
Printer set to offline mode.
Outdated or corrupted printer drivers.
Pending print jobs in the queue.
Incorrect default printer selection.
Printer and computer connected to different networks.
Print Spooler service problems.
Incorrect printer IP address or port settings.
How to Fix Brother Printer Offline? 10 Easy Solutions
1. Restart Your Brother Printer
Restarting your printer can resolve temporary connection problems.
Turn off your Brother printer.
Disconnect its power cable.
Wait approximately 30 seconds.
Reconnect the cable and turn on the printer.
Try printing a test page.
If your Brother printer keeps going offline, continue with the following solutions.
2. Check Your WiFi Connection
A disconnected network is a common reason for the Brother printer offline error.
Make sure your printer and computer are connected to the same WiFi network.
Check the wireless connection status on your printer's display or network settings. If necessary, reconnect your printer using its wireless setup menu.
3. Disable Use Printer Offline Mode
If your Brother printer is offline on Windows 10 or Windows 11, check the offline setting.
Open Control Panel.
Select Devices and Printers.
Right-click your Brother printer.
Choose See what's printing.
Open the Printer menu.
Uncheck Use Printer Offline if selected.
Try printing again to confirm whether the issue is resolved.
4. Set Brother Printer as Default
Windows may send documents to another printer.
Open Settings, navigate to Printers & scanners, and select your Brother printer.
Set it as the default printer if the option is available. You may need to disable the Windows setting that automatically manages your default printer.
5. Clear Pending Print Jobs
Stuck documents can prevent your Brother printer from responding.
Open your printer queue and cancel pending documents. Restart the printer and submit a fresh print job.
6. Restart the Print Spooler Service
The Print Spooler manages printing tasks on Windows computers.
Press Windows + R.
Type services.msc.
Find Print Spooler.
Right-click and select Restart.
Check your printer status.
This can help resolve a Brother printer showing offline on Windows 11 or Windows 10.
7. Update Brother Printer Drivers
Outdated or incompatible drivers can cause communication errors.
Visit Brother's official support website, search for your printer model, and download the appropriate driver for your operating system.
Install the driver and restart your computer.
8. Fix Brother Printer Offline on Mac
If your Brother printer is offline on Mac, follow these steps:
Open System Settings.
Select Printers & Scanners.
Choose your Brother printer.
Check the printer queue and resume printing if paused.
Remove and re-add the printer if necessary.
Make sure your Mac and printer share the same network.
9. Check Printer IP Address
Network printers may appear offline when their IP address changes.
Print a network configuration report from your Brother printer and verify its IP address.
On Windows, check that the printer's configured port matches the correct address. Update the port configuration if necessary.
10. Reinstall Your Brother Printer
If none of the previous solutions works, remove the printer from your computer.
Restart your computer, reconnect the printer, and install it again using the appropriate Brother software or operating system printer setup.
How to Prevent Brother Printer Offline Problems
To reduce recurring offline errors, maintain a stable WiFi connection, update printer drivers, clear unnecessary print jobs, and keep your printer firmware updated.
Avoid switching between different wireless networks when printing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Brother printer keep going offline?
Your Brother printer may repeatedly go offline because of unstable WiFi, outdated drivers, incorrect network settings, or print queue problems.
How do I get my Brother printer back online?
Restart your printer, verify its network connection, disable offline mode, and clear pending print jobs.
Why is my Brother printer offline but connected to WiFi?
Your computer may be using an outdated printer IP address, incorrect printer port, or unavailable printer connection.
Final Thoughts
The Brother printer offline problem is usually caused by network interruptions, incorrect settings, or printer driver issues. Start with simple solutions such as restarting your printer and checking WiFi connectivity. If the problem continues, update the drivers, restart the Print Spooler, or reinstall the printer.
Need Additional Assistance?
If you’ve tried the troubleshooting steps above and still need help with your Brother Printer Offline issue, dial +1-803-866-1601 (USA). Our independent technical support team can assist with printer troubleshooting. We are not affiliated with or authorized by Brother or any other printer manufacturer.