HP Printer Says & Showing Offline [FIXED]

You gave a command to your HP printer, and the HP printer says offline. It’s an issue that your HP printer showing offline. Its surprisingly a common issue in HP printers. So What to do when an HP printer is offline? Your offline HP means your printer won’t print anything. This guide will help you fix the issue when the HP printer keeps saying offline. Learn how to solve it.

Instant Fix For HP Printer Offline By Updating Drivers. Click Below To Update Drivers

Symptoms –

HP printer says offline but is online

HP printer showing offline

Why is your HP printer says offline but is online?

You may feel frustrated soon if you’ve received the HP offline error. It means your HP printer cannot communicate when required to perform a print job. There could be a few reasons that cause HP printer says offline but is online issue;

• Connection issue.
• Outdated or missing drivers.
• Faulty or corrupt drivers.
• Error in settings. 

What to do when HP printer is offline?

When your HP printer showing offline, you can’t say its actual reason. Hence you’ll need to follow different troubleshooting methods. Suppose one solution works for your HP printer to resolve the offline issue. Also, do not send any print command in such errors. Then, you’ll require to convert the HP printer status from offline to online. Let’s see what you can do to fix the “hp printer keeps saying offline” error.

Fix 1 – Check your connection

The connection has a big role in the HP printer, and depending on your connection type, and you may have some reasons for HP printer offline problem. 

USB cord should be connected securely to your HP printer and PC without any faulty or loose cable connection. 

For the wireless network connection on your HP printer, check the network problems and wireless setup needs. Follow the below steps;

1. Shut down your printer and disconnect the power cord.
2. Wait for 10 seconds, reconnect, and restart your system.
3. Disconnect the power cord from the wireless router, wait for a few seconds, and reconnect.
4. Use the HP Smart software or HP wireless setup wizard to connect your hp printer to the wireless network.
5. You can now print to Report to check the connectivity problems. If you see any connectivity issues, check the network setting report or the HP printer’s wireless menu.

With a wired connection, then disconnect and reconnect the ethernet cable. If the cable is damaged, replace it with the new one.

Fix 2- Is your printer ready to print?

Maybe reconnecting your printer model doesn’t solve the issue, and your HP printer keeps saying offline. First, you should check whether the HP printer is ready to print something or not. 

Check a few things –

• The printer is turned on
• Sufficient and correct ink or toner
• Display no errors
• The lights are not blinking.
• Check if the HP printer is not in sleep mode.
• Ensure the paper is loaded into the input tray
• Restart the HP machine and clear any error states.

If everything above is confirmed and the HP printer says offline but is online, look for another solution.

Fix 3 – Set your printer as the default 

Default printer preference could be the reason your HP printer is offline. Hence, check the below steps to set the printer as default –

1. Open Devices on your windows
2. Click on the “Printers & scanners” tab to open it.
3. Then, check the box and click the “Let Windows manage my default printer” box to uncheck it.
4. Check the box if needed. 
5. In the list, select your HP machine model.
6. If you can’t define your model, then select the printer showing online status.
7. Hit on Manage and select Set as default.

Try to print something on your HP printer. Then, try another solution if you can’t print because the HP printer keeps saying offline status.

Fix 4 – Run the HP Print and Scan Doctor tool

HP Print and Scan Doctor is the diagnostic tool to fix HP errors. You will require to download the tool first, and then you can easily troubleshoot the “HP printer showing offline” issue. Here’s how;

1. Go to HP official to downlaod the HP Print and Scan Doctor tool on your windows system.
2. Install the tool and run it.
3. Start it and choose your HP printer to run the diagnostic.
4. If it can’t find your printer, select My product is not listed.
5. Follow the instructions to troubleshoot the HP offline error.

Fix 5 – Run Diagnose & Fix

\Diagnose & Fix, another HP tool that uses the HP smart app to run on your Windows and even a Mac PC. Make sure to have the HP Smart app in your system.

1. Open the HP Smart app on your Windows system.

2. Open Diagnose & Fix button in the bottom-left corner. 

3. Hit the Start button in the app  and follow the instructions to fix it.

Fix 6 – Update HP printer drivers                

The outdated, missing, or corrupt drivers can occur offline errors. For example, if your HP printer says offline but is online, then maybe its your printer drivers creating the problem. These drivers help communicate between your system and the printer. We’ll discuss two methods to update HP drivers. First, you can use a manual method or tool to update automatically.

1- Using Device Manager 

You may find the method a little longer. Also, you can’t be sure if it’ll install the latest drivers correctly. Again, though, its workable for most systems.  

• Press Windows + X keys.
• Open Device Manager.
• Expand the printer section and right-click on the HP printer.
• Select the Update Driver option.   

• Click on the Search automatically for drivers option.
• Wait for a few minutes to update HP drivers.

2- Using eSoftSafe Driver Updater Tool 

Its an automatic driver updater tool that scan and install the latest HP printer drivers and other drivers. It may fix the drivers issue when the HP printer shows offline.

• Install the eSoftSafe Driver Updater Pro.

• Launch the program and scan your Windows PC.

• Open missing or outdated drivers.

• Click Update in front of the HP printer driver.

Fix 7 – Check Windows Function Discovery services

This feature starts automatically. Check the status with the below steps;

1. Open Control Panel in Windows.
2. Open the “View devices and printers” tab.
3. Expand your HP printer and right-click on it.
4. Click “Printer Properties” and select Ports.
5. Find the WSD port.
6. Search and open Services in the Windows menu.

7. In the enlisted options, look for Function Discovery Provider Host and Function Discovery Resource Publication.
8. Make sure the status is Running with the Automatic startup type. If not, follow step 9.
9. Open Properties with right-click, then change the startup type.
10. Click Apply and start. Thereafter, close the Window.     

We hope your printer is now online when printing. You can also try printing from another device, like another laptop or mobile device. Anyone asking “what to do when HP printer is offline” knows you are not alone. Almost every owner has experienced this issue. Next time your HP printer says offline, try the above fixes.