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Brother printers can sometimes appear offline even when they are powered on and connected to a computer or wireless network. When a Brother printer shows an offline status, print jobs may remain in the queue, documents may not print, or the computer may be unable to communicate with the printer.
The problem can be caused by a disconnected USB cable, an interrupted WiFi connection, incorrect printer settings, a stuck print queue, an outdated driver, or the computer selecting an incorrect Brother printer entry. Brother recommends checking the printer's power, error status, connection, default-printer setting, and pending print jobs when troubleshooting an offline condition.
Check the Brother Printer Power
Start by checking whether the Brother printer is turned on and ready.
If the printer display is blank or the indicator lights are off, the printer may be turned off or sleeping. Press a button on the printer to wake it. If it does not wake up, check the power cable and electrical outlet.
Also look at the printer display for an error message. A paper jam, empty ink or toner, open cover, or another printer error can cause the machine to become unavailable.
Brother recommends clearing any displayed printer error before continuing with offline troubleshooting.
Check the Brother Printer Connection
The next step is to verify how your Brother printer is connected.
For a USB connection, make sure the cable is firmly connected to both the printer and computer. Brother recommends connecting the printer directly to the computer rather than through a USB hub when troubleshooting connection problems.
For a wired network connection, check both ends of the Ethernet cable. Make sure the printer is connected to the router or network device.
For WiFi, confirm that the Brother printer is connected to the correct wireless network. Your computer should also be connected to the appropriate network.
Restart the Brother Printer
A temporary communication problem can sometimes make a Brother printer appear offline.
Turn off the Brother printer and wait for it to shut down completely. Restart the printer and allow it to finish its startup process.
If the printer uses WiFi, restarting the router can also help restore network communication. Brother's wireless troubleshooting guidance recommends restarting the router or access point, computer or mobile device, and Brother machine when appropriate.
After restarting everything, check the printer status again and try printing a small document.
Check the Brother Printer on Windows
If your Brother printer appears offline in Windows, open the printer settings and locate the Brother machine.
Make sure the correct Brother printer is selected. If multiple printers are installed, Windows may be sending documents to an older or duplicate printer entry.
On supported Windows versions, Brother recommends checking that the Brother machine is set as the default printer and that it is selected when printing from an application.
If you have several Brother printer entries with similar names, identify the one that is actually connected and remove outdated entries when appropriate.
Turn Off the Use Printer Offline Setting
On some Windows configurations, the printer can be manually placed into offline mode.
Open the Brother printer's print queue and look for the Printer menu. If Use Printer Offline is selected, remove that selection.
Brother specifically recommends removing the Use Printer Offline setting when the printer is incorrectly showing as offline on supported Windows versions.
After changing the setting, close the print queue and try printing again.
Clear the Brother Printer Queue
A stuck print job can make it appear that the Brother printer is not responding.
Open Windows printer settings and select your Brother printer. Open the print queue and cancel documents that are waiting.
Brother's troubleshooting instructions recommend deleting pending print jobs when a machine is offline or paused.
After clearing the queue, send a new document to the printer. If the new document prints normally, the problem was likely caused by a stuck print job.
Set Brother Printer as the Default Printer
If your computer has several printers installed, it may be sending documents to the wrong device.
Open the printer settings and select your Brother printer. Set it as the default printer if it is the printer you normally use.
Brother recommends checking the default-printer setting when troubleshooting offline or paused printer status.
Also check the printer selected inside the application you are using. A document may be configured to print to a different printer even when the Brother machine is set as the Windows default.
Fix Brother Printer Offline Over WiFi
A Brother printer connected through WiFi can appear offline when its wireless connection has been interrupted.
First, check whether the printer is still connected to your wireless network. If your model provides a network configuration report, use it to check the network information and IP address.
Brother recommends verifying that the computer and Brother machine are using the same wireless network.
If the WiFi connection has stopped working, restart the printer's wireless connection when that option is available on your model. You can also restart the router and reconnect the printer to the network.
Keep the printer within a reasonable wireless range of the router. A weak signal can cause intermittent communication and make the printer appear unavailable.
Check the Brother Printer IP Address
Network printers communicate with computers through network information such as an IP address.
If your Brother printer has received a different IP address, the computer may still be trying to communicate with an older address. This can cause the printer to appear offline.
Print the network configuration page if your Brother model supports this feature. Check the current network information and confirm that the printer is connected to the expected network.
Brother provides a Network Connection Repair Tool for supported Windows models. The tool can help restore wireless printing by locating the machine and updating its IP address within the printer driver.
Reconnect the Brother Printer to WiFi
If the printer cannot communicate with the wireless network, reconnecting it may resolve the offline condition.
Open the wireless or network settings on the Brother printer and select the appropriate wireless setup option. Choose your WiFi network and enter the correct password.
Make sure the computer is connected to the same network.
If you recently changed your router, wireless password, or network name, the printer may still contain the previous network information. In that situation, configure the Brother printer with the new wireless settings.
Fix Brother Printer Offline Through USB
If your Brother printer uses USB, check the cable and USB connection.
Disconnect the cable from the computer and printer, then reconnect it securely. If possible, connect the printer directly to the computer rather than through a hub.
You can also try another compatible USB port. If Windows creates multiple copies of the same Brother printer after changing USB ports or reinstalling the driver, the wrong printer entry may be selected. Brother notes that duplicate printer entries can cause some printer-driver copies to stop working correctly.
Remove unnecessary duplicate printer entries and select the working Brother printer.
Restart the Print Spooler
Windows uses the Print Spooler service to manage print jobs. If the service becomes stuck, documents may remain in the queue and the Brother printer may appear unavailable.
Restarting the Print Spooler can refresh Windows printing communication.
After restarting the service, open the Brother printer queue and check whether the previous print jobs have disappeared. Then send a new document to the printer.
If the printer continues to show offline, continue with the connection and driver checks.
Update the Brother Printer Driver
An outdated or damaged driver can prevent Windows from communicating correctly with the Brother printer.
Check Brother's software and driver downloads for your exact printer model and operating system. Download the appropriate current driver and install it.
If the existing driver is damaged, reinstalling the Brother printer driver can be more effective than simply updating it.
After installation, restart the computer and check the printer status again.
Remove and Add the Brother Printer Again
If the printer remains offline after checking the connection and driver, remove the Brother printer from the computer and add it again.
Before doing this, make sure the physical or wireless connection is working.
Remove the existing Brother printer entry from Windows printer settings. Restart the computer if necessary, then add the Brother printer again.
For a WiFi printer, make sure the printer is already connected to the wireless network. For a USB printer, connect the cable when Windows requests it during setup.
Adding the printer again can create a fresh connection between Windows and the Brother printer.
Check Brother Printer on Mac
Mac users can also experience an offline Brother printer when the printer connection or printer configuration is incorrect.
Open the Mac printer settings and check whether the Brother machine appears correctly. Confirm that the Mac and wireless Brother printer are connected to the same network.
If the printer is connected through USB, check the cable and connection.
If the Brother printer is no longer available, remove the existing printer entry and add the machine again using the appropriate connection method.
Brother provides separate troubleshooting instructions for macOS network printing because the available settings differ from Windows.
Check for Duplicate Brother Printers
A duplicate Brother printer entry can cause confusion and may make the computer select a non-working driver.
For example, Windows may show multiple entries for the same Brother model after a driver has been installed more than once or after changing the USB port.
Brother specifically identifies duplicate printer icons as a possible cause of printer-driver problems.
Check your printer list and identify the correct Brother machine. Remove obsolete or duplicate entries when appropriate, then set the working printer as the default.
Print a Test Document
After making changes, print a simple document to verify the connection.
If the document prints successfully, the offline problem has been resolved.
If the printer remains offline, check whether the printer can perform its own internal functions. If the printer can produce an internal report but cannot print from the computer, the problem is more likely related to the connection, driver, or operating-system settings.
If the printer itself reports an error or cannot operate normally, troubleshoot that printer error before focusing on the computer.
Brother Printer Still Offline
If the Brother printer remains offline after checking the power, connection, print queue, printer settings, network, and driver, the problem may be specific to the printer model or network configuration.
Brother's support documentation recommends model-specific troubleshooting because wireless settings, network features, and available recovery options vary between machines.
For network-connected printers, verify the current network information and make sure the printer and computer are using the same network. For USB printers, verify the cable and remove duplicate printer entries if necessary.
Final Thoughts
A Brother printer can show an offline status because of a connection problem, printer error, stuck print queue, incorrect Windows setting, duplicate printer entry, wireless network issue, or damaged driver.
Start by checking that the printer is powered on and free from displayed errors. Then verify the USB, Ethernet, or WiFi connection. Clear pending print jobs, make sure the Brother printer is selected as the default printer, and disable the offline setting when it has been enabled accidentally. Brother's official troubleshooting guidance recommends these checks for offline and paused printer conditions.
For wireless printers, confirm that the Brother machine and computer are connected to the same network and check the printer's network information if necessary. If the problem continues, updating or reinstalling the Brother printer driver and adding the printer again can restore communication.
With the correct connection and printer settings, most common Brother printer offline problems can be resolved without replacing the printer.