Printer Not Printing? Fix It in Minutes — Complete Guide
Your printer is powered on and showing Ready, but nothing prints when you send a job. This frustrating issue almost always has a software-side cause — not a hardware failure. Follow these steps to diagnose and fix a printer that won't print.
Does this describe your problem?
- Printer is powered on and shows Ready, but nothing prints
- Print jobs disappear from the queue immediately without printing
- Error light flashing with no visible paper jam or ink issue
- Printer printed fine yesterday but stopped working today
Try this first
Check that the correct printer is set as the Default Printer in Windows — most 'not printing' issues are caused by jobs being sent to a different or virtual printer.
Step-by-Step Fix
Follow each step in order. Most issues are resolved within the first three steps.
- 1
Set the correct printer as default
Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Find your physical printer, click on it, and select "Set as default." Check that you are not accidentally printing to Microsoft Print to PDF, XPS Document Writer, or an old printer entry that no longer exists.
- 2
Check ink levels and paper
Confirm the printer has paper loaded correctly. Check ink or toner levels via the printer's control panel or the manufacturer app (HP Smart, Canon Quick Menu, Epson Status Monitor). A printer with critically low ink or no paper will refuse to print and may not show a clear error.
- 3
Clear the print queue
Go to Settings > Printers & scanners > select your printer > Open print queue. Delete all jobs (Ctrl+A then Delete). A corrupted job at the top of the queue blocks all subsequent jobs, making the printer appear unresponsive even when healthy.
- 4
Restart the Print Spooler service
Press Win+R, type services.msc, Enter. Find Print Spooler, right-click, select Restart. The Print Spooler is the Windows service that manages print jobs. A crashed spooler prevents any printing even when the printer hardware is fully operational.
- 5
Verify the printer connection
For USB: unplug and reconnect the cable, try a different USB port. For Wi-Fi: confirm the printer and computer are on the same network. Print the printer's network configuration page to verify its IP address and connection status.
- 6
Reinstall or update the driver
Open Device Manager (Win+X > Device Manager > Print queues). Right-click your printer and select Update driver. If no update found, visit the manufacturer website, download the latest driver, uninstall the existing one, and reinstall from the fresh download.
Advanced Troubleshooting
If the steps above did not resolve the issue, try these advanced fixes.
- 7
Run the Windows Printer Troubleshooter
Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. Find Printer and click Run. Windows automatically checks for and fixes common printer communication issues, driver problems, and spooler errors. This can resolve issues that manual steps miss.
- 8
Check for Windows Update driver conflicts
A recent Windows Update may have replaced your printer driver with a generic incompatible version. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history and check if a recent update coincides with when printing stopped. Visit the manufacturer's website for a driver compatible with the updated Windows version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about printer not printing fix.
Why does my printer say Ready but won't print?
If the printer displays Ready but won't print, the issue is almost always on the computer side. Check that the correct printer is set as default, the print queue is clear, and the Print Spooler service is running. Also verify you are sending the job to the physical printer and not a virtual printer like PDF or XPS.
Why do my print jobs disappear without printing?
Print jobs that vanish instantly are usually being sent to a virtual printer (Microsoft Print to PDF, XPS Document Writer) instead of the physical printer. Check the printer selection in the print dialog box. Also check the Documents folder for unexpected PDF files that confirm the misdirection.
How do I force my printer to print?
To force a print: clear the queue completely, restart the Print Spooler, set the printer as default, then go to Settings > Printers & scanners > select printer > Manage > Print a test page. This bypasses the application and sends directly to the printer driver, isolating whether the issue is app-specific or system-wide.
My printer worked yesterday but not today. What changed?
Common overnight changes that break printing: a Windows Update installed a driver update overnight, the printer IP address changed (router DHCP reassignment), or the printer sleep mode timed out and entered a non-responsive state. Restart both devices and check Device Manager for a yellow warning icon on the printer.
Still Having Trouble?
Browse our full troubleshooting library for step-by-step fixes covering all printer brands and issues.