10 Troubleshooting Tips to Fix the Wireless Printer Problems

Wireless printers are no less than a boon in the printing world. You can sit on your couch and print the document without needing to get up. Sounds Easy Right?

But it is not.

In reality, several problems can surprise you when you try to print wirelessly. You are in your room and the printer is in the next room, you may face network issues in getting the document printed. There can be numerous other glitches,

For instance,

• The computer cannot find the wireless printer
• The wireless printer is not printing
• You can’t find the printer on the network

And so on.

Troubleshooting a wireless printer is not that easy and you need to inspect every single device and settings participating in the wireless printing. Also, it is not just about one brand; even HP users face wireless printing problems. 

Can’t Find Printer on the Network? Here’s How to Fix Wireless Printing Issues

To begin with, resolving the problems, you need to be sure of what problem you are exactly facing so that you can simply pick up the solution that you think will work for you from the list given below:

1. General Troubleshooting

Before you begin loosening the screws of your printer or router; let’s first check if your printer clears the basic level of troubleshooting:

• The printer must be on and it has power.
• Check the toner and paper and the printer queue. This may also happen that a print job is causing an issue in transferring files from your device to the printer.
• Make sure the printer is connected to Wi-Fi and it is working perfectly fine.
• Make sure to keep the printer in a place where it gets the best signal strength of Wi-Fi. It should not be too far from the router.
• Check if the printer is showing any warning lights or error messages.
• Make sure the printer and the computer are connected to the same network as this may also lead to connectivity issues.
• If your printer is not connecting to Wi-Fi, it can happen due to a recent update in the browser, operating system, security software or firewalls. You can try reconfiguring security settings or reconnecting your device to the network.
• Restarting the devices such as a printer, router and computer may resolve the glitch as the issue can even arise when the devices are not properly connected.

Set The Printer As Default

Setting the printer as default may fix the problem that it is facing in connecting wirelessly with the computer. 

• Firstly, go to the ‘Start’ menu and open the ‘Control Panel’, select ‘Hardware and Sound’.
• Click on ‘Devices and Printers’, then right-click your printer and choose the option ‘Set as default printer’.
• Click ‘Yes’ or ‘Ok’ to proceed.

Use the Troubleshooter

If your network printer is not printing, you can run the printer troubleshooter as that will fix the concerned issue.

• Go to ‘Control Panel’ via the Start menu and then open the ‘Device and Printers’ section.
• Right-click on your printer’s icon and then click on ‘Troubleshoot’. After this, the troubleshooter will start detecting and fixing the problems with your printer.
• Or you can even type ‘Printing Problem’ in the search box of the start menu and then select ‘Run Troubleshooter’ to get the printer troubleshooter downloaded. Then click on ‘Open’ and follow the options provided further on the screen.

Update the Router Firmware

You can try updating the router firmware if still, you can’t find the printer on the network. This will help in fixing bugs as well as connectivity issues. Also, if you have switched recently from Windows 10 to a different version, it may happen that the system can’t find the wireless printer on Windows 10.
To deal with this, you can update the firmware to remove the interruption in the connection. 

Update the Router Settings

This will help if you have recently replaced your router. Reconfigure your computer and printer to reconnect it with your network.  This is because the new router may have a different ISP address, hence it may require reconfiguration, adjustment or router settings, etc. 

Disable VPN

If your device is connected to a VPN to connect securely to a network, you may face obstruction in wireless printing through your printer. This is due to security reasons, hence disable the VPN connection and get back to flawless wireless printing.

Firewall Settings

The main job of a firewall is to block the malware attacks but it sometimes also blocks the network settings that are required for printing. It depends on the firewall settings that, if it will let you see your printer over the local network. Also, make sure that the software is up-to-date and you don’t have multiple firewalls enabled while printing. 

Reinstall the Printer Driver and Software

This is most probably going to help you as it will install the fresh and the latest version of your printer driver:

• Click on ‘Programs’ after opening the ‘Control Panel’.
• Under the section ‘Programs and Features’, click on ‘Uninstall a program’.
• Then click on your printer’s name and hit ‘Yes’ to confirm un-installation.
• Now turn on your printer and visit the manufacturer’s website to get the right directions for downloading and installing the driver and software. After this, establish the printer connection and try printing again.
• Alternatively, you can reinstall the drivers using the ‘Windows Update’ section. If an update for the driver will be available, it will automatically install it.

Uninstall and Reinstall the Printer

Reinstall the printer after completely uninstalling it may also help in fixing the connection issue. Follow these steps to remove and reinstall it:

• Click Start > Settings > Devices and then click on ‘Printers and Scanners’. Look for your printer, click on it and select the option ‘Remove device’.
• To reinstall the printer, click Start > Settings > Devices > Printers and Scanners and then click on ‘Add a printer or scanner’.
• Next, select your printer from the list and hit ‘Add device’.

Reset Print Spooler

The spooler is responsible for managing the printing process and if the printer is connected but won’t print, then the print spooler could be the culprit. You need to clear the spooler files and reset it as follows:

• In the search box of the start menu, type in ‘Services’ and click on it from the search results.
• Click on the ‘Standard’ tab and then double-click ‘Print Spooler’.
• Hit ‘Stop’ and then click ‘Ok’.
• In the search box, type %WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers and select %WINDIR%\system32\spool\PRINTERS from the results.
• Delete all the files in that folder, and then go to services. Click on the Standards tab, and double-click on Print Spooler. Click Start, for the Startup type box, select Automatic and hit ‘Ok’.

What If HP Printer Won’t Connect To Wi-Fi?

HP printers are always in demand and if you are not able to connect your printer to the network, you may not be able to take the complete advantage of wireless printing. So, first of all, you need to know the right way to set up an HP Wireless Printer on your computer. Moreover, for the printer model you have, you must have downloaded and installed the right set of HP Printer Drivers. Also, make sure that the Wi-Fi you are connecting your printer to, is working fine and the signal strength is satisfactory.