Brother Printer Not Printing? Fix It in 5 Easy Steps

There’s nothing more frustrating than hitting “Print” and watching… nothing happen. If your Brother printer is not printing, you’re not alone — it’s one of the most common issues Brother printer owners search for, and the good news is that it’s usually fixable in just a few minutes without calling a technician.Brother printer not printing? Follow these 5 quick fixes for offline errors, stuck print queues & driver issues. Get it working again today.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the 5 easiest steps to get your Brother printer working again, whether it’s showing offline, stuck in the print queue, or simply refusing to respond.

Why Is My Brother Printer Not Printing?

Brother Printer Not Printing

Before jumping into fixes, it helps to know why this happens. The most common causes include:

  • Outdated or corrupted printer drivers
  • A stuck or overloaded print spooler
  • Wi-Fi or USB connection issues
  • Printer set as “offline” in Windows or Mac settings
  • Low ink, paper jams, or hardware sensor errors
  • Wrong printer selected as default

Now let’s fix it.

Step 1: Check Physical Connections and Printer Status

Start with the basics:

  • Make sure the printer is powered on and not showing an error light or message on its screen
  • Check that the USB cable is securely connected (or that Wi-Fi is connected if wireless)
  • Open the paper tray and confirm there’s no jam and paper is loaded correctly
  • Check the ink or toner cartridges — a printer will often refuse to print if it detects an empty cartridge

If everything looks fine physically, move to the next step.

Step 2: Set Your Brother Printer as the Default Printer

Sometimes documents fail to print because your computer is sending the job to the wrong printer.

On Windows:

  1. Go to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners
  2. Click on your Brother printer
  3. Select Set as default

On Mac:

  1. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners
  2. Right-click your Brother printer and choose Set Default Printer

Step 3: Clear the Print Queue and Restart the Spooler

A stuck print job is one of the top reasons a Brother printer stops printing. Clearing the queue often solves it instantly.

On Windows:

  1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter
  2. Find Print Spooler, right-click, and select Stop
  3. Go to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete all files inside
  4. Go back to Services, right-click Print Spooler again, and select Start

On Mac:

  1. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners
  2. Click your Brother printer, then Open Print Queue
  3. Cancel any stuck jobs

Step 4: Reinstall or Update Your Brother Printer Drivers

Outdated or corrupted drivers are one of the biggest culprits behind printing failures, especially after a Windows update.

  1. Uninstall the current Brother printer driver from Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a Program
  2. Restart your computer
  3. Download the latest driver for your exact model from the official Brother support website
  4. Install the driver and reconnect your printer

If you’re unsure which driver matches your Brother model, or the download keeps failing, this is one of the most common issues our support team helps customers resolve remotely.

Step 5: Check for “Printer Offline” Status and Reconnect

If your printer shows as offline, your computer isn’t communicating with it properly.

On Windows:

  1. Go to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners
  2. Click your Brother printer > Open Queue
  3. Uncheck Use Printer Offline if it’s selected
  4. Restart both your printer and your computer, then reconnect to Wi-Fi if applicable

For wireless models, re-running the Brother Wireless Setup Wizard from the printer’s control panel can also resolve persistent offline errors.

Still Not Printing? We Can Fix It Remotely — Today

If you’ve gone through all five steps and your Brother printer not printing still won’t print, the issue may be deeper — a corrupted driver installation, a network configuration conflict, or a hardware fault that needs expert diagnosis.

Instead of spending hours troubleshooting, our certified technicians can connect to your computer remotely and get your Brother printer working again in one session. We handle:

  • Brother printer driver installation and updates
  • Wi-Fi and network printer setup
  • Fixing “offline” and “not responding” errors
  • Full printer installation for new devices

Book a remote Brother printer support session today and skip the guesswork. Brother Printer Not Printing

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Brother printer connected but not printing? This usually means the printer is set offline in your computer’s settings, or the print spooler has a stuck job. Follow Steps 3 and 5 above to resolve it.

Why did my Brother printer stop printing after a Windows update? Windows updates can overwrite or break printer drivers. Reinstalling the latest Brother driver (Step 4) typically fixes this.

How do I reset my Brother printer to fix printing issues? Turn the printer off, unplug it for 30 seconds, then plug it back in and power it on. Combine this with clearing the print queue for best results.

Do I need to reinstall Brother printer software after switching Wi-Fi networks? Not always — but you will need to reconnect the printer to the new network using the Wireless Setup Wizard on the printer’s control panel. Brother Printer Not Printing

Still stuck? Our remote printer support team specializes in Brother, HP, Canon, Epson, and Kyocera printers. Get help now.