Are you getting a “printer not responding” error when trying to print a document with Windows 10? If so, there are a variety of possible solutions – read on to learn more about them.
Table of Contents
Printer not responding message in Windows 10, how to fix it?
The Printer not responding message can cause certain problems on your PC and prevent it from printing documents. Speaking of this, here are some similar issues that users reported:
- Printer not responding Canon, HP, Epson, Samsung – This problem can appear with any brand of printer, and if you encounter this problem, be sure to try some of our solutions.
- The wireless printer is not responding – This problem can sometimes appear if you are using a wireless printer on your PC. To fix this, make sure to temporarily disable your antivirus and firewall and see if that helps.
- Printer does not respond to PC, computer – Sometimes this problem can occur if your drivers are not up to date. Just update the printer drivers and see if this solves the problem on your PC.
Solution 1 – Check your antivirus and firewall
n some cases, the message that the printer is not responding may appear due to your antivirus or firewall. This usually happens if you are using a Wi-Fi or network printer. To check if your antivirus is the problem, we advise you to temporarily disable it and see if that helps.
If not, the next step would be to uninstall third party antivirus software. Once done, check if the problem is still there. If removing the antivirus solves the problem, you should definitely consider switching to a different antivirus solution.
There are many great antivirus tools on the market, but if you’re looking for antivirus that won’t interfere with your system in any way, be sure to give BullGuard a try .
Solution 2 – Check all printer connections
The most obvious thing to check first is the printer’s connection to the desktop or laptop computer to see if they are all connected properly. If the printer is connected through a USB port, try connecting it with an alternate USB port. For Wi-Fi printers, you will need to verify that the printer is connected to the correct Wi-Fi network. For example, the printer might not detect the correct network name.
Solution 3: run the printer troubleshooter in Windows 10
If you get the message Printer is not responding on your PC, you may be able to fix the problem simply by running a troubleshooter on your PC. Windows 10 has several troubleshooters that can fix common problems, and if you’re having printer issues, just run the troubleshooter as follows:
- Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app .
- When Settings app opens , go to Update & Security section.
- Choose Troubleshoot from the menu on the left. Select Printer in the right pane and click the Run the troubleshooter button .
- Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the troubleshooter.
After the troubleshooter finishes fixing the problem, the problem should be completely resolved.
Solution 4 – Update the printer device driver
Outdated printer drivers can cause the message The printer is not responding . However, you can fix this problem simply by installing the latest drivers for your printer. The easiest way to do this is to use Device Manager. You can update your drivers by doing the following:
- Open Device Manager . You can do this quickly by pressing Windows Key + X and choosing Device Manager from the list.
- Locate your printer in the device list, right-click and select Update Driver
- Now choose Search automatically for updated driver software .
Windows will now try to download the correct driver for your printer. If this doesn’t work, you can always download the latest driver directly from the manufacturer’s website.
If you don’t want to manually download the drivers, you can use tools like TweakBit Driver Updater to automatically download the missing drivers.
Solution 5 – Is the selected printer the default printer?
You should also check if the printer that is not responding is the default. Note that Windows 10 has an option Allow Windows to manage my default printer that automatically sets the last printer it printed with as the default. You can disable this option and select your default printer as follows.
- First, enter default printer in Cortana’s search box and select Change default printer to open the window directly below.
- This window includes an option Allow Windows to manage my default printer , which you can now disable if necessary.
- Now the Devices and Printers tab in the Control Panel will include a green check mark to highlight your default printer, as shown directly below. You can right-click on an alternate printer and select Set as default printer .
Solution 6: check printer compatibility with Windows 10
If you have recently upgraded to Windows 10, check if the printer you have supports the platform. Almost all newer printers will be compatible with Windows 10, but older printers may not be. You can check if a printer is compatible with Windows 10 on the manufacturer’s website.
For example, this page on Canon’s site provides printer compatibility details. If you click SELPHY Series on that page, you will find that most of the models in that series are not compatible with Windows 10. The page also highlights that Canon is not issuing Windows 10 device drivers for the Photo Inkjet series. Therefore, look for a similar page on the printer manufacturer’s website.
Solution 7 – Restart the Print Spooler service
Windows relies on the Print Spooler service for printing, but problems with this service can sometimes occur. These problems can cause the printer to not respond to the message and other similar problems. However, you can fix this problem by doing the following:
- Press Windows Key + R and enter services.msc . Now press Enter or click OK .
- When the Services window opens , locate and double-click Print Spooler service. & Amp; lt; br / & amp; gt;
- When the Properties window opens , set the startup type to Automatic and click the Start button to start the service. If the service is running, click the Stop button , wait a moment, and then click the Start button . & Amp; lt; br / & amp; gt;
- After doing that, save the changes.
Once you restart this service, the problem should be completely resolved and everything will work again.
Several users recommend completely stopping this service and then deleting the files associated with it. Stopping the service is simple, and you can do it from the Services window .
After deactivating the service, go to the C: \ Windows \ System32 \ spool \ PRINTERS directory and delete all files from them. After doing that, start the service one more time and check if the problem is still there.
Solution 8 – Make sure your printer is configured correctly
According to users, the message Printer not responding may appear if the printer is not configured correctly. To solve this problem, you must do the following:
- Open Control Panel and go to the Devices and Printers section .
- Locate your printer in the list, right-click and choose Printer Properties . & Amp; lt; br / & amp; gt;
- Go to the Ports tab . Now make sure the proper port has been selected. After doing this, click Apply and OK to save the changes. & Lt; br / & amp; gt;
After making these small adjustments, check to see if the problem with your printer has been resolved.
Solution 9 – Install the latest updates
If you get the message Printer is not responding on your computer, the problem may be a lack of an update. Sometimes there may be certain glitches in your system, and to eliminate them, you need to install the latest updates.
Microsoft releases new updates frequently, and Windows usually downloads them automatically. However, sometimes you may miss an update or two, but you can always install them manually by doing the following:
- Open the Settings app .
- Navigate to the Update & amp; Amp; Security .
- Click Check for updates button. & Amp; lt; br / & amp; gt
Windows will search for available updates and download them in the background. After the updates are downloaded, restart your PC to install them. After updating your PC, the problem should be completely resolved.
You should now be able to make the printer respond and print again. However, if not, you can always refer to other Windows Report articles that offer more printer fixes.