Brother Printer Not Printing? Find the Cause

If your Brother Printer Not Printing, the problem could be an error on the printer, a stuck print job, an incorrect printer selection, a USB or Wi-Fi connection problem, or an issue with the Brother printer driver. The printer may also appear ready while the computer is actually sending the document to a different or offline printer.

The fastest way to narrow down the problem is to check the printer itself first. If it can perform a printer-side test or maintenance print, the hardware is at least capable of producing output and you can focus on the computer, connection or driver.

Quick Diagnosis: Start Here

What you’re seeing	Start here
The Brother printer shows an error	Go to Fix 1
The printer is ready but nothing prints	Go to Fix 2
A print job is stuck	Go to Fix 3
The wrong Brother printer may be selected	Go to Fix 4
You use a USB connection	Go to Fix 5
You use Wi-Fi	Go to Fix 6
The printer appears offline	Go to Fix 7
Printing stopped after changing the network	Go to Fix 8
The printer was working before but stopped after a software change	Go to Fix 9
Nothing gets the Brother printer printing again	Go to Fix 10

Why This Happens

A Brother printer can stop printing for several reasons:

• The printer has an active error
• Paper has run out or is jammed
• A print job is stuck in the queue
• The wrong printer is selected
• The printer is offline or paused
• The USB connection isn’t working correctly
• The printer has lost its Wi-Fi connection
• The computer and printer are on different networks
• The Brother printer driver is incorrect or damaged
• The printer’s IP address or network configuration has changed
• The print job was sent to an old printer installation

Brother’s support documentation separates printing problems into network, USB, mobile and general printing categories, which is useful because the correct troubleshooting path depends heavily on how the printer is connected. Brother Support

Fix 1: Check the Brother Printer for Errors

Start with the printer itself.

Look at its display or indicator lights for messages relating to:

• Paper jams
• No paper
• Toner or ink
• Open covers
• Maintenance
• Network connection
• Other printer errors

If the printer is displaying an error, resolve that first.

Also check that:

• The printer is switched on.
• Paper is loaded correctly.
• The paper tray is installed properly.
• Required covers are closed.
• There isn’t an obvious paper or toner problem.

If the printer has an error, repeatedly sending the same document from your computer won’t normally solve the problem.

Once the printer shows that it is ready, try a small print job.

Fix 2: Check Whether the Printer Can Print by Itself

Before troubleshooting Windows, Wi-Fi or drivers, determine whether the printer itself can produce output.

Depending on the Brother model, you may be able to print a:

• Test page
• Printer settings page
• Network configuration page
• Other maintenance or machine report

The exact procedure varies between Brother models.

If the printer can produce its own page, that’s an important clue: the printer’s basic printing mechanism is working, so focus on the computer or connection.

If it cannot produce a printer-side page, check the printer’s displayed error and consumables before troubleshooting the computer.

Brother’s troubleshooting documentation similarly starts by checking printer status and whether the correct printer driver is installed and selected.

Fix 3: Clear the Print Queue

A stuck print job can prevent newer documents from printing.

On Windows 11:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners.
3. Select your Brother printer.
4. Open the print queue.
5. Cancel the pending jobs.
6. Wait for the queue to become empty.
7. Send a small test document.

If a document is stuck, don’t keep sending the same file. You could end up with several copies waiting in the queue.

Brother specifically recommends cancelling all pending jobs when troubleshooting an offline or paused printer.

If the queue refuses to clear, restart the computer and printer before trying again.

Fix 4: Make Sure the Correct Brother Printer Is Selected

If you have previously installed more than one printer, your computer may be sending the document somewhere else.

You might see several entries such as:

• Brother Printer
• Brother Printer (Copy 1)
• Brother Printer Series
• An older USB installation
• A newer Wi-Fi installation

Open the Print dialog and make sure the Brother printer you’re actually using is selected.

Also check whether an old Brother printer installation is still set as the default.

Brother specifically recommends checking that the correct Brother machine is selected and, on supported Windows configurations, setting the intended machine as the default printer.

If you’re unsure which entry is current, check the printer’s connection before deleting anything.

Fix 5: Check the USB Connection

If your Brother printer is connected by USB, start with the physical connection.

Try:

1. Turn the printer off.
2. Disconnect the USB cable.
3. Reconnect it securely.
4. Turn the printer back on.
5. Try printing again.

If it still doesn’t print:

• Try another USB port.
• Try another compatible USB cable.
• Connect the printer directly to the computer.
• Avoid a USB hub while troubleshooting.

Brother specifically recommends connecting a USB printer directly to the computer rather than through a hub when troubleshooting connection problems.

If the printer becomes available after changing the cable or port, the original USB connection was likely responsible.

Fix 6: Check the Wi-Fi Connection

If your Brother printer uses Wi-Fi, check that it is actually connected to your wireless network.

Look at the printer’s network status or wireless indicator.

If supported by your model, print a network configuration page and check the connection information.

Also make sure the computer and printer are using the same local network.

Brother’s support guidance specifically recommends checking the printer’s network configuration and confirming that the computer and Brother machine are using the same SSID.

If the printer has lost its Wi-Fi connection, reconnect it before trying to print again.

If it is connected but the computer still can’t communicate with it, continue to Fix 8.

Fix 7: Check Whether the Printer Is Offline or Paused

If Windows says the Brother printer is Offline or Paused, check its current printer status.

First clear any pending print jobs.

Then check that Windows hasn’t selected Use Printer Offline.

On supported Windows versions, Brother recommends removing the Use Printer Offline selection when the printer is shown as offline.

Also check that you’re using the correct Brother printer entry.

If the printer repeatedly goes offline, don’t keep toggling the offline setting. The underlying issue may be the Wi-Fi connection, printer port or driver.

Fix 8: Reconnect After a Router or Wi-Fi Change

If your Brother printer stopped printing after you:

• Replaced your router
• Changed the Wi-Fi password
• Changed the Wi-Fi network name
• Reconfigured your home network

the printer may still be using the old network configuration.

Reconnect the Brother printer to your current Wi-Fi network.

Then confirm that the computer is connected to the same network.

For supported Brother models, the Network Connection Repair Tool can help restore wireless printing by locating the printer and updating its IP address in the printer driver.

If you don’t use the repair tool, you can also reconnect the printer using Brother’s normal wireless setup procedure for your model.

Fix 9: Check the Brother Driver

If the printer was working previously but stopped after a Windows or macOS update, software change or printer reinstallation, check the Brother driver.

Make sure the installed driver is intended for your exact Brother model.

A computer can detect a printer while still having an incorrect or damaged driver configuration.

If necessary:

1. Check the installed Brother printer software.
2. Remove the old installation if appropriate.
3. Download the correct software for your exact model.
4. Install the printer driver.
5. Reconnect or configure the printer when prompted.
6. Restart the computer.
7. Try a simple print job.

Brother’s support resources provide model-specific driver and software downloads, along with operating-system compatibility information.

Don’t install a driver for a similar Brother model simply because the product names look alike.

Fix 10: Test With a Simple Document

If the printer still won’t print, simplify the test.

Create a new document containing only a few lines of text and print it.

This helps determine whether the problem is:

• The printer
• The connection
• The print queue
• The driver
• The original document

If the simple document prints but your original file doesn’t, the original document or application may be responsible.

Large PDFs, complex graphics and documents containing numerous images can take longer to process and may behave differently from simple text documents.

If even a simple document won’t print after you’ve checked the printer, queue, connection and driver, use Brother’s model-specific troubleshooting rather than repeatedly reinstalling the same printer.

How to Prevent Brother Printer Printing Problems

A few simple habits can reduce recurring printing problems:

• Keep the Brother printer connected to the intended Wi-Fi network.
• Clear failed print jobs instead of repeatedly resending them.
• Use the correct Brother printer entry when printing.
• Keep the Brother driver compatible with your operating system.
• Avoid unnecessary USB hubs when troubleshooting USB printing.
• Reconfigure the printer after changing your router or Wi-Fi password.
• Check the printer’s own display before troubleshooting the computer.
• Keep printer firmware and software updated when appropriate.
• Remove obsolete printer installations when they interfere with the current printer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Brother printer not printing?

The cause could be a printer error, stuck print queue, incorrect printer selection, USB or Wi-Fi connection problem, offline status or driver issue. Start by checking the printer itself and whether it can produce a test or settings page.

Why does my Brother printer work but not print from my computer?

If the printer can produce its own test page, the problem is more likely to be the computer, printer selection, queue, connection or driver.

Why is my Brother printer showing offline?

The printer may have lost its network or USB connection, Windows may have placed it offline, or the computer may be communicating with an old printer installation.

Why won’t my Brother printer print over Wi-Fi?

Check that the printer is connected to Wi-Fi and that the computer is on the same network. If you recently changed your router or Wi-Fi credentials, reconnect the printer.

Can a stuck print queue stop a Brother printer from printing?

Yes. A pending or failed print job can prevent newer jobs from processing. Clear the queue and then send a fresh test document.

Should I reinstall my Brother printer driver?

Not as the first step. Check the printer, queue and connection first. If the printer is correctly connected but the computer still cannot communicate with it, reinstalling the correct Brother driver may help.

Why does my Brother printer print a test page but not my document?

The printer itself may be working correctly. Check the selected printer, print queue, driver and the document or application you’re printing from. Try a simple text document to isolate the problem.