HP printers are no less than a boon for those who have to print every single day. But owing to their technical nature, sometimes they can be difficult to handle. HP printers stop printing due to several reasons and if you are wondering ‘why is my hp printer not printing’, it is important for you to know that you aren’t alone in this. Quite a lot of users have faced the same problem and called it a hassle to fix it.
I know changing the wires and plugging and unplugging them back and forth will not work every time. Also, everyone is not proficient in getting the resolved on their own and they look for someone to intervene and help. If you are sailing in the same boat, this guide is going to be the answer to all your queries and the HP printers troubleshooting explained here will surely make your day better.
HP Printer Won’t Print- But Why?
HP printers won’t print for several reasons and this issue can occur even if all the cables are connected properly. I have listed out all the potential possibilities that may not let your HP printer print:
- Incorrect Configurations
- Outdated Printer Driver
- Stuck Print Jobs
- Paper Jams
- Printer is Offline
- Connection Issues
Troubleshooting Required to Fix HP Printer Won’t Print Issue
Now, you know why your HP printer is not printing anything, let’s get started with the troubleshooting:
1. Start with the Basics
I know you have tried adjusting the cables nth times and nothing happened. But still for once, make sure you aren’t making any of the given mistakes:
- The computer and the printer have been connected abruptly.
- The network your devices are connected to isn’t giving adequate signal strength.
- The cables connecting the devices are broken or damaged.
Once you are sure that you aren’t doing it wrong, restart your HP printer by turning it off completely and unplug the power cord. Leave it like that for a while, turn it on normally and then check if the error got resolved.
2. Check the Status
The next obvious thing to check is your printer’s status if it is doing alright. To do this:
- Ensure that your printer has sufficient paper in the tray and no paper is jammed or stuck. If you are facing a paper jam with your HP printer, make sure you get rid of it first before proceeding.
- Next, ensure that if the ink or toner is empty by checking the ink or toner levels for your printer. For some HP models, it is easy to check the ink levels or the ink-related issues by just looking at the front screen of the device.
3. Set your HP Printer as Default
When you send a print command to your printer from your computer, Windows sends the print job to the default printer. One of the reasons for which your HP printer won’t print from the computer is it hasn’t been set as default and isn’t receiving the print command.
Here’s how to ensure your printer is set as default and receiving all the print commands:
- Go to the ‘Devices and Printers’ section from your Windows’ ‘Control Panel’. To go to the Control Panel, simply type it in the start menu search box or press the Windows key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog box. Type in ‘Control’ and press enter; it will direct you to the control panel of your device.
- Select ‘Devices and Printers’ from the Control Panel menu.
- In the list of printers, look for your HP printer and right-click on it. From the menu that appears, select ‘Set as default printer’ and for the prompt that appears, press ‘Ok’.
- If you see a green checkmark just beneath the icon of your HP printer, this shows it has been set as default and you can try printing now. Also, ensure that your HP Printer is not offline while printing.
4. Cancel the Print Jobs
Many of the times the print jobs that have got stuck can lead to printing issues and as a result, your HP printer will not print anything. If the print queue has some failed print jobs can make your printer go crazy, so clear all the print jobs to let your device print normally.
- Open the ‘Devices and Printers’ section via Control Panel; to go to Control Panel, go to the start menu and enter the query in the search box, select the top result that appears.
- In the list of the printers, select your device, right-click on it, and from the drop-down menu that appears, select ‘See what’s printing’.
- A new page appears, click on the ‘Printer’ option from the top and select ‘Open as Administrator’.
- Again, open the printer menu and select the ‘Cancel All Documents’
- Press ‘Yes’ to confirm that you want to clear all documents in the print queue. Next, try to print to verify if the issue has been resolved.
5. Update or Reinstall HP Printer Driver
In most cases, HP printers won’t print if its driver has gone outdated. It is important to keep installing the updates for your printer driver as and when it comes. To get the latest update for your HP driver, here are the useful steps:
- Navigate to the HP Customer Support page and select your product to get started; click on ‘Printer’.
- On the next page, mention the HP printer’s name and click on ‘Submit’.
- Under the heading ‘All Drivers’, look for the update you want to download and click on ‘Download’.
- Once the update gets downloaded, run the file to start the installation.
So that’s how you can try to fix your HP printer when it is not printing