Printer driver and software issues are the most common reason a printer stops working, even when the hardware itself is fine. The printer may show as offline, refuse to print, produce garbled output, or disappear from the list of available devices after a Windows or macOS update. Most of these problems share the same small set of root causes, and working through them in the right order fixes the majority of cases without needing a technician.
Start with the print queue
A stuck print job blocks everything that comes after it. Before touching any driver settings, open the print queue and clear it completely.
On Windows, go to Settings, then Bluetooth and devices, then Printers and scanners. Select your printer and click "Open print queue." Cancel every job listed there, including any that show as "Deleting." If jobs won't clear, stop the Print Spooler service first: open the Run dialog (Win + R), type services.msc, find "Print Spooler," right-click and choose Stop. Then navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, delete everything inside that folder (not the folder itself), and restart the Print Spooler service.
On Mac, go to System Settings, then Printers and Scanners, select the printer, and click "Open Print Queue." Cancel all pending jobs. If a job is frozen, hold the Option key while clicking the delete button.
Reinstall or update the printer driver
An outdated or corrupted driver is the single most common cause of printer software issues, especially after a major operating system update. The fix is to remove the existing driver completely and install a fresh copy.
On Windows: open Device Manager, expand "Print queues," right-click your printer, and choose "Uninstall device." Check the box to remove the driver software as well. Then go to the printer manufacturer's website and download the latest driver for your exact model. Epson, HP, Canon, and Brother all publish current drivers on their support pages. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
On Mac: go to System Settings, then Printers and Scanners, select the printer, and click the minus button to remove it. Then click the plus button to add it back. macOS will usually find the correct driver automatically via Apple's built-in driver library or prompt you to download one from the manufacturer. If the automatic option fails, visit the manufacturer's site directly for a macOS-compatible package.
If you're not sure whether your drivers are up to date, the same habits that apply to essential software on a new PC or Mac apply here: keeping manufacturer-supplied software current prevents most compatibility failures before they start.
Fix "printer offline" errors
A printer showing as offline is usually a communication problem between the computer and the printer, not a hardware fault. Try these steps in order.
- Turn the printer off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on.
- Check the cable if it's USB-connected. Try a different port on the computer.
- For network printers, make sure the printer and the computer are on the same Wi-Fi network. Some routers separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands under different names; the printer may be on one band while the computer is on the other.
- On Windows, go to Printers and Scanners, select the printer, and make sure "Use Printer Offline" is not checked under the Printer menu in the print queue window.
- Try running the Windows Printer Troubleshooter: Settings, System, Troubleshoot, Other troubleshooters, Printer.
Resolve driver conflicts after a Windows update
Windows updates occasionally replace or overwrite third-party printer drivers with generic Microsoft versions. The generic driver works for basic printing but drops manufacturer-specific features like duplex printing, tray selection, or colour management.
After a Windows update, if your printer behaves differently or loses features, go to Device Manager, find the printer under "Print queues," right-click it, and choose "Update driver." Select "Browse my computer for drivers" and point it at the folder where you saved the manufacturer's driver package. This forces Windows to use the correct version rather than the generic one it picked automatically.
This kind of driver disruption is one of the more frustrating Windows 11 problems that crops up after cumulative updates. Keeping the manufacturer's driver installer saved locally means you can re-apply it quickly without hunting for the file again.
Fix missing or unrecognised printers on Mac
After a macOS update, a previously working printer can disappear or show an error because Apple updated its built-in printer driver library and the existing configuration no longer matches.
Remove the printer from System Settings and re-add it using the plus button. If the printer doesn't appear in the list, make sure it's on and connected, then click "The printer I want isn't listed" and add it by IP address. You'll find the printer's IP address in its own settings menu (usually under Network or Wireless on the printer's display panel).
For PostScript or PCL printers used in professional settings, macOS may also need a specific PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file from the manufacturer. These are available on the same driver download page as the standard macOS driver package.
When the driver installs but printing still fails
If the driver is correctly installed and the printer appears online but jobs still fail silently, check these three things.
First, check the printer's own display for error messages. Paper jams, low ink warnings, and door-open errors all stop printing without necessarily producing a useful error on the computer side. Clear any fault shown on the printer's panel before trying again.
Second, check that the correct printer is set as the default. On Windows, right-click the printer in Printers and Scanners and choose "Set as default printer." On Mac, go to Printers and Scanners and set the default at the bottom of the list. Applications sometimes remember a previous default and send jobs to a printer that no longer exists.
Third, try printing a test page directly from the printer itself (using the printer's own menu) rather than from the computer. If the test page prints correctly, the hardware is fine and the fault is in the software or driver configuration. If the test page fails, the problem is in the printer's firmware or hardware.
When to get help
Most printer driver and software issues resolve with a fresh driver install and a cleared print queue. If you've worked through every step above and the printer still doesn't respond, the fault is likely either a hardware failure inside the printer or a network configuration issue that needs deeper investigation. For network-connected printers in a business environment, a misconfigured firewall or IP address conflict can block printing entirely in ways that look identical to a driver fault.
In those cases, remote IT support can fix most printer software problems without a technician visit. A remote session takes a technician directly into the driver settings, print spooler, and network configuration, usually resolving the issue in under an hour.