Brother Printer Won't Connect to Wi-Fi: Step-by-Step Fix

A Brother printer that won't join WiFi almost never means the printer is broken. In most cases it's one of a handful of network mismatches, an outdated driver, or a router that changed something without telling you. Below we've grouped the fixes from the fastest, most likely to work first, down to the deeper resets you should only need if the quick stuff doesn't do it. Work through them in order and you'll usually be printing again before you reach the bottom.

Quick Checks First

Before touching any settings, rule these out:

• Is the printer within range? Walls, metal filing cabinets, and microwaves in use can all weaken a 2.4 GHz signal. Try moving the printer within about 15 feet of the router temporarily to test.
• Is your WiFi actually up? Connect a phone or laptop to the same network first. If that fails too, the problem is your router or ISP, not the printer.
• Did your router password or network name change recently? New routers, ISP swaps, and router resets all issue a fresh SSID or password that the printer doesn't know about yet.
• Is the printer's WiFi radio even turned on? Some Brother models ship with wireless disabled until you run the setup wizard for the first time.

If none of these explain it, move on to the causes below.

Common Causes

A handful of things account for the vast majority of Brother WiFi failures:

• Your printer only sees 2.4 GHz, and your router is broadcasting 5 GHz under the same name. Most Brother printers, aside from a few newer dual-band models, only support the 2.4 GHz band. If your router uses one network name for both bands, the printer may appear to "see" a network it can't actually join.
• A typo in the password. Wireless passwords are case-sensitive, and entering one wrong character on a printer's small keypad or touchscreen is easy to miss.
• The printer is still trying to connect to an old network. If you've moved, replaced your router, or reset it, the printer may still be holding onto the previous network's credentials.
• Outdated printer firmware or an outdated driver on your computer. Both are free to update and are a common, overlooked fix.
• Firewall or antivirus software blocking the printer's IP address, which can make Windows report the printer as "offline" even though it's connected to WiFi just fine.
• The router itself needs a restart. Routers left running for months can develop connection issues that have nothing to do with the printer.

Step-by-Step Fixes

A. Reconnect Through the Printer's Own Setup Wizard

This works on nearly every current Brother wireless model, though the exact wording can vary slightly by machine:

1. On the printer's control panel, go to Settings (or Menu) > Network > WLAN (Wi-Fi) > Setup Wizard.
2. The printer will scan and display a list of nearby network names (SSIDs). Select yours. If you see your network name listed twice, pick the one your other devices connect to, not the 5 GHz version if your model doesn't support it.
3. Enter your WiFi password carefully using the on-screen keyboard. Double-check capitalization before confirming.
4. The printer will show a connecting message, then confirm a successful connection.

B. Connect With WPS (No Typing Required)

If your router has a WPS or AOSS button, this skips typing the password entirely:

1. Press and hold the WPS button on your router for a few seconds, per your router's instructions.
2. Within two minutes, press the wireless setup button on the back of the Brother machine for less than two seconds (holding it three seconds or longer switches the printer to PIN mode instead). On touchscreen models without a physical button, use Network > WLAN > WPS/Push Button from the menu instead.
3. Once connected, the printer's WiFi indicator turns solid blue.

C. Fix It From the Windows Side

Sometimes the printer is connected to WiFi just fine, but Windows lost track of its IP address, which is a different problem from a WiFi failure and needs a different fix:

1. Update the printer driver first. An outdated driver is a frequent, easy-to-miss cause. Grab the current one from Brother's support site for your exact model.
2. Run Brother's Network Connection Repair Tool. This free Windows utility, downloadable from Brother's support site, automatically finds your printer on the network and re-syncs its IP address with the driver. It needs to be run with administrator rights, and both the printer and computer need to be on the same network for it to find the device.
3. If the printer still shows as "offline" in Windows after that, remove it under Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners and re-add it, letting Windows detect it fresh over the network.

D. Reset the Printer's Own Network Settings

This is different from resetting your computer's network settings, and it's specific to the printer itself, so use it only if the steps above haven't worked:

1. On the control panel, go to Settings > All Settings > Network > Network Reset.
2. Confirm when prompted. The machine will reboot and its wireless and wired settings return to factory defaults, meaning you'll need to run the Setup Wizard again afterward.

A note on Windows' own "Network Reset" (under Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings): it's a legitimate last resort for a computer with broader network problems, but it wipes every saved WiFi password, VPN configuration, and custom DNS setting on that PC, not just anything related to the printer. Reach for it only if nothing above solves the issue, and be ready to reconnect to your other saved networks afterward.