Brother Printer Offline? Fixes for Windows, Mac, and iPrint&Scan

When your computer calls a Brother printer "Offline," it isn't passing judgment on the printer. It's saying it tried to reach the printer and got no reply. Maybe the printer was asleep. Maybe your router handed it a new address overnight. Maybe Windows is holding it offline because of a single checkbox. The printer itself is usually fine.

Brother printers have a few habits that make this more likely. Many models drop into a low-power Deep Sleep mode after sitting idle. Printers that have both an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi can only use one of those connections at a time. And a lot of Brother models only work on the 2.4 GHz side of your router. The good news is that Brother also makes a Windows tool for exactly this situation, the Network Connection Repair Tool, which finds the printer's current address and updates the driver to match.

This guide starts with the printer, because a one-minute look at it tells you where the problem is. Then it walks through Windows, Brother's own apps, and the Mac.

Short on time? Try these four things first.

1. Wake the printer and clear its screen. Press any button on the control panel. If there's a message like a paper jam, an open cover, or empty toner or ink, deal with that first.
2. Uncheck "Use Printer Offline." In Windows, open the printer's queue and make sure Use Printer Offline and Pause Printing aren't checked (Fix 1).
3. Run Brother's Network Connection Repair Tool. Open Brother Utilities, click Tools, and run it (Fix 4). It's the fastest fix when the printer's IP address has changed.
4. Swap a WSD port for a Standard TCP/IP port. Brother's US support recommends a Standard TCP/IP port over a WSD port, and it's the usual cure for a Brother that goes offline after it sits idle (Fix 6).

Why Your Brother Printer Says Offline: Start With What You're Seeing

The pattern tells you a lot. Find the row that sounds like your situation and start there.

Why sleep causes so much of this. After a period with no jobs, a Brother printer goes from Ready to Sleep, and on many models from Sleep to Deep Sleep, which uses even less power. Brother says a print job or a button press should wake it up. When that doesn't happen, the fix Brother's US support gives (in its article for owners who can't print once their machine is in Deep Sleep) is to point the driver at the printer's IP address with a Standard TCP/IP port. That's why the port change in Fix 6 comes up so often on this page.

Step 1: Look at the Printer Before the Computer

Brother's own offline checklist starts at the printer, and so should you.

• The screen is dark, but the power light is on. The printer is asleep. Press any button and wait for it to show it's ready. On models with a small display, such as the HL-L2350DW, the screen reads Deep Sleep while it's in that mode.
• There's a message on the display. Clear it first. A paper jam, an open cover, an empty tray, or an ink, toner, or drum message will stop the printer, and your computer may report that as offline. Our guides to Brother printer error codes and messages and a Brother printer in an error state cover the common ones.
• The printer is fully off, and nobody turned it off. If it's connected by USB, that's probably Auto Power Off. Turn it back on with the power button, then see Fix 8.
• Someone changed the cable. A Brother printer with both an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi can only use one network connection at a time. When wireless is on, the wired connection is off, and the other way around. If someone plugged in a network cable or switched Wi-Fi on, the printer may now be on a different connection with a different IP address. Pick the connection you want to keep, and stick with it.
• The printer shows no Wi-Fi connection. If its Wi-Fi light is off, or the screen shows it isn't connected, the printer has dropped off your network. Our guide to a Brother printer not connecting to Wi-Fi will get it back on.

Then restart things in order. Turn the printer and your router off and wait a few minutes. Turn the router on first and give it time to come back up fully, then turn the printer on. For a USB printer, Brother's order is: turn the printer off, restart the computer, then turn the printer back on.

If the printer shows ready with no messages, it's doing its part. The break is between the printer and your computer, so move on to Step 2.

Step 2: Find the Printer's IP Address and Test the Connection

If your Brother connects to the computer with a USB cable, skip ahead to the Windows fixes and pay close attention to Fix 8.

Print the Network Configuration Report

This one page tells you almost everything about how the printer sees your network. The buttons vary by model:

On the report, look for these:

• IP Address. Write it down. You'll use it several times.
• Node Name. Brother's default names start with BRN for a wired connection and BRW for wireless, followed by a string of letters and numbers. Some Windows ports use this name instead of the IP address, which matters in Fix 5.
• Which connection is active. If the report has separate wired and wireless sections, read the one for the connection you actually use.

Check that the address makes sense

A good address looks like the ones your other devices use. On most home networks that's something like 192.168.1.45 or 10.0.0.23, and the first three groups of numbers match your computer's. To see your computer's address on Windows, type ipconfig into Command Prompt and look for IPv4 Address.

Brother flags a few addresses as trouble:

• 0.0.0.0. The printer hasn't picked up an address yet. Wait a minute and print the report again.
• Anything starting with 169.254. The printer asked your router for an address and never got one.
• An address in a completely different range from your computer's. The printer is on a different network, such as a guest network or a second router.

In any of these cases, the printer isn't really on your network yet. Restart the router and the printer, and if the address still isn't right, reconnect the printer using our guide to a Brother printer not connecting to Wi-Fi.

Open the printer's web page

On the computer that says offline, type the printer's IP address into your browser's address bar, like http://192.168.1.45.

• Brother's Web Based Management page opens. The computer can reach the printer. The network is fine, and the problem is on the computer. Start at Fix 1 on Windows, or go to the Mac section.
• The page won't load. The computer can't reach the printer. Make sure both are on the same network. Guest networks usually keep devices from seeing each other, so a printer on the guest network won't work for a laptop on the main one. A VPN on the computer can also block access to devices on your local network. Turn it off while you test.

How to Fix a Brother Printer Offline in Windows 11 and 10

Go through these in order and print a test page after each one. Fixes 1 to 3 take a couple of minutes. Fixes 4 to 9 change how Windows connects to the printer, and most of them need an administrator account.

Fix 1: Turn Off "Use Printer Offline" and "Pause Printing"

Either of these tells Windows to hold your jobs, whatever state the printer is in. Brother's own offline FAQ checks them first.

1. Search for Control Panel from the Start menu and open it. Under Hardware and Sound, click View devices and printers.
2. Right-click your Brother printer and choose See what's printing.
3. Click the Printer menu. If Use Printer Offline has a check mark, click it to remove the check. Do the same for Pause Printing.
4. If those options are grayed out, click Open As Administrator, enter an administrator password, and try again.

If you see more than one Brother icon, check each of them. Fix 3 explains why there might be several.

Fix 2: Cancel Stuck Jobs and Restart the Print Spooler

When a job gets stuck, the whole queue can stop, and Windows sometimes shows that as offline.

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, click your Brother printer, and choose Open print queue.
2. Click the ... menu and choose Cancel all.
3. Type Services into the Start menu search and open it.
4. Scroll to Print Spooler, right-click it, and choose Restart.

If a job refuses to clear, stop the Print Spooler instead, delete everything inside C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS (the contents, not the folder), and then start the spooler again. For jobs that keep piling up, see our guide to a Brother printer job stuck in the queue.

Fix 3: Make Sure You're Printing to the Right Copy

Brother notes that changing USB ports or installing the driver more than once can leave you with extra entries, like "Brother HL-L2350DW series" and "Brother HL-L2350DW series (Copy 1)." Only one of them actually reaches the printer.

1. Turn on only the Brother printer you want to use.
2. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and click each Brother entry. The one that shows Idle is the one that works.
3. Turn off Let Windows manage my default printer. Otherwise Windows keeps moving your default to whichever printer you used last.
4. Click the working entry and choose Set as default.
5. Once it prints, remove the copies that stay offline. If you'd like a clearer name, rename the working one under Printer properties.

Fix 4: Run Brother's Network Connection Repair Tool

If your Brother is on a network and its IP address has changed, this is the quickest fix. The tool searches your network for the printer and updates the address the driver uses. It can also correct the IP address and subnet mask on the printer itself.

Before you start:

• Sign in to Windows with an administrator account.
• Make sure the printer is on and connected to the same network as the computer.
• If you have two of the same Brother model, turn one off. The tool can only check one at a time.

To run it:

1. Open Brother Utilities. It's installed with Brother's Full Driver & Software Package.
2. Pick your model from the drop-down list at the top.
3. Click Tools in the left pane, then click Network Connection Repair Tool.
4. Click Yes if Windows asks for permission, then follow the prompts.
5. Print the Network Configuration Report (Step 2) to confirm the address, then send a test page.

If Brother Utilities isn't on the computer, you can download the tool from the Downloads section for your model on Brother's support site.

One important warning. Brother says not to use this tool on a printer that a network administrator set to a fixed (static) IP address, because the tool changes the address automatically. In an office with managed printers, check with IT first.

If the tool can't find the printer or can't assign a proper address, the printer probably isn't on your network. Go back to Step 2.

Fix 5: Check Which Port Windows Is Using

The port is how Windows finds the printer. If the Brother web page opened in Step 2 but Windows still says offline, look here next.

1. In Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, click your Brother printer and choose Printer properties.
2. Open the Ports tab and find the port with a check mark.

A note on node names: because the wired name starts with BRN and the wireless name starts with BRW, a port set up while the printer was on Ethernet won't match once the printer has moved to Wi-Fi. If your port says BRN and the printer now runs on Wi-Fi, create a new port in Fix 6.

Fix 6: Create a Standard TCP/IP Port

This replaces a WSD port, or a port pointing at an old address, with a direct connection to the printer's current IP address.

1. On the Ports tab, click Add Port. If it's grayed out, sign in as an administrator.
2. Choose Standard TCP/IP Port and click New Port, then Next.
3. Type the printer's IP address from Step 2 into Printer Name or IP Address, and click Next.
4. Click Finish, then Close.
5. Make sure the new port is the one with the check mark, and click Apply.
6. On the General tab, click Print Test Page.

If Windows says a port with that name already exists, change the Port Name field to something slightly different and continue.

Seeing "Additional port information required"? That means Windows couldn't find a printer at the address you typed. Brother's advice is to confirm the computer and printer are on the same network, check that a firewall or security app isn't blocking the connection, and restart the router. Also double-check the address against a fresh Network Configuration Report.

A Standard TCP/IP port only works while the printer keeps the same address. If your router gives it a new one later, you'll be back here. "Give the printer an address that doesn't change" below shows how to stop that.

Fix 7: Turn Off SNMP Status Checks

This fits one frustrating pattern: the printer's web page opens, the port is right, and Windows still says offline.

Windows uses a protocol called SNMP to ask a network printer whether it's online. If the question doesn't get a proper answer, Windows marks the printer offline even though it could print. Brother's own FAQ says that when SNMP isn't working correctly on your network, printing from the computer may stop working.

1. In Printer properties, open the Ports tab.
2. Select the checked port and click Configure Port.
3. Clear SNMP Status Enabled, click OK, then click Apply.

Your printing doesn't change. Windows just stops checking the printer's status through that port, so you may see fewer status updates in Windows. The printer's own screen still shows everything.

Fix 8: Fix a USB-Connected Brother

A USB printer can't lose its IP address, but it has its own ways of going offline. Brother's checks:

1. Plug straight into the computer. Skip USB hubs and docking stations, and try a different USB port on the computer.
2. Use a short cable. Brother calls for a USB 2.0 cable no longer than 6 feet (2 meters). If yours is old, longer, or has been pinched behind a desk, try another one.
3. Check the port. In Printer properties > Ports, a USB printer should use a port named USB001, USB002, and so on. Moving the cable to a different socket can create a new port and a "(Copy 1)" printer, so go back to Fix 3 if you see one.
4. Restart in Brother's order. Turn the printer off, restart the computer, then turn the printer on.

Check Auto Power Off. Many Brother printers switch themselves fully off after a long stretch in Deep Sleep, but Brother says this doesn't happen while the printer is connected to a network. That's why it catches USB-only printers. On models such as the HL-L2390DW and MFC-L2710DW, go to Menu > General Setup > Ecology > Auto Power Off and choose Off, or a longer time (1, 2, 4, or 8 hours). Menu names differ a little on other models, so check your manual if you don't see it.

Fix 9: Reinstall Brother's Full Driver & Software Package

Save this for when the fixes above don't stick, or when the printer went offline right after a Windows update.

1. In Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, click each Brother entry and choose Remove.
2. Restart the computer.
3. Download the Full Driver & Software Package for your exact model and version of Windows from Brother's support site (support.brother.com). Skip third-party driver download sites.
4. Run the installer and choose how the printer connects.

Two Windows 11 settings can get in the way:

• Windows protected print mode. When it's on, Windows blocks third-party printer drivers, including Brother's. Brother's fix is to go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, find Windows protected print mode under Printer preferences, and turn it off before installing. Brother points out that other third-party drivers can then be installed too, so on a work computer, ask IT first.
• Windows Ready Print. Starting in July 2026, Windows 11 sets up newly added printers with its own built-in driver when the printer supports it. It prints, but Brother's Status Monitor and utilities are built around Brother's own driver. If you want Brother's driver, turn off Default install printers using Windows Ready Print on the Printers & scanners page before you add the printer. The setting only affects printers added after you change it.

Our Brother printer driver guide explains which download to pick. If the trouble started with an update, our guide to a Brother printer issue after a Windows update goes further.

When Brother Status Monitor or iPrint&Scan Says Offline

Brother's apps check on the printer separately from Windows. So it's possible for Status Monitor or iPrint&Scan to say "Offline" while your documents print fine, or the other way around.

Brother's advice is to settle one question first: can you print? If you can't, fix that with the steps above. Once printing works, Status Monitor usually catches up on its own. If you can print and the app still says offline, the app's settings are the problem, not the printer.

Brother Status Monitor (Windows)

1. Restart it. Right-click the Status Monitor icon near the clock and click Exit. Then open it again from Brother Utilities.
2. Point it at the right driver. Open Printer properties > Ports for the Brother printer that works and note which port is checked. Then right-click the Status Monitor icon, choose Status Monitor Settings > Device to Monitor, check only the printer entries you actually use, and click OK.
3. Choose what it displays. If you have more than one Brother, right-click the icon again, choose Status Monitor Settings > Device to Display, and pick the machine you want to see.
4. Check your security software. Antivirus and firewall apps sometimes block Status Monitor on a network. Brother lists these programs to allow: BrMfimon.exe, BrStMonW.exe, Brother Status Monitor (Network), and Brother Status Monitor Application.
5. Use Brother's driver. Status Monitor is designed to work with Brother's own printer driver, not a generic one. If Windows added the printer with its built-in driver, see Fix 9.

If it still says offline after all that, reinstall the Full Driver & Software Package, which reinstalls Status Monitor with it.

Brother iPrint&Scan on a computer

iPrint&Scan is mostly used for scanning, but it shows the printer's status too, and it has its own way of finding the machine.

1. Open iPrint&Scan. If your printer isn't listed, or it's listed as offline or not ready, click Select your Machine.
2. Choose the Network tab or the USB tab, depending on how the printer connects, and select your model.
3. If it still can't find the printer:
   • Make sure the printer and computer are on the same network.
   • Make sure the printer is using only one network connection, not wired and wireless together.
   • Temporarily turn off your firewall to see if it's blocking the search, then turn it back on.
   • On a Mac, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and make sure Brother iPrint&Scan is switched on. Without that permission, the app can't see anything on your network.
   • Restart the router, the printer, and the computer, then search again.
   • Update iPrint&Scan to the latest version from Brother's support site.

Brother apps on a phone

Brother iPrint&Scan and Brother Mobile Connect talk to the printer over your local Wi-Fi. If the app says the printer is offline, check that the phone is on your home Wi-Fi, not cellular data or a guest network. If the phone can't see the printer but your computer can, the issue is on the phone's connection, not the printer.

How to Fix a Brother Printer Offline on a Mac

A Mac doesn't always use the word "offline." You're more likely to see the printer paused, a note that the printer isn't connected, or jobs that sit in the queue and never print. Try these in order.

1. Resume the queue. On recent versions of macOS, print jobs show up in Print Center, which opens when you print and also lives in Applications > Utilities. Select your Brother, click the resume button, and delete any job marked with an error. On older versions, open the queue from System Settings > Printers & Scanners (or System Preferences) and click Resume.
2. Make sure the Mac can reach the printer. Check that the Mac is on the same Wi-Fi network as the Brother, then type the printer's IP address into Safari. If Brother's Web Based Management page opens, the connection is fine.
3. Remove the printer and add it back. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners, select the Brother, and click Remove Printer. Then click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax, choose your Brother from the list, and click Add. In the Use menu, you'll likely see Brother [model] series. Brother notes that this is the AirPrint driver, even though the menu doesn't say "AirPrint."
4. If the printer doesn't show up in the list, add it by address. In the same window, click the IP button. Type the printer's IP address in Address, set Protocol to AirPrint, and click Add. Reserve the printer's address in your router first (see below), or this connection will break the next time the address changes.
5. Don't hunt for an old Mac driver. For recent macOS versions, Brother directs owners of many models to AirPrint rather than a separate Brother driver, and it says models missing from its macOS support lists won't get one. If your Mac still uses an older Brother driver from before a macOS upgrade, remove it and add the printer with AirPrint as in step 3.
6. Reset the printing system as a last resort. In Printers & Scanners, Control-click anywhere in the printer list and choose Reset Printing System. This removes every printer, every queued job, and your saved print presets, so you'll need to add your printers again afterward.

If you use iPrint&Scan on the Mac and it can't find the printer, check the Local Network permission described in the section above.

How to Keep Your Brother Printer From Going Offline Again

Getting it back online is one thing. If it keeps dropping off every few days, one of these usually breaks the cycle.

Give the printer an address that doesn't change

Most Brother printers get their IP address from your router automatically. That's convenient until the router hands out a different one after a restart, and every port pointing at the old address goes offline. You have three ways to stop it:

Reserve the address in your router. In the router's settings, look for the list of connected devices. Your Brother usually appears under its node name (starting with BRN or BRW) or its MAC address, both of which are on the Network Configuration Report. Reserve the address it has now, and your ports will keep working.

Or set a fixed IP address on the printer:

1. Type the printer's IP address into a browser to open Web Based Management, and log in. The default password is either initpass or the password printed on a label on the back or bottom of the printer, next to "Pwd". Brother recommends changing it once you're in.
2. Open the TCP/IP settings for the connection you use, wired or wireless.
3. Change Boot Method to Static, then enter the IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway, and click Submit.

Choose an address outside the range your router hands out automatically, so no other device can end up with it. Many models also let you set Boot Method from the control panel, under the network menu's TCP/IP settings. When you're done, update each computer's port (Fix 6) or re-add the printer on each Mac.

Or let the Repair Tool run automatically. Right-click the Status Monitor icon and choose Other Settings > Enable Connection Repair Tool. When the connection breaks, the Network Connection Repair Tool starts on its own and finds the printer. Don't combine this with a fixed IP address: Brother warns that the tool changes the address automatically.

Work with sleep instead of against it

Brother's FAQs for several models say Deep Sleep can't be switched off, but you can change how quickly the printer falls asleep in the first place. On many models with a display, that's Sleep Time under Menu > General Setup > Ecology. On some models it can be set anywhere from 0 to 90 minutes.

A longer Sleep Time uses a little more electricity, so treat it as a backup. The lasting fix for a Brother that goes offline after sleeping is a Standard TCP/IP port (Fix 6), which is the connection Brother points to when a machine won't print after Deep Sleep.

Router and Wi-Fi settings that knock Brother printers offline

• Check which Wi-Fi band your printer supports. Many Brother printers only connect to 2.4 GHz, and Brother's US support is clear that those models won't see the 5 GHz band at all. Some newer models, such as the HL-L2460DW, list dual-band Wi-Fi. Look at your model's wireless spec: if it only says 802.11b/g/n, it's 2.4 GHz only. Your computer can stay on 5 GHz. Both bands are part of the same network, so they can still talk.
• Give the 5 GHz band its own name. Brother recommends a separate network name for 5 GHz, because when both bands share one name, the printer and computer can lose each other over and over.
• Mesh Wi-Fi. If a mesh system keeps dropping the printer, Brother's advice is to split the network name by band and connect the Brother to the 2.4 GHz network. For eero systems specifically, Brother's US support suggests connecting the printer with an Ethernet cable to the router, or by USB, instead.
• Guest networks. These usually stop devices from seeing each other. Keep the printer and every computer that prints to it on the main network.
• A network called DIRECT-something. If your laptop's Wi-Fi shows a network name starting with DIRECT-, it's connected straight to the printer through Wi-Fi Direct, not to your home network. A printer set up that way goes offline as soon as the laptop rejoins your regular Wi-Fi. Set the printer up on your home network instead.
• New router or internet provider? A new router usually means a new network name, password, and address range. Reconnect the printer first, print a new Network Configuration Report, then update each computer (Fix 4 or Fix 6) and re-add the printer on any Mac.

Keep the firmware up to date

Brother recommends keeping printer firmware current, and updates can include connection fixes. On Windows, Brother's Firmware Update Tool from support.brother.com checks for new versions. It needs the Full Driver & Software Package installed, and both the printer and computer need internet access. Read the notes on the download page before you update. If you use non-Brother toner or ink, you may want to read up first: in early 2025, some owners reported trouble with third-party cartridges after updates, and Brother responded that its firmware updates don't block third-party supplies.

When It's More Than a Connection Problem

Most offline messages come down to a setting or a connection. It's time to look past this guide if:

• The printer won't print its own Network Configuration Report. If it can't print a page from its own buttons, the problem is inside the printer, not the connection.
• An error message with a number comes back every time you restart. Look it up in our Brother printer error codes and messages guide.
• It shows offline on every computer and phone, even after you've reconnected it to the network from scratch.
• The printer shows online, but pages still don't come out. That's a different problem, covered in our guide to a Brother printer not printing.