Solutions to Resolve HP Printer Not Printing Issue

Start at the top and stop the moment printing works. The steps run from quickest and safest to most involved.

1. Power cycle everything. Turn the printer off, unplug it from the wall for 60 seconds, then plug it back in and turn it on. Restart your computer as well. This alone clears a large share of no-print cases.
2. Check the printer itself. Paper in the tray, no jammed sheets, every door and the cartridge access closed, and no blinking error light on the panel.
3. Confirm the connection. For USB, reseat the cable at both ends or try a different port. For Wi-Fi, make sure the printer and computer are on the same network. Many HP printers only join a 2.4 GHz band, so a computer connected to a separate 5 GHz network name can lose sight of the printer.
4. Clear the offline and paused states. In Windows, open Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners. Open your printer, open the print queue, and in the Printer menu uncheck "Pause Printing" and "Use Printer Offline."
5. Set the correct default printer. On the same screen, select your HP printer and choose "Set as default." Turn off "Let Windows manage my default printer" if it keeps switching on its own.
6. Print a self-test from the printer. Most HP models can print a status or configuration page from the control panel with no computer involved. If that page prints, the printer and ink are fine and the problem is the connection or the computer. If it fails, focus on the hardware and cartridges.
7. Run HP Print and Scan Doctor on Windows, or the built-in diagnostics in the HP Smart app. It checks the driver, the queue, and the connection, and repairs many issues on its own.
8. Pause security software for one test print. If you recently installed antivirus or a firewall, disable it briefly and try printing to see whether it was blocking the printer.

Check For the Issue in the Ink Cartridge

If the printer feeds paper but the pages come out blank, faint, or missing a color, the cause is almost always the cartridges or the printhead.

• Check the estimated ink levels in the HP Smart app or on the control panel. Replace any cartridge that is empty or very low. On several HP models, one empty cartridge, including a color cartridge, stops all printing until it is replaced.
• Reseat the cartridges. Open the access door, take out each cartridge, and confirm the protective tape and the orange pull tab are completely removed. Slide each one back until it clicks.
• Run a printhead cleaning. In HP Smart, open Printer Settings, then Print Quality Tools or Maintenance, and choose Clean Printhead. Print a test page after the cycle finishes. If quality improves but is not perfect, run the cleaning once or twice more with a few minutes between cycles, then stop. Each cleaning uses a real amount of ink, and the improvement drops off quickly after the third pass.
• Try a manual clean if automatic cleaning does not help. Lightly dampen a lint-free cloth with distilled water, wipe the nozzle area, and let it dry fully before reinstalling.
• Use genuine HP cartridges. If the panel shows "cartridge problem," "counterfeit," or "used, refilled, or counterfeit cartridge," install a new genuine HP cartridge to confirm the printer accepts it.
• Let a new cartridge settle. Give the printer 15 to 30 minutes after a swap, then print a nozzle check pattern to confirm every color fires.

Factory Restore Settings

A factory reset returns the printer's network settings and preferences to the way they shipped. It is worth trying when the printer keeps falling off the network or behaves inconsistently after the other steps.

• Touchscreen models: open Settings, or the Tools or Maintenance menu, then choose Restore Factory Defaults or Restore Settings.
• Button-only models: the key combination depends on the series. A common approach is to hold the Wireless and Cancel buttons together, or hold the Resume button, for several seconds while the printer powers on. Check the manual for your exact model number so you use the right sequence.

After the reset, the printer will not be connected to Wi-Fi, and your computer may need the printer removed and added again. Reconnect it through the HP Smart app and set it as the default printer once more.

Cancel All the Pending/Unnecessary Print Jobs

A single failed job at the front of the queue holds up every job behind it.

1. Open Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners. Select your HP printer and choose "Open print queue."
2. In the Printer menu, click "Cancel All Documents" and wait for the list to empty.
3. Turn the printer off and on, then send one fresh test page.

If a job is stuck on "Deleting" and will not clear:

1. Press the Windows key and R together, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Find "Print Spooler," right-click it, and choose Stop.
3. Open C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete everything inside that folder. This removes queued jobs for every printer on the computer.
4. Return to Services, right-click "Print Spooler," and choose Start.

On a Mac, open System Settings, then Printers & Scanners, open the print queue, and delete the jobs. If they will not clear, right-click the printer list, choose "Reset printing system," and add the printer again.

Update the Old HP Printer Driver

Printing problems that begin right after a Windows update almost always point to the driver.

Cleanest method:

1. In Printers & scanners, select your HP printer and choose "Remove."
2. Go to the HP support site or 123.hp.com, enter your exact model number, and download the full feature driver or the HP Smart app.
3. Run the installer and follow the prompts to add the printer back.
4. Restart the computer and print a test page.

Faster method through Device Manager:

1. Right-click the Start button and open Device Manager.
2. Expand "Printers" or "Print queues," right-click your HP printer, and choose "Update driver," then "Search automatically for drivers."
3. If Windows reports that the best driver is already installed, choose "Uninstall device" instead, then open the Action menu and choose "Scan for hardware changes" to let it reinstall.

Download drivers only from HP or Windows Update. Third-party "driver updater" sites often install the wrong package and create a second problem.