It becomes really annoying when it stops working because of printer connection issues. Do you sometimes get messages like “Network Printer not connected” or something like “Windows cannot connect printer”? And we all know when is this thing going to happen. You guessed it absolutely right, just when we try to print something important. It is like they know that they are going to be used now, so they just stop working. Do not cry or be angry when this happens to you. Calm down and relax! We understand the issue so we asked our experts at Printer Touch to make a blog that can fix printer connection issues on both the Windows computer and the Mac system and guess what this is the blog. In this blog, we will sparkle your mind with knowledge about what causes these issues and how to resolve them with minimum effort on both Mac and Windows computers.
Troubleshooting Printer Connection Issues on Windows
If your printer not connecting to network on your Windows device. Follow these steps to fix the problem.
Check the Network Connection
If you have a printer that has a wireless connection feature. Check if both your printer and the Windows computer you are using are connected exactly to the same network.
Step 1– To check printer not connecting to network message, press the power button on your printer to turn it on.
Step 2– Connect a different device to your WiFi to check if it is functioning properly. If the lights of the WiFi are red.
Step 3- First, remove completely the computer from the wireless network and then connect it back to the network the printer is connected to.
Update or Reinstall Printer Drivers
Step 1– Click on the start menu and type “Device Manager” in the search bar to open “Device Manager”.
Step 2– Click once on the printer section to expand the menu.
Step 3– Right-click on the printer you are trying to connect and choose the option “Update driver”.
Step 4– If Windows is not able to find an updated driver, follow the below steps to fix “Windows cannot connect printer” problem.
Step 5– Visit the official website of the manufacturer.
Step 6– Click on “Support”.
Step 7– Click on “Drivers and Software”.
Step 8– Select your printer model and download the driver.
After downloading the driver, simply run the installation file and then restart the computer, the printer driver will be updated.
Use the Windows Troubleshooter
There is a built-in software or tool inside the Windows computer that can automatically diagnose problems with the computer or connected devices. The tool is “Windows Troubleshooter”. You can use this tool to fix the network printer not connected issue. Follow the steps below to do it.
Step 1– Open the settings of the computer.
Step 2– Click on devices and then select “Printers and Scanners”.
Step 3– Right-click on your printer and select “Manage” option.
Step 4– Click on “Run the troubleshooter” and let the computer do the work. The troubleshooting tool will detect any printer connection issues.
Disable the Windows firewall to fix the printer not connecting to network problem
Step 1– To fix the printer not connecting to network, open the antivirus software that is installed on your device and disable it temporarily.
Step 2– Try to connect the printer to the computer
Step 3– If Windows cannot connect print, you will need to reconfigure the printer. Use the below method to do so.
Reconfigure the Printer
Step 1– Open settings on your device and navigate to the “Devices” section.
Step 2 – From the Devices section, choose “Printers & scanners”.
Step 3– Right-click on your printer and then delete it by selecting “Remove”.
Step 4– Disconnect your printer and then reconnect it.
Step 5– Click on “Add a printer or scanner” and then follow the instructions to add your printer to the computer.
Troubleshooting Printer Connection Issues on Mac
Check Network Connections on your Printer and Mac
Step 1– Click on the Apple logo on the top left of the screen and choose “System Preferences”.
Step 2– From the menu on the left, click on Network and confirm if the Mac system is connected to the correct network.
Step 3– Open network settings on your printer and check if it is connected to the same network as your Mac.
Resort the Printer Settings on the Mac
Step 1– Click on the menu and open “System Preferences”
Step 2– Go to “Printers & Scanners”.
Step 3– Right-click on the printer not connecting to the network and click on “Reset Printing System”.
Step 4– To add the printer back again, simply click on the “+” sign on the screen.
Printer Drivers Update on Mac OS
Just like what happens in Windows, the “network printer not connected” error message is common on Mac too if the printer drivers are outdated. Follow the steps below to update printer drivers on your Macintosh.
Step 1– From the Safari web browser, navigate to the website of the printer manufacturer
Step 2– Go to the driver downloads section from the support page and select “Macintosh” as the operating system.
Step 3– Download the drivers on your device.
Step 4– Once the driver has finished downloading, simply install it and then restart the Mac computer to let it apply the changes.
Say goodbye to all the Printer Connection Issues. It was not long ago when people would search the whole internet looking for solutions for the issue and even go out and pay huge amounts of repair fees to fix it but not now. Just use this troubleshooting guide and easily fix the printer not connecting to network problem. whether you have a Windows or a Mac system, it does not matter. We have covered it all, You just need to check the network settings, run a troubleshooter, and update the driver. If the problem is not fixed, we have got another solution. We have a printer expert ready at your service. Call Printer Touch now and let an expert diagnose the issue.