Brother Printer Offline on Mac and Windows? 10 Fixes That Actually Work (2026)

Is your Brother printer offline even though it is powered on and connected to your computer or Wi-Fi network? This common problem can prevent you from printing important documents. A Brother printer may display an offline status because of network interruptions, incorrect printer settings, outdated drivers, or pending print jobs.

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Whether you are experiencing a Brother printer offline on Windows 10, Windows 11, or Mac, this guide explains the common causes and provides 10 practical troubleshooting solutions to help restore your printer connection.

Why Is My Brother Printer Offline?

Before troubleshooting, it is important to understand why your Brother printer keeps going offline.

Common reasons include:

• Weak or unstable Wi-Fi connections.

• Incorrect printer settings.

• Outdated or corrupted printer drivers.

• Stuck or pending print jobs.

• Printer and computer connected to different networks.

• Windows Print Spooler service problems.

• Incorrect printer IP address.

• Firewall or network restrictions.

• USB cable or connection failures.

10 Easy Fixes for Brother Printer Offline Issues

1. Restart Your Brother Printer and Computer

Restarting your devices can resolve temporary communication problems.

Follow these steps:

1. Turn off your Brother printer.

2. Shut down your computer.

3. Wait approximately 30 seconds.

4. Turn on the printer.

5. Restart your computer.

6. Check the printer status.

7. Print a test page.

If the printer still appears offline, continue with the next solution.

2. Check Your Brother Printer Connection

An unstable USB or wireless connection may cause the Brother printer offline error.

For USB printers, inspect the cable and try another USB port.

For wireless printers, verify that the printer is connected to the correct Wi-Fi network.

Make sure your computer and printer can communicate over the same local network.

3. Disable Use Printer Offline Mode

Windows includes a setting that allows users to operate a printer in offline mode.

To check this setting:

1. Open Control Panel.

2. Select Devices and Printers.

3. Right-click your Brother printer.

4. Choose See what's printing.

5. Open the Printer menu.

6. Uncheck Use Printer Offline if enabled.

The available options may vary depending on your Windows version and printer driver.

4. Set Brother as the Default Printer

Incorrect default printer settings may cause documents to be sent to another device.

Open Windows Settings and navigate to Printers & scanners.

Select your Brother printer and set it as the default device if appropriate.

If Windows automatically manages your default printer, disable that option before selecting your preferred printer.

5. Clear Pending Print Jobs

Stuck print jobs can interrupt printer communication.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Printers & scanners.

2. Select your Brother printer.

3. Open the print queue.

4. Cancel pending documents.

5. Restart the printer.

6. Try printing again.

Clearing the queue can resolve temporary printing problems.

6. Restart the Windows Print Spooler

The Windows Print Spooler manages print jobs and communication with installed printers.

To restart it:

1. Press Windows + R.

2. Type services.msc.

3. Press Enter.

4. Locate Print Spooler.

5. Right-click the service.

6. Select Restart.

After restarting the service, check whether your Brother printer is online.

7. Update Brother Printer Drivers

Outdated or incompatible drivers may cause communication errors between your printer and computer.

Visit Brother's official support website and search for your printer model.

Download the recommended driver for Windows 10, Windows 11, or macOS.

Install the software, restart your computer if required, and test the printer connection.

8. Check Brother Printer IP Address

Wireless printers use network addresses to communicate with computers.

If your Brother printer receives a different IP address, the existing printer configuration may stop working.

Print a network configuration report to identify the printer's current IP address.

Compare it with the address configured on your computer.

If the addresses differ, update the printer connection using your operating system's printer settings.

9. Reconnect Brother Printer to Wi-Fi

If your Brother printer is offline but connected to Wi-Fi, the network connection may be unstable or incorrectly configured.

Open the printer's wireless settings and reconnect it to your router.

Verify the Wi-Fi password and wireless signal strength.

Restart your router if necessary and check whether the printer reconnects successfully.

10. Remove and Reinstall Your Brother Printer

If previous solutions fail, reinstalling the printer may resolve corrupted configurations.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Printers & scanners.

2. Select your Brother printer.

3. Choose Remove device.

4. Restart your computer.

5. Install compatible Brother printer software.

6. Add your printer again.

7. Print a test page.

How to Fix Brother Printer Offline on Mac

Mac users can troubleshoot an offline Brother printer by checking the printer connection and print queue.

Open System Settings > Printers & Scanners and select your Brother printer.

Check whether printing is paused or documents are waiting in the queue.

Verify that your Mac and printer can communicate over the same local network.

If the printer remains offline, remove it and add it again.

Brother Printer Offline but Connected to Wi-Fi

Sometimes a Brother printer displays an offline status even though its wireless indicator shows an active connection.

This may happen when the computer is using an outdated printer IP address or the router restricts communication between connected devices.

Print a network configuration report and confirm the printer's current IP address.

Also check whether your computer is connected to a guest network or VPN that prevents access to local printers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Brother printer say offline when it is connected?

Your printer may display offline because of incorrect network settings, outdated drivers, pending print jobs, or communication problems between the printer and computer.

How do I get my Brother printer back online?

Restart your printer, verify its USB or Wi-Fi connection, clear pending print jobs, and check the printer's offline settings.

Why does my Brother printer keep going offline?

Recurring offline problems may result from unstable wireless connections, changing IP addresses, router restrictions, or outdated printer software.

How do I fix Brother printer offline on Windows 11?

Open Printers & scanners, check your printer connection, clear pending print jobs, restart the Print Spooler, and update compatible Brother drivers.

Can I fix Brother printer offline without reinstalling drivers?

Yes. Many offline errors can be resolved by restarting devices, correcting printer settings, checking network connectivity, or clearing the print queue.

Conclusion

If your Brother printer offline issue continues, start by checking the printer connection, restarting your devices, clearing pending print jobs, and updating compatible drivers.

These 10 troubleshooting methods can resolve many common Brother printer offline problems on Windows 10, Windows 11, and Mac. For persistent issues, consult Brother's official support resources for model-specific instructions.

Need Additional Assistance?

If you’ve tried the troubleshooting steps above and still need help (Dial +1-803-866-1601 USA), our independent technical support team can assist with printer troubleshooting. We are not affiliated with or authorized by Brother or any other printer manufacturer.