Brother Printer Offline? 6 Fixes for Windows 10, 11 & Mac
Brother printers are known for reliability but the offline error is a common frustration — particularly after Windows updates, router changes, or the computer waking from sleep. Here is how to fix it quickly for all Brother models on both Windows and Mac.
Why Does Brother Printer Go Offline?
The offline status appears when Windows or Mac loses communication with your Brother printer. Common causes include: Windows incorrectly setting the printer to offline after a sleep cycle, a stuck print job blocking the queue, your Brother printer being assigned a new IP address by your router, or driver corruption after a Windows update. The fix depends on the root cause — work through these in order.
Fix 1: Check Physical Connections
First confirm the basics: the printer is fully powered on — not in sleep mode, press any button to wake it. The WiFi indicator light is solid blue — not flashing. Flashing means the Brother is searching for or has lost its WiFi connection. If using a USB cable, check it is firmly connected at both the printer and computer ends. A loose USB cable is a surprisingly frequent cause of the offline error on USB-connected printers.
Fix 2: Remove the Offline Tick (Windows)
Press Windows + I → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → click your Brother printer → Open print queue → click Printer in the top menu bar → if "Use Printer Offline" has a tick next to it, click to remove it. The Brother printer immediately goes back online. This single step resolves around half of all Brother offline issues. If there is no tick on Use Printer Offline, the offline status is being caused by a genuine connection problem rather than a software setting — continue to Fix 3.
Fix 3: Clear the Print Queue and Restart Print Spooler
Open the print queue for your Brother printer and cancel every job by right-clicking each and selecting Cancel. If jobs will not cancel, press Windows + R, type services.msc, press Enter, scroll to Print Spooler, right-click and select Restart. Return to the print queue and cancel all jobs. Once the queue is empty, try a fresh test print. A corrupted print job in the queue is one of the most common causes of the persistent offline state where the printer appears to be online but will not print.
Fix 4: Restart Printer and Router
Turn off the Brother printer completely using the power button — hold it until the printer shuts down, not just into sleep mode. Unplug your WiFi router for 30 seconds to clear its connection table. Restart your computer. Once everything is back on, turn the Brother printer on last and wait 60-90 seconds for it to fully connect to the network. The WiFi light should turn solid. Try printing again before attempting further fixes.
Fix 5: Reset Brother Network Settings
If the Brother printer cannot reconnect to WiFi after a restart, resetting its network settings resolves corrupted network configuration. On your Brother printer: press Menu → scroll to Network → Reset Network → press OK → Yes to confirm. This erases all saved WiFi settings and returns the printer to factory network defaults. After the reset you need to reconnect to WiFi from scratch using the Wireless Setup Wizard in the Network menu. See our WiFi setup guide for a step-by-step walkthrough. After reconnecting to WiFi, delete and re-add the printer in Windows or Mac settings.
Fix 6: Reset Mac Printing System
On Mac, go to System Settings → Printers & Scanners → right-click anywhere in the printer list → Reset printing system → confirm. This removes all printers from Mac and resets the print system completely. Re-add your Brother printer by clicking + and selecting it from the network. Mac automatically downloads the latest Brother driver. This is the most effective single fix for persistent Brother offline errors on Mac.
Fix 7: Update Brother Drivers
Driver corruption after Windows updates is a common cause of Brother printers going offline permanently. Go to support.brother.com, enter your Brother printer model, select your operating system, download the Full Driver & Software Package. Uninstall all existing Brother software via Control Panel → Programs → uninstall everything Brother-related. Restart your computer. Run the new installer. See our printer driver installation guide for detailed steps.
Fix 8: Assign a Static IP to Your Brother Printer
Brother printers that go offline repeatedly every few days are almost always experiencing an IP address change — your router assigns a new address each time the printer reconnects, and Windows loses track of where it is on the network. Print a network configuration page from your Brother printer by holding the WiFi button for 3 seconds — this shows the current IP address. Type that IP into your browser to access the Brother web interface. Go to Network → TCP/IP → Boot Method and change from DHCP to Static. Set a fixed IP address in your network range but outside your router's DHCP range. This permanently stops the recurring offline problem. For iPhone printing help with your Brother printer, see our guide to printing from iPhone to Brother.