We have all been there—looking at a screen with a page waiting to be printed, and when you hit Print, nothing. If your HP printer won't print or is not cooperating, it's quick for the frustration to build up very fast, especially if you just happen to have a deadline to meet. It's used by you for business, school, or any personal use; an out of order printer will give your works a kink.
This comprehensive tutorial on HP printer won't work is here to guide you through the most frequent problem solutions. Have you been looking for "my HP printer won't print" or require sophisticated printer not working solution? Read on for easy, actionable advice.
Let us try to pinpoint possible causes prior to solutions. Some of the most likely reasons that your HP printer is not printing or responding are the following:
If you have an HP printer with wireless connectivity, a weak wireless link is the likely cause. If you have a USB printer, a loose or damaged cable will disrupt communication between your computer and printer.
Your printer might be printing on an incorrect printer—usually a virtual printer such as "Microsoft Print to PDF."
Incompatible or outdated drivers for your printer are one of the most common causes of HP printer won't work issues.
Let's go through the step-by-step process of how to repair common printing problems.
Try the most elementary things first:
A sudden power restart off-and-on again might fix minor problems at times.
A stuck print job could potentially lead to a queue, which would have the possibility of freezing completely.
That should fix the "my HP printer won't print but is connected" grievance.
A background system service, print spooler handles print jobs. It freezes up, your printer will not work.
If the document is in the printer but won't print, it may be because of low or low ink or toner levels.
Driver updates commonly disrupt the printer not working troubleshooting loop by resolving compatibility and communication problems.
In the same way, use HP Easy Start—a single tool capable of automatically identifying your printer and installing required software.
If you’re a Mac user and your HP printer isn’t printing, these steps may help:
HP Easy Start also supports macOS. Download from HP's website, and it will walk you through plugging in and installing your printer.
HP also includes a free utility, HP Print and Scan Doctor, which will automatically resolve issues. Try it out for recurrent issues, particularly if:
As a last resort, if the HP printer still doesn't work, a factory reset may be necessary.
If none of the above succeed, you might have a hardware failure or a hardware problem. If so:
Printer issues are unavoidable but not to drive you insane. Whether software issues, network connectivity problems, or error messages, the assistance of this HP printer troubleshooting guide is at hand to get you back up and running in a jiffy.
The second you're sitting there stumped "why won't my HP printer print", come back to this guide, work through the steps, and get your productivity back. From queue clearing to driver updating, all the explanations can be fixed without calling in the experts.