You send a job and, after a pause, the computer reports that the printer is not responding. Unlike a plain offline status, this error often appears mid-job: the computer reached the printer, or expected to, and then lost the conversation. The printer may be waiting on a prompt, frozen by a large or damaged job, blocked by security software or confused by an outdated driver. This guide works through each in turn.
What you might be seeing
- A Printer Not Responding message appears after you select Print
- On a Mac, the print queue says the printer is not responding
- Jobs start, pause and then fail with an error status
- The printer's screen shows a message or frozen progress
Common causes
- Printer waiting on a prompt
- A paper, cover or cartridge message stops the printer accepting new data until someone answers it.
- Busy or frozen printer
- A very large or corrupted job can lock up the printer's processor.
- Unstable connection
- The network link drops, or the printer's address changes, partway through the transfer.
- Security software blocking
- A third-party firewall can block a job partway, so printing starts and then stalls.
- Driver mismatch
- An outdated or wrong driver sends data the printer can't process, so it stops replying.
How to fix it, step by step
Work through these in order and test a print after each one. Most people are done within the first few steps.
Stop the Print Spooler before deleting spool files, and delete only the contents of the PRINTERS folder, never the folder itself or anything else in System32.
Read the printer's own display
Walk to the printer and look for any message, flashing light or prompt waiting for an answer, such as load paper, confirm paper size or close the cover. Answer or clear it. Some printers also pause when a cartridge runs low and ask you to press OK before continuing. Nothing on the computer will help until the printer itself is ready.
Cancel the job and empty the printer's memory
On the computer, open the print queue and cancel every job. On the printer, use its cancel button or job menu to clear anything still processing. Then switch the printer off, unplug it for a full minute so its memory empties, and power it back on. Once it has finished starting up, print a single page from a text editor.
Test whether the connection is stable
Find the printer's IP address on its network status screen. In Windows, open Command Prompt and run
ping -n 20followed by that address; on a Mac, runping -c 20and the address in Terminal. Twenty steady replies mean the connection is fine and the problem is in software. Lost replies or timeouts mean the link is unreliable, so move the printer closer to the router or try a cable first.Reset the Windows print queue completely
Right-click Start and open Terminal (Admin) in Windows 11 or Windows PowerShell (Admin) in Windows 10. Run
net stop spooler, then open File Explorer and delete everything insideC:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, leaving the folder itself in place. Return to the window and runnet start spooler. This removes damaged job files that a normal cancel can't clear, which often ends repeated not responding errors.Check the queue and printing system on a Mac
In System Settings › Printers & Scanners, click your printer, then Printer Queue, and select Resume if the queue is paused. If jobs keep failing, Control-click any printer in the list and choose Reset printing system. That removes every printer and queued job, so add yours again afterward with Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax, choosing AirPrint under Use where it's offered.
Check third-party security software
The firewall built into Windows allows outgoing print jobs by default, so focus on any additional security suite you've installed. Open its firewall or network protection section and look for blocked connections involving the printer's IP address, or a setting that treats your home network as public. Mark the network as trusted or add the printer as an allowed device, and keep the protection itself switched on.
Update or reinstall the printer driver
In Windows, check Windows Update for optional driver updates, or download the current driver for your exact model from the manufacturer's official website. Remove the printer from Printers & scanners before installing, so the old configuration doesn't linger, then add it again. A driver meant for a similar model can seem to work yet trigger this error on some documents.
How to keep it from happening again
- Answer printer prompts and errors as soon as they appear
- Split very large PDFs or photo jobs into smaller batches
- Keep the printer's address reserved in the router
- Use drivers only from Windows Update or the manufacturer's official website
Common questions
What is the difference between offline and not responding?
Offline usually means the computer can't find the printer before a job starts. Not responding means the computer reached it, or expected to, but the printer stopped answering during the exchange. That points more often to a printer that's busy, waiting on a prompt or overwhelmed by a job than to a missing connection.
Why does the error come back every few days?
A recurring error means the cause is still there: the printer's address changes after router restarts, it falls into deep sleep, or one program keeps producing a job it can't handle. If the error follows one program or file type, focus there rather than on the network.
Why does it only fail with large documents?
Big photo files and image-heavy PDFs can take longer to transfer than the printer or driver will wait, especially over weak Wi-Fi. Print a smaller page range, lower the quality setting or move the printer closer to the router. If small jobs always work, connection speed or printer memory is the limit.
This guide is general information written for common home and office printers. Menus and button names vary between models, so check your printer’s manual where a step differs. Printer Problems Solved is independent and not affiliated with any printer manufacturer. See our disclaimer.