Printer Goes Offline After Sleep Mode

The printer works after you switch it on, but once it sits idle for a while it shows as offline and jobs never wake it. Pressing a button or restarting it brings it back, until next time. That pattern points to power saving on the printer, the computer or the network. This guide covers sleep and auto-off timers, wireless power saving, the Windows port type, the computer's network adapter and keeping the printer's address stable overnight.

What you might be seeing

• The printer is offline every morning or after a quiet afternoon
• Pressing any button on the printer brings it back
• Jobs wait until someone wakes the printer by hand
• The Wi-Fi light goes dark or blinks during sleep

Common causes

Deep sleep turns off networking

Some printers power down their wireless radio in deep sleep, so jobs can't wake them.

Auto power-off

An auto-off timer shuts the printer down completely, which looks like sleep from across the room.

WSD port loses track

A WSD port relies on the printer announcing itself, which a sleeping printer may stop doing.

Address changes while asleep

A long sleep can outlast the router's address lease, so the printer wakes with a new IP address.

Computer's adapter powers down

The computer's own network adapter may switch off to save power.

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.

1. Find out whether it sleeps or shuts down

   Leave the printer idle until it goes offline, then look at it. If the screen and every light are dark and a button press starts a full startup cycle, an auto-off timer switched it off. If it responds instantly, it was only asleep. Note roughly how long it took, because that usually matches a timer in the printer's energy or eco menu.

2. Adjust the sleep and auto-off timers

   In the printer's setup, energy or eco settings, set auto power-off to never, or the longest option available, and lengthen a very short sleep timer. Many printers offer the same settings on their built-in web page, which opens when you type the printer's IP address into a browser. Ordinary sleep can stay on, since a networked printer should still wake for jobs.

3. Keep the network connection awake

   Some printers have a separate option that shuts off Wi-Fi during sleep, labeled something like wireless power saving, network standby or deep sleep. If yours does, set the network connection to stay on. Ethernet models may offer a wake-on-network option instead, which should be enabled. Then let the printer sleep and send a test job to confirm it wakes.

4. Switch the Windows port from WSD to TCP/IP

   Open the printer's page in Printers & scanners, select Printer properties and choose the Ports tab. If the checked port begins with WSD, select Add Port, choose Standard TCP/IP Port, then New Port, and enter the printer's IP address. Finish the wizard, check the new port and select Apply. A TCP/IP port sends jobs straight to the address instead of waiting for the printer to announce itself.

5. Keep the printer's IP address fixed

   A TCP/IP port breaks whenever the printer's address changes. Sign in to your router's settings page, usually by typing the Default Gateway shown by ipconfig into a browser, and find the DHCP or address reservation section. Reserve the printer's current address against the MAC address printed on its network report, then restart the printer so it picks up the reservation.

6. Stop the computer's network adapter from sleeping

   Right-click Start, open Device Manager and expand Network adapters. Double-click your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter and, on the Power Management tab, clear the option that lets the computer turn the device off to save power. If there's no such tab, the adapter manages power itself. This matters most on laptops that print right after waking.

7. Update the printer's firmware

   Manufacturers often fix sleep and wake problems in firmware. Look for an update option in the printer's maintenance menu, the manufacturer's app or the manufacturer's official website. Keep the printer plugged in throughout, even if the screen seems frozen for several minutes. Afterward, recheck your sleep and network settings, because some updates restore the defaults.

How to keep it from happening again

• Choose a sleep timer that suits your working hours rather than the shortest setting
• Print through a TCP/IP port with a reserved IP address
• Install printer firmware updates when they are offered
• Recheck power settings after any printer reset or update