Printer shows offline on Windows

1 min readUpdated Oct 2026Home and Wi-Fi

Windows loses track of the printer after a router restart. Two minutes to put it back.

  1. 1
    Open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners and pick the printer.
  2. 2
    If it says Offline, choose Remove device, then Add device and let Windows find it again on the network.
  3. 3
    Still offline? Turn the printer off, wait ten seconds, turn it on, and check it has an IP address on the same Wi-Fi as the PC.
  4. 4
    If it comes back and drops again, the router is handing it a new address each time — a work order fixes that in one session.
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