Canon Printer Not Responding or Shows Offline — How to Fix It
Canon printers showing as offline or simply not responding to print jobs are usually dealing with a connection issue or a stuck status flag in Windows. Here's how to get them back online.
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A Canon printer that shows as Offline in Windows or simply doesn't respond to print jobs is usually fixable in a few minutes. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're connected by USB or Wi-Fi.
First: Check the Printer Itself
Look at the printer's front panel or indicator lights. Canon printers use a combination of orange and green LED blinks to signal errors — the Canon manual or Canon's support site has a blink-code table for your model. If the printer is showing an error on its own screen (like a blinking alarm light), address that first before troubleshooting the Windows side.
Set the Printer Back Online in Windows
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and click your Canon printer.
- Click Open print queue.
- In the print queue window, click Printer in the menu bar.
- If Use Printer Offline has a checkmark next to it, click it to uncheck and bring the printer back online.
This is the most common fix for the offline issue — Windows gets stuck thinking the printer is offline even after the printer is back on and connected.
Power Cycle the Printer
Turn the Canon printer off using its power button, then unplug it from the wall for 60 seconds. Plug it back in and power it on. Let it complete its startup cycle (the lights will stop blinking and settle). Then try printing a test page.
For Wi-Fi Connected Canon Printers
Print a network configuration page from the printer's menu (usually under Settings > Device Settings > Print Settings > LAN Settings) to confirm the printer has a valid IP address. If the IP has changed (for example after a router restart), remove the printer from Windows and re-add it. You can also set a static IP address from the Canon printer's network settings to prevent future address changes.
Reinstall the Canon Driver
If the above steps don't work, download the latest driver for your specific Canon model from usa.canon.com/support (US) or canon.co.uk/support (UK). Remove the existing printer entry from Windows first, then run the Canon installer fresh.
If the printer still won't respond after all this, ask us and include your Canon model number.
Frequently asked questions
My Canon printer shows 'Offline' only when I wake my PC from sleep. Why?
When the PC sleeps, the network connection drops and the Canon printer may acquire a new IP address when the router re-assigns it. When the PC wakes, Windows tries to reach the old IP and sees the printer as offline. The solution is to assign the Canon printer a static (fixed) IP address — you can do this from the printer's network settings menu or from your router's DHCP reservation list.
The Canon printer shows online but print jobs disappear without printing. What's happening?
This often means the jobs are being sent to the wrong printer — check the print queue for the correct Canon entry and make sure it's set as default. It can also mean the Print Spooler is silently dropping jobs. Restart the Print Spooler via services.msc and try again.
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