HP Printer Says “Offline” But It’s Connected to Wi-Fi (Windows 10/11)

A practical checklist to get it printing again (without wasting an hour reinstalling everything)

When Windows says your HP printer is “Offline” even though it’s clearly on the same Wi-Fi, it’s usually not “the printer dying.” It’s one of these:

  • Windows is stuck in Use Printer Offline mode

  • The Print Spooler is jammed (most common)

  • Windows is pointing to the wrong port/IP (WSD weirdness happens a lot)

  • Windows can’t read printer status via SNMP and lies about “Offline” (HP’s classic)

And honestly? It’s the same frustration as when Bluetooth headphones are paired but not connected—the device is right there, but Windows refuses to talk to it. [Solved: Bluetooth Headphones Paired but Not Connected on Windows 11]

Let’s fix it in the right order.

Step 0) Split the symptom (so you don’t fix the wrong thing)

A) Does the printer itself show it’s connected to Wi-Fi?

If the printer display shows a Wi-Fi icon / network name, good. If not, reconnect it to Wi-Fi first.
Source: [HP Support: Printer shows offline or unavailable]

B) Is Windows saying “Offline,” or is it “Connected but not printing”?

  • Offline = status/port/queue issue (Step 1–5)

  • Connected but jobs sit in queue = spooler/queue jam (Step 2–3)

Step 1) Uncheck “Use Printer Offline” + set it as Default (fast win)

This looks too simple, but it fixes a lot.

📍 Go to: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → your HP printer → Open print queue
In the queue window: Printer menu → make sure Use Printer Offline is unchecked.
Source: [Microsoft Support: Troubleshooting offline printer problems in Windows]

Then set it as default:
📍 Go to: Settings → Printers & scanners → your printer → Set as default

Step 2) Restart the Print Spooler (the #1 “connected but won’t print” fix)

If jobs are stuck, or “Offline” keeps coming back, restart the spooler.

📍 Go to: Win + R → type services.msc → Enter → Print Spooler → Right-click → Restart
Source: [Microsoft Support: Fix print spooler service not running]

Quick mental model: Think of the Print Spooler like a browser process. If it gets clogged (like Chrome using too much memory), you have to kill it and restart to get things moving again. [Why Is Chrome Using So Much Memory? 5 Easy Fixes]

Step 3) If the queue is clogged, clear it properly (spooler reset)

If restart didn’t help and documents are stuck:

  1. Open the print queue and cancel jobs (if possible)

  2. In Services, Stop Print Spooler

  3. Clear the spool files (the print queue “junk”)

  4. Start Print Spooler again
    Source: [Microsoft Support: Fix print job stuck in queue errors]

This is the “unstick everything” move when Windows printing is jammed.

Step 4) Fix the real culprit: Windows is pointing at the wrong IP/Port

This is a classic: the printer is on Wi-Fi, but Windows is sending jobs to an old IP address (or a flaky WSD port).

Step 4-1) Find the printer’s current IP address

  • Printer screen → Network info

  • Or print a Network Configuration / Wireless Test report
    Source: [HP Support]

Step 4-2) Re-add the printer using Standard TCP/IP (more stable than WSD)

📍 Go to: Control Panel → Devices and Printers → Add a printer → “The printer that I want isn’t listed” → Add using TCP/IP address
Enter the printer IP, then finish setup.

This often stops the “Offline” status from returning.

Step 4-3) 💡 Pro Tip: Uncheck “SNMP Status Enabled” (the secret HP fix) ⭐

Even if the IP is correct, Windows can falsely report Offline because it can’t get a status update via SNMP.

📍 Go to: Printer Properties → Ports tab

  • Select your printer’s IP port (the checked one)

  • Click Configure Port…

  • Uncheck “SNMP Status Enabled”

  • Click OK

Why it works: Windows stops asking the printer “Are you there?” via SNMP and simply pushes the print job through. This fixes the “False Offline” status instantly for a lot of HP models.

Step 5) Run Windows Printer Troubleshooter (quick sanity check)

📍 Go to: Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Printer → Run
Source: [Microsoft Support]

It’s not magic, but it catches obvious misconfigurations.

Step 5.5) Run “HP Print and Scan Doctor” (official automated fixer)

Before reinstalling everything, run HP’s own tool.

Step 6) Reinstall HP Smart / HP driver (only after the above)

If the port/IP is correct, spooler is clean, and it still flips Offline, the software layer may be corrupted.

✅ Clean route:

Step 7) The boring-but-real trap: “same Wi-Fi” isn’t always the same (2.4GHz vs 5GHz)

Some printers behave better on 2.4GHz. If your phone prints but your PC doesn’t (or vice versa), your devices might not actually be on the same segment.

If you can, test:

  • Connect your PC to the same band as the printer (often 2.4GHz), then retry.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Why does my HP printer say Offline even though it’s connected?
A: Most often Windows is stuck in Use Printer Offline, the spooler is jammed, Windows is using the wrong port/IP, or SNMP status checks are failing and Windows lies. Start with Step 1–2, then do the SNMP fix (Step 4-3).

Q: What’s the fastest fix that works most often?
A: Restart Print Spooler (Step 2). Then do the SNMP Status Enabled OFF trick (Step 4-3) for HP “false offline.”

Q: Should I reinstall drivers immediately?
A: Not first. Spooler + offline toggle + port/IP + SNMP fix solves most cases. Reinstall only if those fail.

Wrap-up

If your HP printer says Offline while connected to Wi-Fi, don’t start with random reinstalls. First uncheck Use Printer Offline, restart the Print Spooler, and confirm Windows is using the correct TCP/IP port.
Then do the big one: turn off “SNMP Status Enabled”—it fixes a huge chunk of HP “false offline” cases instantly.
If it’s still stuck, run HP Print and Scan Doctor before you reinstall drivers.