Why won't my HP wireless printer connect? (2023)

Why is my HP printer not connecting wirelessly?

Restart the printer and the computer or mobile device to clear possible error conditions. Restore Wi-Fi setup mode. Most printers with a touchscreen display or menu: Open the Wireless or Setup menu, select Network setup or Settings, and then select Restore Network Settings.

Place the printer near the Wi-Fi router. Open the Setup, Network, or Wireless settings menu, and then select Wireless Setup Wizard. Select the name of your network, and then enter the password to complete the connection.

Make sure your router is on and connected to the internet. If you have another device on the same router, make sure it can connect to the internet. If the router is not connected to the internet, contact your network service provider. Check the printer connection to the router.

Press and hold the Wi-Fi button on the back of the printer for five seconds or until the control panel display shows a prompt. On the prompt, touch OK to restore the network default settings.

Wi-Fi printers

Go to the Start menu and click Settings, Devices, then Printers & scanners. Select Add a printer or scanner and wait for your printer to appear in the list, then select it and hit Add device. If Windows doesn't find your printer, select The printer that I want isn't listed and follow the instructions.

Check to see if your internet router is working, and make sure that your printer is connected to the same wireless network as your computer. If your printer is part of the same network and your internet is working, the printer may be out of range, or your internet connection might be too weak.

The WPS button simplifies the connection process

Press the WPS button on your router to turn on the discovery of new devices. Then, go to your device and select the network you want to connect to. The device is automatically connected to the wireless network without having to enter the network password.

9. Click “Start | Control Panel | Network and Sharing Center | New Connection or Network | Connect to the Internet | Next | Wireless.” Select the name of the wireless network and click “Connect.”

Open the printer's web page and Sign in as Administrator. On the General tab select Reset Factory Settings in the menu. In the section Reset Firmware select Reset.

Is there a reset button on my HP printer?

Turn the product on while you press and hold the Resume button for 10-20 seconds. The Attention light turns on. Release the Resume button. The Attention and Ready lights cycle while the product restores factory defaults.

Being wireless, the printer model should be WiFi-enabled as that allows the quickest and easiest wireless connection. However, you can also find Bluetooth and infrared wireless printers.

A wireless printer will still need a USB cable in case it needs to print in a location where Wi-Fi would not be available. Having a printer without a wire connection option can lessen the printer's marketability.

A restart helps fix any software glitches that could cause your wireless printer and connected devices not to work properly together. The wireless printer, router, computer/other device, wireless access point and modem all rely on your home or office network in order to connect to the internet.

Note: You will need to press and hold the WPS button on the wireless router for about 2-3 seconds. After a short period of time, your device and the wireless router will be connected.

A router with WPS enabled is highly vulnerable. A successful attack on your router's WPS function will reveal your network password in a matter of hours – regardless of how strong that password it. Again, there is no point putting a strong password on a weak network.

Note: To check if your router is WPS-enabled, look for a button labeled WPS on your router or access point. If there is no hardware button, there may be a virtual WPS button in the software for the device.

One of the most common reasons for a printer to "drop off the network" is that it has obtained a new IP address. When a printer obtains a new IP address, print jobs fail as the printing port used on the computer to send print jobs is still configured with the old IP address.

Click the name of your printer, and then click Options & Supplies. Click Utility, and then click Open Printer Utility. In HP Utility, click Wireless Setup. Make sure your network displays on the Confirm Wireless Settings window, and then click Continue to complete the wireless configuration.

Connect the printer power cord to the printer and turn the printer back on. Disconnect the power cord from your wireless router. Wait 10 seconds before reconnecting it. It may take a few minutes for your internet to come back on.

What does resetting a printer do?

A factory reset will return your printer's settings to what they were when it first came out of the box.

Printer Reset & Restart

Resetting your printer to its factory default settings is usually a last resort when it comes to troubleshooting, but it's often the answer to your problems. Sometimes it's as easy as clicking a button or a drop-down menu giving you the option to Restore Network Settings.

Factory resetting your computer destroys all the files on the hard drive. If you did not back up your files before running a factory reset, the computer might display a prompt to make a backup copy of your files before the reset performs any action that erases or deletes files.