Here are the most common reasons a printer won't connect to Wi-Fi, and what to do about each one. If you need more detail on any of them, the full step-by-step guide is below.
Printer won't find your network at all
Printer was working, now it's not
Printer connects but can't print
Connection keeps dropping
Nothing obvious — just stopped working
Problem appeared after a Windows or Mac update
Not sorted yet? Work through the full guide below — it covers every likely cause in detail, including the 2.4GHz issue that most troubleshooting guides miss entirely.
Step 1: Check the Basics First
Before doing anything else, run through these quickly — they solve the problem more often than you'd expect.
Is your Wi-Fi actually working?
Check that other devices — your phone, laptop, or tablet — can connect to the internet. If they can't, the problem is with your router or internet connection rather than the printer. Restart your router (unplug it, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in) and wait a couple of minutes for it to fully reconnect before trying the printer again.
Has your Wi-Fi name or password changed recently?
If you've recently got a new router, changed your Wi-Fi password, or your ISP has changed your network settings, the printer will have lost its connection and will need reconnecting from scratch. The printer has no way of knowing the new password — you'll need to go through the Wi-Fi setup process again using the printer's menu or app.
Restart the printer
Switch the printer off completely, unplug it from the wall, wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in and turn it on. This clears temporary errors and refreshes the network connection. It's worth restarting the router at the same time if you haven't already.
Step 2: Check the 2.4GHz vs 5GHz Band — This Fixes It for a Lot of People
This is the issue that trips up a huge number of people, and most basic troubleshooting guides don't cover it clearly. Here's what's going on.
Modern routers broadcast Wi-Fi on two different frequency bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The 5GHz band is faster but has shorter range. The 2.4GHz band is slower but more reliable over distance and through walls. The important thing for printer owners is this: the majority of home inkjet printers — including many HP, Canon, Epson, and Brother models — can only connect to the 2.4GHz band. They cannot see or connect to 5GHz at all.
Until recently, most routers broadcast these as two separate networks with different names — something like "HomeNetwork" and "HomeNetwork_5G" — so the printer would simply connect to the 2.4GHz one. Many newer routers and mesh Wi-Fi systems (including those supplied by ISPs like BT, Sky, and Virgin Media) now use a single network name for both bands and automatically steer devices to the best one. This is called band steering or Smart Connect. The problem is that when the router tries to assign your printer to the 5GHz band, the printer can't connect — and it's not obvious why.
How to tell if this is your problem
Signs that the 2.4GHz/5GHz mismatch is the cause include: the printer worked fine on your old router but stopped working after you got a new one; the printer can't find your network at all during setup; or the printer connects briefly but keeps dropping offline.
How to fix it
The solution is to make sure your printer is connecting to your 2.4GHz network. There are a few ways to do this depending on your router:
- If your router broadcasts separate names for 2.4GHz and 5GHz (e.g. "HomeNetwork" and "HomeNetwork_5G"): simply connect the printer to the one without the 5G label.
- If your router uses a single name for both bands: log into your router settings (usually via a web browser at 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 — check the label on the back of your router) and either disable band steering, or set up a separate name for the 2.4GHz band. If this feels too technical, call your ISP and ask them to help you separate the bands or confirm the 2.4GHz network is available. Most are happy to do this over the phone.
Your phone or laptop doesn't need to be on the 2.4GHz band to print — once the printer is connected to 2.4GHz, devices on 5GHz can still send jobs to it without any problem.
Step 3: Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength
Printers often sit in a fixed spot — on a shelf, in a spare room, or at the edge of the house — and Wi-Fi signal can be weaker than you'd expect at that location, particularly if there are thick walls, metal shelving, or other electronics nearby that interfere with the signal.
To test whether signal is the issue, temporarily move the printer much closer to the router — ideally into the same room — and try connecting. If it connects successfully in that location, signal strength is the problem.
The practical solutions are to move the printer permanently closer to the router, or to use a Wi-Fi extender or powerline adapter to boost the signal to wherever the printer needs to be. A powerline adapter (which sends the network signal through your home's electrical wiring) is often more reliable than a Wi-Fi extender for a printer because it gives a wired-quality connection rather than a wireless one.
Step 4: Don't Connect to a Guest Network
Many routers offer a guest Wi-Fi network as well as a main network. Guest networks are specifically designed to isolate devices from each other — which means a printer on a guest network won't be visible to a computer or phone on the main network, and printing will appear not to work even though the printer seems to be connected.
Make sure both your printer and the device you're printing from are connected to the same main home network, not a guest network. Check your printer's network settings — there will usually be a network information page you can print from the settings menu — and confirm the network name it's connected to.
Step 5: Run the Wi-Fi Setup Again
If the printer was previously connected but has lost its connection, running the wireless setup process from scratch often resolves it. Most modern printers do this through their own display menu, usually under Settings, Network, or Wireless Setup Wizard. Some models — particularly newer HP printers — use an app (the HP Smart app) to manage this; if that's the case, use the app's setup or add printer option to reconnect.
When you run the setup, make sure you select your 2.4GHz network (as discussed above), enter the password carefully (Wi-Fi passwords are case-sensitive), and wait for the connection to fully establish before printing a test page.
Step 6: Check for Printer Firmware and Driver Updates
Outdated printer firmware can cause Wi-Fi connection issues, particularly after a router update or operating system change. Firmware is the software built into the printer itself — it controls how the printer communicates with your network.
Check for firmware updates through the printer's own settings menu, through the manufacturer app (HP Smart, Canon PRINT, Epson iPrint, Brother iPrint&Scan), or by visiting the manufacturer's support website and searching for your printer model.
On Windows, you can also update the printer driver by going to Settings → Bluetooth & Devices → Printers & Scanners → your printer → Manage → Update Driver. On a Mac, go to System Settings → Printers & Scanners and check for driver updates there. An updated driver can restore connectivity after a Windows or macOS update has changed how the computer communicates with the printer.
Step 7: Reset the Printer's Network Settings
If you've worked through all of the above and the printer still won't connect, resetting its network settings and starting fresh is usually the most effective next step. This wipes all saved Wi-Fi information from the printer and puts it back to factory network defaults, ready to be set up as if new.
The reset option is usually found in the printer's settings menu under Network, Wireless, or Restore Settings. The exact steps vary by model — check your printer's manual or the manufacturer's support website for your specific model if you can't find it.
After resetting, go through the Wi-Fi setup process again from Step 5, making sure to connect to your 2.4GHz network.
Still Not Connecting? Check Whether a USB Cable Is Plugged In
This is a less obvious one but worth mentioning: on some printer models, having a USB cable connected between the printer and a computer can disable or interfere with the Wi-Fi setup process. If you have a USB cable plugged in, disconnect it before running the wireless setup, then reconnect it afterwards if needed.
Quick Reference: Most Common Causes
To summarise the most likely causes in order of how often they come up:
- Wi-Fi password has changed and the printer hasn't been updated
- Router broadcasting on 5GHz only, and the printer is 2.4GHz-only
- Printer connected to a guest network instead of the main network
- Weak Wi-Fi signal at the printer's location
- Temporary glitch cleared by restarting the printer and router
- Outdated firmware or printer driver
Work through them in order and you'll find the fix in almost every case. If none of the above resolves it, contact your printer manufacturer's support line with your printer model number and a description of what you've tried — they can usually identify the specific issue quickly from there.
