HP printers are almost everywhere and I’ve used a lot of them over the years. I’ve also had my fair share of issues with HP printers and have fixed a bunch of them. Today, I will explain what to do when an HP Laserjet printer is not working based on my extensive experience and research into how to get this specific type of printer to work.
There is a software tool that HP provides that you can install on your printer, which can diagnose and explain what to do for the specific issue you’re having. It’s also common that when you pressed print the correct printer wasn’t selected.
In this article I will cover the most common issues that cause an HP Laserjet printer to not work such as when it doesn’t respond even though it’s connected, or when you can’t delete a job in the printer queue.
HP Laserjet Not Working
An HP Laserjet printer can be plugged in, turned on and connected to a computer or other device. But, when you click print and it goes into the queue sometimes nothing can happen. In other cases it won’t turn on at all, so here’s a general overview of what causes this to happen and how to get it to print.
Overall, the easiest option is to install the official HP Print and Scan Doctor software tool, and utilize the live chat support at the same time to resolve the issue. But, there are some quick settings you can check, and steps you can take beforehand that may have been overlooked, explained below.
I’ll first explain how to install and use the HP print and scan doctor software, and live support. There is one software for Windows computers, and a different one for Mac computers. Then explain step by step instructions for the common issues that cause an HP Laserjet printer to not work.
1. Installing and using the official HP Print and Scan Doctor software
The official software for a Windows computer can be downloaded from this page on the HP website. It’s called HP Print and Scan Doctor, and is located towards the bottom of the page on the left. When you click the button that says ‘Print and Scan’ it will immediately begin downloading the .exe install file.
For a Mac computer the software is different. You need to get the official HP Smart app. This appears to be the older version of the software, which has since been upgraded and improved into the HP Print and Scan Doctor. Currently, the print and scan doctor is not available for Mac.
Therefore, you need to use the HP smart app. It’s available for Windows and Mac. So, you simply need to click the Mac version to download it. It is available on this page of the HP support website. A link to download it is under the heading ‘Install the HP Smart app (Windows, Mac)’.
The HP smart app has a built-in ‘Diagnose & Fix’ tool built in. For either the Windows or the Mac tool the app will find any issues it can. And fix it for you automatically, or prompt you with an explanation about what to do. However, it doesn’t always identify all issues for that reason. Here are some common fixes to issues that can cause an HP Laserjet printer not to work.
2. Ensure it has the right amount of power from the wall outlet
An HP Laserjet printer needs the right voltage to work correctly. If your printer doesn’t power up at all you should also do this step. Here’s a detailed and very good video from HP support that explains how to check this.
What isn’t covered in the video is to test your wall outlet, which is required if your printer doesn’t power on. This can be done by plugging in another device into the same wall outlet that your printer is plugged into, such as a phone charger.
If another device such as a phone charger works then the wall outlet is working correctly, and isn’t something that needs fixing. If the wall outlet isn’t working at all, plug it into a different wall outlet or check your fuse box to see if the circuit breaker has been tripped.
3. When you click print make sure the correct printer is selected
This is a common mistake that I’ve made many times. When you hit print the window that opens has a drop down menu that automatically selects a printer. The HP Deskjet printer you are using may not be highlighted by default and you need to select it manually.
When you hit print and the wrong printer is selected it will send the job to the print queue but it won’t be able to print because it’s trying to print to a printer that isn’t plugged in. For these jobs that are in your queue you can right click on it and select delete job to clear it from the queue.
4. For Windows PCs edit the spooler in the Services option
Windows is quite a complicated piece of software, and the various programs that it runs can conflict with each other. Although Windows is always providing updates and improving their software they can’t always get to anything. So, there is a fix that involves going into the settings and doing a few things that can get an HP Laserjet printer to work, and doesn’t take very long, so is definitely worth a try.
If you’ve tried all of these steps I would raise a support ticket with HP themselves through their official website. It’s also possible you’ll get a faster and quicker response if you use their live chat feature. So, I suggest contacting them via live chat in the first instance.
HP Laserjet Not Connecting
When you plug in a new device such as an HP Laserjet printer it will typically auto detect and install the software for it automatically. It can also be connected using the HP Smart app and might not be showing. Here’s what to do when it’s not connecting.
Start by first turning off the HP Laserjet printer, and turning it back on again, as well as, restarting the computer or smartphone you’re trying to print from. If you’re using the Smart App to print check both your printer and the device you’re printing from have an internet connection.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on November 4, 2021.
If your HP laserjet printer is connected via the USB cable. Unplug and plug the USB cable to both the printer and your computer. If it’s still not connecting then try a different USB port on your computer. After trying all of these steps, there are a long list of troubleshooting steps provided by HP, on this page of their official website.
Install the HP Print and Scan Doctor for Windows, or follow the steps in the FAQ’s below that for Mac computers. The steps for what to do if the HP Print and Scan Doctor cannot find your printer in the FAQ also apply to the issue where your HP Laserjet isn’t connecting. So you can follow those first if you like before installing the HP Print and Scan Doctor.
HP Laserjet No Power
An HP Laserjet printer will ordinarily turn on as long as it’s plugged in. If it doesn’t and isn’t getting any power it’s typically an issue with the power cord or the wall outlet. Here’s how to troubleshoot this issue.
Check that the wall outlet has power by testing another device on the wall outlet that you’re using for your HP Laserjet printer. When the wall outlet isn’t working check the fuse box to see if the circuit breaker is in the off position. If it’s not that, some additional steps are explained below.
Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet and the printer. There is also a small black box that is located on the power cord for your printer that can be unplugged. Unplug that as well. Then plug everything back in again ensuring they’re plugged in all the way. And aren’t slightly unplugged.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on November 4, 2021.
Once that’s done follow the additional steps outlined in the steps near the top of this article. Look for step ‘2. Ensure it has the right amount of power from the wall outlet’. It contains a video with instructions. And what to do if you do each of the troubleshooting steps and it’s still not working.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on November 4, 2021.