A Quick Guide to Fix HP Printer Not Responding Issue

Today in our guide, we are going to discuss some quick hacks to fix the “HP printer not responding” issue. These will come in handy when your HP printer won’t respond and your overall productivity is coming crashing down. 

The HP printer not responding error is very frustrating. However, if you know certain methods to fix it, then you can always get past it very conveniently. 

Let’s get on to this guide with the common factors leading to the ‘HP printer won’t respond’ issue 

The HP printer won’t respond  issue occurs when:

• A printer is loosely connected to the computer.
• You have an incorrect printer setup and installation.
• Your HP printer’s drivers are missing.
• Your printer’s tray got jammed or has insufficient papers on it.
• Ink cartridge is empty.
• Any new cartridge is placed correctly inside the printer.

Is HP printer not responding to your computer’s command? This is What You Should Do.

We have drafted the best possible ways to resolve the  ‘HP printer not responding’ error. It could be the hardware issue or maybe your spooler service needs a routine reboot. There could be numerous ways. Please refer to the following solutions to fix them:

Method 1

Your System needs a Hardware Check

Always ensure that the printer’s physically connected to cables and other external components. Also, do the following:

• Turn off your system, the printer and other external components attached to it. Unplug all the cable and wait for at least 2-3 minutes. 
• Attach all the cables now and restart your computer. Wait for the printer to remain idle and silent.
• Also, try to test your printer by connecting it to another system. Assign a task to your printer in order to check the functionality.

Method 2

Reboot your Print Spooler Programme

The Spooler is a software program responsible for managing all the print jobs, which is being sent to the printer server. Its interface allows any user to delete a print job being assigned or manage print jobs that are currently in waiting. There are chances that it has not been updated, or for instance, post update, you might not have restarted your system. Do the following if your HP printer is not responding to print command:

• Launch the run application by pressing Windows key+R together.
• Type ‘services.msc’ together in the dialog box and hit enter.

• Locate ‘Print Spooler’ from the list services option available. 
• Double click on the Print Spooler option and open its properties.
• Click on the ‘Stop’ button located under the System Status tab and press OK.

• It will disable the print service until you reset it again. It will allow users to delete all the printing tasks assigned.
• Go to This PC window. You can directly navigate to it by pressing Windows key + E together.

• Click on ‘C’ drive and go to ‘Windows’.
• From the range of options available, navigate System 32<Spool<Printers.
• To access the Printer’s folder, permission would be required. Click on the Continue button to proceed. 
• Once you open the ‘Printers’ folder, you would be having access to all the related files. Clean all the files from this folder to continue.
• Launch the Print Spooler program again. Always keep the Startup Type field as Automatic.
• Reboot your system to see if the printer is working or not.

Method 3

Configuring the Correct Port

If your printer is still showing HP printer not responding error in the display despite trying both the solutions mentioned above, check if your printer is connected to the correct port or not. Check the configuration of your printer once by navigating to the Control Panel application. Do the following :

• Go to the search tab by pressing Windows+S together.
• Type ‘Printers and Devices’ in the search bar to launch the Control Panel.

• Right-click on the printer’s model and go to its properties.
• Check the box located next to the location of your printer.
• Restart your system to check if the printer is working well.

These methods could be applied to all HP printer models. Though, we have covered some of them in the list below. If one of your HP printer models is not in the list below, still the method to overcome the ‘HP printer not responding’ issue would work the same way. 

The Aforementioned Solutions to the HP Printer won’t Respond Error Can Be Applied to the Following HP Printer Envy Series

The Aforementioned Solutions to the HP Printer won’t Respond Error Can Be Applied to the Following Deskjet Series:

The Aforementioned Solutions to the HP Printer won’t Respond Error Can Be Applied to the Following Laserjet Series:

The Aforementioned Solutions to the HP Printer won’t Respond Error Can Be Applied to the Following Officejet and MiscellaneousSeries:

How to Fix if Your HP Printer is Not Responding on Mac OS

Is your HP printer not responding on Macbook? Try this step-by-step guide that helps you fix this issue when the HP printer won’t respond on Apple laptops. 

Method 1

Reset Network Connection

• Turn off the printer, wait for a while and then turn it on to resume the operation.
• Check the printer’s screen to see if it displays the same HP printer not responding on Mac issue. If it still persists, proceed to the next step.
• Click on the Apple icon on the desktop, a drop-down menu will be displayed.
• Choose ‘System Preferences’ and a new window by the same name appears.
• Under the Hardware section, click to choose the option ‘Print & Scan’.

• You would be getting the multiple printers added in the queue. All you need to do is delete the other printer from the queue by clicking the ‘-’ icon. The purpose of hitting the minus icon is just to delete the queue. It does not delete any software.
• Click on + icon to add a printer. The new window will appear by the name ‘Add Printer’. It will highlight the HP printer model name in the ‘Printer Name’ section.
• Select the HP printer model. Once you do that, the other fields in the box such as Name, Location and Print Using would automatically be filled up. Click on the Add button and then it will select the desired printer for function.

This is how to reset the printer setting in case the HP printer is not responding on Mac operating systems. 

Also, you can try a different way that reset your printer up and running. It just purges everything if you hold down the Control key and if you click on the printer model, it helps reset the printer system. This will help delete all the existing printer queues and the pending print jobs help in the smooth functioning of the printer too.

Method 2

USB Connection

If the above method still gives you the error and your HP printer is still not responding to the print command on your Apple computer, try using the USB cable to connect the printer. Make sure it is securely connected to the ports of both, printer and the system. Always prefer USB cable 2.0 and make sure that the distance between the computer and the printer should be less than 6 feet. Once you connect that, follow these steps :

• Once the cable is connected, choose System Preference from the menu.
• Under the Hardware section, click to choose the option ‘Print & Scan’.
• Wait for the system to detect the target printer, as the model name will appear in the list of the ‘Printer Name’ section.
• Choose your Printer model and hit Add button
• Try to print a test page to see if it is functioning well.

If you still continue to experience the ‘HP printer not responding’ issue, on Mac or Windows operating systems, feel free to contact us anytime. Our technical experts will help troubleshoot the device in no time. Let us know if you have more concerns or comments as we strive to ensure that every customer remains satisfied with our service. 
You can also count on us for assistance when your HP printer driver is unavailable or your HP laptop won’t connect to Wifi. We can help you fix these issues like a pro!