admin I have been using Brother printer for quite some time and it really helped me deliver my projects before the deadline. But one fine day unfortunately the Brother printer in error state message started popping up on the display screen. After trying hard for an hour, the error state problem remains unresolved, wasting my hardcore efforts (I was trying to be a tech expert, which I wasn’t, that I realized later).
Though deep inside, within me, a techie boy was excited enough to resolve the problem. That made me call up the Brother printer customer service, take the troubleshooting instructions, and get started to resolve the error state problem in the Brother printer by myself. Well, the results were astonishing and my Brother printer is running like “Just Bought New”.
How I fixed it! Well, all thanks to the Brother printer customer care expert. Here I have compiled all the reasons and the measures that I took to fix the Brother printer in error state problem.
Why Brother Printer In Error State Happened?
Though I was thinking it would have happened due to a loose wire or no internet connection, I was wrong, those were only a few reasons. Besides, the following were the other reasons that caused the error state problem in my Brother printer.
- Paper jam in the printer.
- Loose or troubled printer connection.
- Outdated printer drivers.
- Brother printer is offline or paused.
- Pending print jobs in Print Spooler.
- Disabled PnP detection in the Brother printer.
- Disconnected Brother printer and computer.
- Sometimes, low ink levels.
How Did I Fix Brother Printer in Error State Problem?
Brother printer experts recommended me to try easy methods first, before moving on to advanced troubleshooting. In fact, I tried using all those baby solutions, but all in vain. Unfortunately, I have to go through the complete 7 solutions to fix the Brother printer in an error state issue. Those all are given below.
Solution 1. Try preliminary troubleshooting steps on Windows 10 PC
- Verify that the printer cables are tight, secured, and not frayed. Worn-up wires sometimes become the prime suspect in causing error state problems in Windows 10.
- Try restarting your printer and computer or simply shut them down and start after 5 minutes. It sometimes works wonders to deal with the issue.
- As I said before, low ink levels shouldn’t be ignored. You should immediately look into the ink levels and replace them if needed. Do make sure to use genuine Brother ink cartridges.
- Check that no paper is jam, remove even a tiny piece of paper. Clean the feeder tray and get the printer service done.
If these steps couldn’t resolve the problem, then probably the Brother printer offline problem might be the culprit. Resolving it will need you to follow a few simple steps.
Solution 2. Get your offline Brother printer back online
Check if your Brother printer is displaying an offline status underneath the printer icon at the taskbar. It could have occurred due to deactivated automatic updates or a troubled internet connection. Here are the steps that I took to remove the offline status and moved one step further to fix the Brother printer in error state issue on my Windows 10 PC.
- Go to the Control Panel.
- Visit Hardware and Sound and click View devices and printers.
- Locate the Brother printer icon, right-click on it and click Set as default printer.
- Again right-click on the Brother printer icon, choose to See what’s printing.
- A new window will open, click the Printer tab.
- Simply uncheck both the Pause Printing and Use Printer offline options.
- Lastly, don’t forget to restart your PC.
Sometimes, it might happen that besides offline error, the troubled Print Spooler service also leads to an error state issue. In that case, you will need to restart the Print Spooler services and remove the pending print jobs.
Solution 3. Restart the Print Spooler services to fix Brother printer error state
Print Spooler aligns the printer jobs in their order of printing. Sometimes, it accumulates the pending print jobs, denies printing, and causes Brother printer in an error state issue. Here’s what you can do to fix it.
- Press Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialogue box.
- Type CMD, Command Prompt will appear on the search result.
- Right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
- Click Yes on the confirmation screen.
- Now just type net stop spooler and hit Enter.
- The command prompt will display a message saying The Print Spooler service was stopped successfully
.
- Again type net stop spooler and hit Enter.
- Upon seeing the message – The Print Spooler service was started successfully, close Command Prompt.
- Restart your PC and try printing the test page.
Solution 4. Clear the pending print jobs in Print Spooler
- Open the C drive.
- Follow this path – go to Windows > System 32 > Spool > Printers and then delete all the files within.
- Alternatively, you can open the Run dialogue box, type
C:\Windows\System32\Spool\Printers, and hit Enter.
- Now click over the file within the Printers folder and hit Delete on the keyboard.
- After deleting the files, restart the Print Spooler service.
- Open the Runbox, type Services.msc, and hit Enter.
- Locate Print Spooler, right-click over it and click Restart.
- Reboot your system to get the Brother printer error state Windows 10 problem fixed. If still, the problem remains unresolved then check whether the Plug and Play detection is turned off.
Solution 5. Reactivate the PnP Detection to fix Brother printer in error state
Start with restarting the computer and then proceed towards enabling the PnP or Plug and Play detection. Here is how to do it.
- Search Device Manager and hit Enter.
- The Device Manager window opens, click the View tab and click Show Hidden Devices.
- Click Ports (COM & LPT).
- Under the expanded list, right-click ECP Printer Port (LPT1)and choose Properties.
- Click Port Settings.
- Choose the option to Use any interrupt assigned to the port.
- Checkmark the Enable legacy plug-and-play detection option.
- Click Ok.
- Restart the printer and verify whether the problem has been resolved or not.
Solution 6. Update Brother printer drivers
Updating the Brother printer drivers will help you fix bugs and printer issues that were leading to error printing on the Brother printer. In two ways you can update the drivers either do it manually or set it to update automatically. The following section will tell you both approaches.
Brother printer drivers update process (Manually)
- Open the Chrome browser.
- Visit Brother’s support and download page.
- Locate the Search by product category section and choose the product of your choice.
- Select the Brother printer model number.
- Choose the Windows Operating System (In my case it was Windows 10, 64-bit) and click Ok.
- Ensure clicking on the Full driver and software package.
- Click Agree to the EULA and download button.
- Wait until the printer software gets downloaded to your system.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to install the driver package on your system.
If it doesn’t work, you will need to do some more effort to reinstall the Brother printer to your Windows 10 PC. The next solution explains the steps in a better and simpler way.
Solution 7. Reinstall the Brother printer to Windows 10
Before reinstalling the printer, you should remove all the previous printer impressions from your system. Follow the below steps in their given order to crack the Brother printer in the error state problem permanently.
Remove the Brother printer from your system
- Search Settings.
- Go to Devices.
- Click Printers and Scanners.
- Select Brother printer icon, click Remove Device.
- Click Yes on the confirmation window.
Reinstall the Brother printer on your Windows 10
- Open the Search box, type Printer.
- Go to the Printers and Scanners option.
- Click +symbol that says Add printers and scanners.
- Choose your Brother Printer and click Add a device.
- Now keep following the on-screen instructions to add your printer.
- In case your system is not able to find a printer, then you should choose the option “the printer that I want is not listed”.
- Select the option “add a Bluetooth, wireless, or network discoverable printer”.
- Click Next and follow the remaining on-screen instructions.
- Once done, restart the system.
Still, a printer in an error state? Call Brother Customer Service
Well, those were the seven solutions that helped me resolve the Brother printer in error state problem. Henceforth, my Brother printer is working optimally, though minor hiccups keep going on in between. However, if you are still facing the error state issue, then I would also suggest you get in touch with the printer experts at Brother printer customer service. Those guys are simply amazing, knows the error better, and can resolve the problem quite easily.