HP Printer Connected but Not Printing — Where the Job Is Getting Lost

By Ryan Green · Updated August 2026 · Independent guide · PrinterCare USA LLC (not affiliated with any printer manufacturer)

Quick answer A print job travels four stages: app → Windows/macOS queue → network → printer. Find the stage where it stops and you know the fix. The two most common stops are a stuck job at the head of the queue (clear it) and an inkjet refusing to print because it disagrees with a cartridge (the printer's own screen or HP Smart will say so — the computer won't).

Step 1 — Print something from the printer itself

This removes the computer from the equation. On DeskJet/ENVY: hold the Info button (i) for 3 seconds, or use the Printer Reports menu on models with a screen. On LaserJet: Reports → Configuration Report. On OfficeJet Pro: Tools → Reports → Printer Status Report.

Nothing prints — go to Step 4; the printer is blocking on its own.
It prints — the printer works. Continue to Step 2.

Step 2 — Clear the queue properly

A single failed job at the top of the queue blocks everything behind it, and the "Cancel" button often doesn't remove it. On Windows: open the queue, cancel all documents; if one won't go, stop the Print Spooler service, delete the contents of C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, restart the service. On macOS: System Settings → Printers & Scanners → the printer → Printer Queue → delete jobs; if the queue says "Paused", click Resume.

Send one single-page test print. If it prints, you're done — the old job was the problem.

Step 3 — Confirm the job is reaching the printer

Print the network configuration page (Step 1's report on inkjets includes it). Check that the IP address on it matches the port in Printer properties → Ports (Windows). A mismatch means the job is going into the void; fix the port as described in our HP offline guide. On macOS, if the printer was added via Bonjour and the queue shows "Looking for printer", remove and re-add it by IP.

Step 4 — The printer is refusing to print (inkjets)

HP inkjets stop printing entirely, with no useful message on the computer, when:

A cartridge is empty, missing or "not recognized". The printer's screen or the HP Smart app shows this; Windows just says "error". Reseat each cartridge (lift, wait 10 seconds, click back in until it snaps). Clean the copper contacts with a dry lint-free cloth if the printer still doesn't see it.
HP Instant Ink has lapsed. Instant Ink cartridges stop working when the subscription is cancelled or payment fails, even if they're full. Check your Instant Ink account; replace with standard cartridges if you've left the plan.
The printer is in "Printer Failure" or shows a 0x… code. That's a hardware state — see our HP Printer Failure guide.
Paper tray is empty or the size setting mismatches — the printer waits silently for the "right" paper. Press OK on a paper-mismatch prompt or set the tray paper size to Letter/A4 in Settings.

Step 4b — The printer is refusing to print (LaserJets)

LaserJet M15/M110/M140/M209 series stop with a blinking attention light when the toner cartridge isn't seated or the rear/front door isn't fully latched. Open both doors, reseat the cartridge, close firmly. A "Supply Memory Error" after a non-HP toner means the chip isn't recognised: put the HP toner back in to confirm, then decide whether the third-party toner is worth the trouble.

Step 5 — Rebuild the driver only if Steps 1–4 pass

Windows: Settings → Apps → uninstall everything beginning with "HP" except HP Smart. Then Printers & scanners → remove the printer. Restart.
Reinstall: inkjets and most LaserJets from HP Smart (Microsoft Store); LaserJet Pro/Enterprise from the full software package on HP's support site so you get the PCL 6 driver rather than the basic one.
Mac: remove the printer, then in Printers & Scanners → Add Printer, choose it from the list and make sure "Use" shows the AirPrint or HP driver, not "Generic PostScript".

What people miss

Two things account for a surprising share of "not printing" calls we handle: the job was sent to a second, similarly named copy of the printer in the printer list (delete duplicates — Windows creates "HP OfficeJet (Copy 1)" after reinstalls), and the printer's own firmware update was waiting for someone to press OK on the panel. Both take ten seconds to check.

Still stuck? A technician can fix it remotely today.

Independent remote support — you watch every step, and you pay the flat $49 only after your printer is working. $0 if we can't fix it.

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Frequently asked questions

The job shows "Printing" forever and then disappears.

The printer accepted the job then rejected it silently. On inkjets this is usually a cartridge the printer considers invalid (see step 4); on LaserJets it is often a document the printer's memory can't render — try printing as image from the PDF print dialog.

Test page prints but my documents don't.

Then hardware and connection are fine and the problem is the document or app. Print from a different app; if that works, the original app is using a bad driver setting (often "Print to XPS" or a stale PDF reader).

My HP+ printer stopped printing after I put in a refilled cartridge.

HP+ printers (the ones you activated with an HP account during setup) refuse non-original cartridges by design. Only genuine HP cartridges will print on an HP+ enrolled printer; that's a product policy, not a fault.

Should I just reinstall the driver?

Not first. Reinstalling fixes a specific class of problem (step 5). Doing it before checking the queue and cartridges wastes time and usually recreates the same bad port.