Canon Printer is Not Responding? Here’s How to Fix It

Canon printers are best known for their efficiency and precision. However, during the printing process, it can sometimes go unresponsive. In such a scenario, you may encounter the ‘Printer not responding‘ notification on the desktop screen.

With that, the printing process will halt and you won’t be able to print anything on the Canon printer. If you are dazzled by the problem, it’s worth noting that the cause can be hardware and software related.

In the article, we will list the causes and provide the necessary methods to help fix the issue and help you get back to the printing process. 

Why is My Canon Printer Not Responding?

How to Fix Canon Printer Not Responding Issue?

The most basic thing to resolve the issue is checking the printer connection. If your printer is connected via a USB cable, you can unplug and plug it in again. Likely, replacing it with another cable would also help.

Likely, if you are using the wireless Canon printer, check the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection. You can turn them off and switch them on again. You can also power cycle the Wi-Fi router. 

For more information on the fixes, you can check out the step-by-step guide on the fixes below. 

Reboot the Computer

If you face the printer not responding problem, one of the first things you can try is to reboot the PC. It can fix minor system glitches and make the printer work again. 

1. Go to the Start screen and click the Power icon.
2. It will open the power menu. 
3. Now, select the Restart button. 
   

After that, you can check the printer again. You can try out the other fixes below if your problem is not resolved. 

Remove and Re-add the Printer

It can also help if you remove the printer and re-add it on your computer. 

1. Open the Settings menu by pressing the Windows logo and I together.
2. Then, choose Devices.
3. Now, click the Printers & scanners option from the sidebar.
4. Click on the printer name and hit the Remove device button.
   
5. You can choose to reboot the computer and add the printer again. To do so, from the Printers & scanners menu, select Add a printer or scanner.
   

Try Power Cycling the Printer

When you completely turn off the device by detaching it from the power supply and start it again, it is called the power cycling of the device. It is helpful when devices stop responding. 

Here’s how you can power cycle the printer:

1. Detach the printer’s power supply and disconnect it from the PC.
2. After 30-40 seconds, plug in the printer’s power supply, connect it to the PC, and power on the printer. 

Open the Print Queue and Remove the List

Another possible reason for the issue may be the long list of documents in the print queue. When you put many files/documents for printing, it may overload the printer’s capacity. Hence, it may stop responding. 

Here is how you can remove the queue of files lined for the printing process:

1. Open the PC’s settings menu and select Devices.
2. Now, click Printers & scanners from the left panel.
3. Select the Canon printer name and choose the Open queue option.
   
4. To select all the items, hit CTRL and A on the keyboard. 
5. Then, right-click on select items and select the Delete option. 

Restart Print Spooler Service

The print spooler service is the built-in software that helps interact between the computer’s OS and the printer. It performs the task of locating the necessary printer drivers and keeps hold of the print queue until the printing process finishes.  

So, any issue in the print spooler service can also lead to the Canon printer not responding problem. You can try refreshing the print spooler service to eliminate the possibility of an issue because of this feature. To do so, 

1. Press the keyboard’s Windows logo and S button to launch the Windows Search.
2. Type Run and select the app.
3. Enter services.msc and hit the OK button.
4. Scroll and locate the Print Spooler.
5. Right-click on it and select the Restart option. 
   

Use the Troubleshooting Option

The troubleshooting feature of Windows can help solve various hardware and software-related problems. This utility tool can also help solve the canon printer not responding issue. 

1. First, launch the Windows Settings menu.
2. Now, select Update & Security.
3. Then, click the Troubleshoot option from the sidebar. 
4. Next, select Additional troubleshooters. Instead of this, you may also find Other troubleshooters. 
5. Under the Additional troubleshooters heading, click the Printer option.
6. Hit Run the troubleshooter and follow the on-screen message. 
   
   

Uninstall the Third-party Antivirus Service

An overprotective firewall can also cause the printer issue. It generally happens when your computer has installed a third-party antivirus application. So, to eliminate this possibility, you can uninstall the Firewall and check if it clears the issue. 

You can follow the following steps to uninstall third-party antivirus software on the computer. 

1. Press Windows key + I to open settings.
2. Select Apps > Apps & features
3. Locate the antivirus application and click on it.
4. Now, select the Uninstall option.
   
5. Again choose uninstall option.
6. You will see a new prompt window; hit the Yes to proceed.

Switch the Printer’s Port

It is possible that the issue occurs because of the malfunction in the USB port or if the printer is plugged in the wrong port. In that case, you can switch the printer port through the printer properties. You can check the following steps to carry out the process:

1. On the Windows settings menu, type Control Panel on the search bar and select it. 
2. Then, click Hardware and Sound.
3. Now, select the Device and Printer option.
4. Next, choose and right-click the Canon printer name from the Printers section.
5. You will need to choose Printer properties.
6. Then, select the Ports tab.
7. From the list of ports, select the Printer/USB in the Port category. 
   
8. Now, choose Apply and then hit the OK button. 

Update the Printer Drivers

If you haven’t run any updates for the printer for a long time, it might create technical issues and lead to an unresponsive printer. So, the ideal solution would be to update the printer driver to the latest update. 

From Device Manager

1. Go to the Windows Search and type Device manager, and click it.
2. Double-click the Print queues option. 
3. On the expanded menu, find your printer name and right-click it.
4. Now, choose the Update driver option. 
   
5. You need to click the Search automatically for updated driver software option on the new window.
6. The PC will search for accessible updates and download them on the system. 

From Canon’s Official Site:

1. First, go to Canon’s Offical Webpage. 
2. Type your printer’s product name on the search bar and hit the Enter key.
3. Scroll down and choose the Select option corresponding to your OS. 
4. It will expand the menu, and you will need to choose the Download option.
5. Locate the downloaded file, open it and follow the instructions. 

Update Your Windows

Your PC may encounter technical glitches when you run Windows on an older version. Due to this, the canon printer not working issue may also arise. So, you may certainly update the windows on your PC. 

1. Press Windows key + I to open settings.
2. Go to the Update & Security option on the settings menu. 
3. Then, select the Check for updates button. You will find it under the Windows update segment.
   
4. The computer will look for accessible updates and will download them if available.
5. Reboot the computer once the process is complete.