If you are new for Windows 10 or 8.1 interface, then I’m sure you will be searching for the similar options as XP or Vista to make printer online from offline state. Usually printers go offline due to network or USB cable connectivity issue, paper jam, out of paper, any other printer hardware faults and sometimes printer driver corruption too. Mostly it will come back to online automatically when these issues are fixed, but sometimes you need to make a printer online manually and this guide shows you how to do it on Windows 10 or 8.1.

Making a printer online on Windows 10 or 8.1 is not like how we did in earlier Operating Systems such as XP, Vista (except Windows 7) by right clicking it and making online. Microsoft changed the way of making a printer online from offline in Windows 7 and on recent Operating Systems, we have already covered here how to make printer online in Windows 7.

1) Go to control panel.

On Windows 8.1 or 8, press Windows Key with I ( WIN+I) or by using charm bar or else use these ways to reach control panel from this guide.

On Windows 10, you can search for devices and printers by entering ‘devices’ as shown below and click on the ‘Devices and Printers’. You can go to step 3 directly.

2) Click on Devices and Printers in Large or Small icons view of control panel.

3) Now you will be seeing the offline printer (slightly faded). Right click on it and select ‘See what’s printing’.

If the printer is in offline state you would be seeing the tick mark front of ‘Use Printer Offline’. Remove the tick

mentioned below and wait for some time printer to come online and resume printing.

Hope this small guide would be useful to make printer online from offline and vice versa in Windows 10 and 8.1. It should solve the problem mostly if your printer is not having any major hardware or network communication problem; you should dial toll free number 18007490917 Dell customer support services.