Printer Cannot be Contacted Over the Network

You may have issues whenever trying to print from the device after adding it as a network printer. After running Windows’s Printer Troubleshooter, you may see the message “Printer Cannot be Contacted Over the Network” if the problem is not network-related.

How, then, can we fix the printer so that it functions normally once more? These remedies may help if you are having the same issues. One by one, let’s examine them.

How To Fix the Error “Printer Cannot be Contacted Over the Network”

Printer Cannot be Contacted Over the Network

Method 1. Reconnect Your Printer

Fixing printer issues in this way is the least complicated option. If you’re having trouble printing from your computer and the printer is attached to it, you can unplug it and reconnect it. You can follow this easy tutorial to learn how.

Step 1. To open the Control Panel, press the Windows key plus S, type “control panel,” and then select the first result.

Step 2. Two, head to the Control Panel, and then select Devices and Printers under the Hardware and Sound heading.

Step 3. Third, on the Printers tab, right-click the printer that’s giving you trouble, select Remove device, and then confirm the removal.

Step 4. The fourth step is to select Add a printer to have the computer look for connected printers. Click Next after selecting the printer you just deactivated.

If the printer is not working properly, add it to the system according to the on-screen instructions, and then test it.

Method 2. Set Up Essential Services

Actually, some Windows services are necessary for the additional network printer to function properly. Problems with the printer are almost guaranteed if these essential services are suddenly turned off. The resolved services should therefore be enabled and set to run automatically if a printer cannot be contacted over the network in Windows 10.

As such, you must:

Step 1. First, launch the Services app by pressing the Windows key plus R, then typing services.msc and clicking OK.

Step 2. Second, enter the service’s settings by looking for the Remote Access Auto Connection Manager service and double-clicking on it.

Step 3. The third step is to click the Start button after choosing Automatic from the Startup type drop-down menu. To commit your modifications, select Apply and then OK.

Step 4. Fourth, repeat the process described in Step 3 for each of the following services:

  • Routing and Remote Access using Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol and Remote Access Connection Manager
  • Once you’ve done so, you may use the printer to print some test pages to see if the problem persists.

Method 2. Assign the Printer a Permanent IP Address.

A network node’s IP address is typically temporary. Some people have found that giving their printer a permanent IP address solves the problem of it not being reachable across the network.

So, here’s what you do:

Step 1. The first thing you need to do is locate the IP address of your printer. If you need some suggestions, check out the resources provided here.

Step 2. Second, with your newfound IP address in hand, launch your preferred web browser and hit the Enter key.

Step 3. Third, access the printer’s network configurations by entering the printer’s name and password and then clicking OK.

Step 4. Fourth, set up your network’s IP address (or TCP/IP, depending on your operating system) by going to the Networking tab and clicking IP Configuration. Select Manual IP, then input the IP address you wish to use, and finally, hit Apply to commit the changes.

Then, after the computer has restarted, see if the problem with the “Printer Cannot be Contacted Over the Network” message has been fixed.

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