Printer Says It Printed but Nothing Came Out

Do this first

1. Open Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners.
2. Click your printer, then click Open print queue.
3. If there are jobs listed, right-click each one and choose Cancel. Wait until the list is empty.
4. Print a single test page.

Why this works. Windows lines print jobs up in a queue and sends them one at a time. If one job fails partway through, everything behind it stops and waits for a job that is never going to finish. Clearing the queue lets the next one through.

If that did not do it

Restart the printing service

Windows runs printing through a background service. When it gets stuck, jobs vanish without ever reaching the printer.

1. Press the Windows key and type Services.
2. Open Services from the results.
3. Scroll down to Print Spooler.
4. Right-click it and choose Restart.
5. Try printing again.

If Windows asks for an administrator password. On most of the computers
we look after, everyday accounts do not have administrator rights. That is
deliberate, and it is one of the things that keeps the place safe. It also
means this particular step needs us. Text or call us and we will do it in a
moment, or carry on to the next thing below and see if that sorts it.

Turn the printer off and back on

Turn the printer fully off, wait about thirty seconds, then turn it back on. Give it a minute to finish warming up before you send another job. Printers hold their own small queue, and this clears it.

Check the printer is not paused or set to offline

1. Go back to Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners.
2. Click your printer, then Open print queue.
3. Open the Printer menu at the top of that window.
4. If Pause Printing or Use Printer Offline has a checkmark, click it to clear the checkmark.

Make sure you are printing to the right printer

If a different printer got set as the default, the job may be sitting in another queue somewhere else in the building. In the print window, check the printer name at the top before you hit print.