MFC-J6947DW
FAQs & Troubleshooting |
I cannot print from my computer via USB.
To resolve this issue and be able to print again, follow the recommendations below:
- Check the status of your Brother machine
- Check the connection of your Brother machine and the computer
- Check the printer driver settings
- Check your application's settings
- Restart your Brother machine and the computer
- Reinstall the printer driver
STEP 1: Check the status of your Brother machine
- Make sure that your Brother machine is turned on.
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Check if the machine's display or the LED indication of your Brother machine is showing an error. If an error is displayed, go to the Troubleshooting section and find a solution.
If the machine's screen is blank, press any button on the machine to see if it wakes from Sleep Mode.
STEP 2: Check the connection of your Brother machine and the computer
NOTE: Illustrations shown below are from a representative product and operating system, and may differ from your Brother machine and operating system.
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Try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable at both ends. Disconnect both your Brother machine and the computer and reconnect.
(If you are using a USB hub, remove it and connect your Brother machine directly to the computer.) -
Verify that the cable is connected to the USB port marked with a symbol on the machine and not a Network port, Line Jack, Ext Jack or any port other than the USB port.
- Connect to a different USB port on the computer.
- Use a USB 2.0 interface cable that is no more than 2.0 metres (6 feet) long.
- Try another identical USB cable.
STEP 3: Check the printer driver settings
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Open the printers folder.
(Windows 11)
Click Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
(Windows 8 / Windows 10)- Open the Control Panel. (Click here to see how to open the Control Panel.)
- Click Hardware and Sound => Devices and Printers
Click (Start) => Devices and Printers
(Mac)
Open System Preferences => Printers & Scanners
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Check the following printer driver settings.
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If the Brother printer is not listed, the driver may not be installed properly. Go to STEP 6.
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(Windows only)
If multiple Brother machine's copy icons (for example: Brother [model name] (Copy 1)) exist in the printer list, locate the proper printer driver to use.
(Windows 11)
- Turn the Brother machine on. If any other machines are connected, only turn the Brother machine on that you want to use.
- Select your Brother machine.
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Check the Brother machine's status.
If the status is Idle, it means the printer driver is working correctly. Select this printer driver when printing.
If you don't know which printer driver to select, place the cursor on the printer icon for a while, the status of the printer driver will pop up.
If the status is Offline, the printer driver is not working. Select a printer driver where the status is not Offline.
If you always want to print from this printer, right click on the icon of the machine and select Set as default printer. And then you will see the check mark on the machine. When you print next time, this printer driver will be selected automatically.
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If the Brother printer is not listed, the driver may not be installed properly. Go to STEP 6.
Delete all print jobs.
(Windows 11)
- Select your Brother machine, and then click Open print queue.
- If any print job in the queue, click > Cancel all.
(Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10)
- Right-click your Brother machine and select See what's printing.
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Click Printer => Cancel All Documents => Yes.
If Cancel All Documents is greyed out, click Open As Administrator. Enter a password for an administrator and click Yes.
(Mac)
Click Open Print Queue... and select the print job you want to delete. Click .
Make sure that the printer status is not paused or offline.
(Windows 11 or later)
This step is available until Windows 10.
If you use Windows 11 or later, go to STEP 4.
(Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10)
- Right-click your Brother machine and select See what's printing.
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Click Printer => Pause Printing or Use Printer Offline. (Make sure no check mark appears next to this setting.)
If Pause Printing or Use Printer Offline is greyed out, click Open As Administrator. Enter a password for an administrator and click Yes.
(Mac)
Check that the printer status is not Paused. To clear the status, click Open Print Queue... and click Resume.
STEP 4: Check your application's settings
- Confirm that the Brother printer driver is selected in your application's Print window.
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Try printing from some other application. If you succeed to print from another application, there is an issue in the application that you have been trying to use.
Check the settings in the application and if the issue still continues, contact the application manufacturer.
STEP 5: Restart your Brother machine and the computer
Turn your Brother machine off and restart the computer. And then turn your Brother machine on again.
Try to print. If you still cannot print, go to the next step.
STEP 6: Reinstall the printer driver
The printer driver may not be installed correctly.
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Uninstall the printer driver.
(Windows)
> Click here to see how to uninstall the printer driver.
(Mac)
> Click here to see how to uninstall the printer driver.
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Download the latest Full Driver & Software Package / Full Software Package and re-install it. The installation instructions are available on the download page.
> Click here to download the Full Driver & Software Package / Full Software Package in the Downloads section.If the Full Driver & Software Package / Full Software Package is not available for your Brother machine, re-install the latest Printer Driver and/or Scanner Driver (if applicable).
The installation instructions are available on the download page.
> Click here to download the Printer Driver and/or Scanner Driver in the Downloads section.(Macintosh)
If you do not find the Printer Driver and Scanner Driver, we recommend using AirPrint.
If you want to see how to add your Brother machine via AirPrint, see the Related FAQs at the end of the page.If your machine does not support AirPrint, you will not find any AirPrint FAQ in the Related FAQs. Download Brother iPrint&Scan from the App Store.
If the issue still continues, contact Brother Customer Service from "Contact Us".