What if my computer cannot see the Canon printer when connected?

You became the owner of a Canon printer and, of course, decided to connect it to your personal computer. What if the computer cannot see the printer? Why is this happening? For what reasons does the printer not print from the computer? These questions need to be dealt with.

Often times, the PC does not see the printer because there is no contact due to clogged ports, a faulty wire, or a loose connection to the connector.

When connecting the printer to a computer using a USB cable, check if you did everything right. The sequence of actions should be followed.

1. Install the printer so that the cable can easily reach the connector on the computer.
2. Connect the printer to a power source by pressing the power button.
3. Connect the computer to the printer with a USB cable. The operating system often independently recognizes and installs the necessary drivers for modern hardware models. If the printer model is old enough, then, most likely, the drivers will have to be installed from the installation disk or downloaded from the manufacturer's website.

Some models need to be connected directly to the wireless router using an Ethernet cable. To avoid interference and poor signal strength, the printer and router should be close to each other. In order to find out how to properly connect the printer to a wireless network, you need to carefully read the instructions.

In general, for the correct connection of equipment to a computer or laptop, you need to read the instructions, which describe how to properly connect and work with a specific model of a Canon printer or any other device.

The most common problems with the system not seeing the printer are:

• absence or incorrect operation of drivers;
• disabling the print service;
• incompatibility of the old operating system with new printer models;
• faulty connectors and wires.

Let's consider the problems and ways to solve them in more detail.

• Defective connectors and wires. To solve this problem, you need to carefully inspect the USB cable and the connectors where it is inserted. If they are dirty, then you can clean them yourself, for this we need an old toothbrush or a cotton swab, with which you need to gently clean the dust. We plug the USB cable into the connector and connect the printer, check the printer connection by running a test print. If the computer still does not see the Canon printer, then we try to connect it to another computer or laptop by installing the necessary drivers on it. If, in this case, the printer does not print, then the problem is clearly not in the connectors.

• If the settings fail, you need to check for drivers and install or reinstall them. You also need to check which printer is used by default, sometimes it is enough to mark the printer you need with a tick. Very often, in case of system failures, checkmarks appear in the items "pause printing" or "work offline"; to resume printing, it is enough to uncheck these checkboxes. The next system error lies in the startup of the printer. The solution can be as follows - go to the "control panel" on the "administration" tab, then open the "services" submenu. In the window that appears, we find the "print manager" tab and mark the automatic launch type.Restart your computer and everything should work.

• If you have an old operating system, such as Windows XP or Windows Vista, connecting a modern printer will be extremely problematic. The fact is that it is impossible to find up-to-date drivers for such operating systems.

• If all of the above did not help you, then, most likely, there is a malfunction in the printer itself, the device must be sent for repair to a service center or workshop.

To improve the service life of the device, you must carefully study the instructions for working with the equipment. By following our simple tips, you can avoid many problems.

1. Make sure that the USB cable is in good working order, do not bend or pinch it, and carefully keep it away from pets. Many pets, especially puppies and kittens, love to gnaw not only furniture, but also all kinds of wires. To avoid such a nuisance, you can install the device higher or protect the wires with special braids.
2. Clean dust and dirt from USB ports periodically. This is necessary not only to improve performance, but also to extend the life of the connector itself.
3. Do not use different adapters. Many users lack the number of standard connectors for work, so various splitters and other devices are purchased that can increase the number of connectors. Of course, this is not bad, but it is worth remembering that the load on the main connector increases, which can negatively affect its operation.
4. The USB cable should not be too long. It should be of such length that it does not stretch too much and does not sag too much.
5. Install drivers only for the device model that you have and for the operating system that is installed on your computer or laptop. It is also necessary to remember about the timely updating of drivers, the actual update will save you nerves and time.
6. After updating your operating system or device drivers, always check the default printing device. Setting this parameter is the most confusing.

Most often, all malfunctions are eliminated on their own, but if none of the recommended ones fit you, and the problem remains unresolved, then you need to contact the specialists to identify possible device malfunctions.

See below for what to do if the computer cannot see the Canon printer.