If your printer is not working after changing the Wi-Fi password, it may still be trying to connect to the old network. Reconnecting your phone, laptop and television does not automatically update the Wi-Fi details stored inside the printer.
The printer usually needs to be placed back into wireless setup mode and given the new network name and password separately.
Even after it connects, Windows, macOS or the printer software may continue looking for the printer at its previous network address.
Why changing the Wi-Fi details stops the printer
A wireless printer stores information about the network it was originally connected to.
That information may include:
- πΆ The Wi-Fi network name, also called the SSID
- π The Wi-Fi password
- π‘οΈ The type of wireless security used by the modem
- π Network information assigned by the previous modem or router
When the Wi-Fi name or password changes, the printer normally continues searching for the old network.
It does not know that the new network belongs to the same home, internet connection or owner.
Why your phone reconnects but the printer does not
Phones and computers make Wi-Fi changes relatively easy because they have full keyboards, large screens and familiar network menus.
A printer may have only a small touchscreen, arrow buttons or no useful display at all. Some models must be configured through a manufacturer app, a temporary setup network or a specific button sequence.
This creates a common situation where:
- β The internet works normally
- β Phones and computers are connected to the new Wi-Fi
- β The printer remains connected to nothing, or continues searching for the old network
The printer is not receiving the new password from your other devices. It must be updated independently.
Confirm the exact new Wi-Fi name and password
Before resetting anything, confirm the network details currently used by a device that is already online.
Check:
- π The complete Wi-Fi name, including spaces, numbers and capital letters
- π The current Wi-Fi password rather than the modem administration password
- π That you are using the main home network rather than a guest network
- π‘ That an old modem, extender or secondary router is not broadcasting a similarly named network
The Wi-Fi details printed on the modem label may not be correct if the installer or account holder changed them during setup.
The safest check is usually to view the network name on a connected phone or computer and confirm the saved password from the person who configured the modem.
Put the printer back into wireless setup mode
Most printers will not replace their saved network merely because a new network is nearby.
The printer must first be placed into a mode that allows new Wi-Fi details to be entered. Depending on the model, this may be called:
- βοΈ Wireless Setup Wizard
- π² Wi-Fi Setup
- π Restore Network Settings
- π‘ Easy Wireless Connect
- π Network Setup Mode
Printers with a screen may allow you to select the new home network directly.
Printers without a useful screen may need a manufacturer app on a phone or computer. During setup, the phone may temporarily connect directly to the printer before passing the new network details to it.
A warning that this temporary printer network has no internet can be normal during setup. The important step is returning the printer and phone to the main home Wi-Fi when configuration finishes.
Reset only the printerβs network settings
If the printer keeps returning to the old Wi-Fi name, resetting its network settings is often more effective than repeatedly entering the new password.
A network reset can clear:
- π§Ή The old Wi-Fi name and password
- ποΈ Failed wireless setup attempts
- π Old network addresses and connection information
- π± Previous Wi-Fi Direct or mobile setup details
Use a network reset where possible rather than a complete factory reset.
A full factory reset may also remove paper settings, scan destinations, address books, fax configuration and other settings that have nothing to do with the Wi-Fi problem.
Select the home network rather than Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi Direct allows a phone or computer to connect straight to the printer without passing through the home modem.
It can be useful, but it is not the same as joining the printer to your normal home network.
Common signs that the wrong connection has been selected include:
- π± Printing works only from one phone using the printer app
- π« The phone loses internet access while connected to the printer
- π» Computers on the home Wi-Fi cannot discover the printer
- π¨οΈ The visible network name begins with DIRECT, Printer or the printer model
For normal shared printing, the printer should usually join the same main home network used by the computers and phones that need to print.
Avoid connecting it to a guest network. Guest networks commonly prevent devices from communicating with each other, even though each device can still access the internet.
Entering a password on a printer can be surprisingly difficult
Limited printer controls make password entry one of the most common failure points.
Watch for:
- π Capital letters being entered as lowercase letters
- 0οΈβ£ The number zero being confused with the letter O
- 1οΈβ£ The number one being confused with a lowercase L or capital I
- β£ An accidental space before or after the password
- π£ Symbols being selected from the wrong keyboard page
- ποΈ The display hiding most characters before you can check them
Entering the password slowly is better than repeating the same failed attempt quickly.
Where the printer supports app-based setup, typing the password on a phone or computer may be easier and more reliable than using the printer panel.
Why reusing the old Wi-Fi name and password may not fix it
Giving the new modem the same Wi-Fi name and password as the old modem can help many devices reconnect automatically.
It is not guaranteed to work for every printer.
The printer may still fail because:
- π§ It has cached information about the previous modem
- π‘οΈ The new modem uses a different wireless security mode
- π‘ The old and new modems use different wireless modes or band-steering behaviour
- π The printer retained a manual network address from the previous router
- πΆ Both the old and new modem are still broadcasting the same network name
- π The printer needs its network memory cleared before it will complete a fresh connection
If the printer can see the correct network but repeatedly rejects credentials that work on other devices, the problem may no longer be the password. See why printers can reject a modern Wi-Fi network even when the password is correct.
The printer may reconnect but still not print
Joining the printer to the new Wi-Fi solves only the printer-to-modem part of the connection.
Your computer may still be trying to reach:
- π The printerβs previous IP address
- ποΈ An old or duplicate printer queue
- π A printer port created for the former network
- 𧩠Old manufacturer software that has not rediscovered the printer
This is why the printer can show a healthy Wi-Fi symbol while Windows or macOS still reports it as unavailable.
When that happens, follow the separate troubleshooting path for a printer that remains offline after a new modem or router.
Reinstalling everything should not be the first step
Removing every driver and printer application before confirming the network connection can make the problem harder to diagnose.
A better order is:
- 1οΈβ£ Confirm the correct Wi-Fi name and password
- 2οΈβ£ Clear the printerβs old network settings where necessary
- 3οΈβ£ Connect the printer to the main home network
- 4οΈβ£ Confirm that the printer has joined successfully
- 5οΈβ£ Test whether each computer and phone can discover it
- 6οΈβ£ Repair, remove or reinstall only the printer connections that remain broken
- 7οΈβ£ Test both printing and scanning from the devices that normally use them
This separates the Wi-Fi problem from any remaining computer, driver or scanner problem.
When repeating the wireless setup will not help
Stop repeatedly entering the password when:
- π The correct password works on every device except the printer
- β The printer sees the network but fails at the final connection stage
- π΄ The printer cannot see the home network at all
- π The printer connects briefly and then drops off again
- π₯οΈ The printer is connected, but the computers still use its old connection
At that point, the modem settings, printer network configuration and saved computer connections need to be checked as one system.
If updating the Wi-Fi details does not restore printing, PcRiot provides printer help after changing your modem or Wi-Fi network in Perth. The modem, printer and old settings retained by your computer can be checked together rather than troubleshooting each device separately.
PcRiot can reconnect your printer to the new Wi-Fi
PcRiot can clear the printerβs old network details, connect it to the correct home Wi-Fi and confirm that Windows, Mac, phones and tablets can find it again.
For multifunction printers, printing and scanning can both be tested so the job is not left half finished.