How to Reconnect a Brother Printer to Your Computer or Mac

AvatarByEric Dawson Updated Computers & Software

To reconnect a Brother printer to a computer, first put the printer back on your Wi-Fi network from its own control panel (Settings, All Settings, Network, WLAN, then Setup Wizard or WPS), then remove the stale printer entry on the computer and add the printer again. On Windows 11 that means Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, Add device; a Mac uses System Settings, Printers & Scanners, Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax. If the printer is wired by USB, unplug the cable at both ends, plug it straight into the computer with no hub in between, and let the driver reload. The sections below give exact menu paths for Windows and macOS, wireless and USB, plus what to do when the printer still refuses to show up.

Why a Brother Printer Drops off a Computer

Most reconnect problems start on the network side, not inside the printer. When you replace or reconfigure a router, the printer still holds the old network name and password, so it never joins the new network. Brother’s support page on reconfiguring a machine after a router change says plainly that you will need to reset the Brother machine and connect it to your new network, and that in some cases you may also have to uninstall and reinstall the Brother software on each computer that used it.

A second common cause is an IP address change. Routers hand out addresses automatically, and after a power cut or a long sleep the printer can come back with a different address than the one Windows or macOS stored. The computer keeps sending jobs to the old address, and the printer shows as Offline. Brother’s Windows troubleshooting guide includes a Network Connection Repair Tool for exactly this situation, and it describes the tool’s job as updating the machine’s IP address.

USB connections fail for more mundane reasons: a loose cable, a hub that isn’t passing enough power, or a printer that went into deep sleep and dropped off the computer’s device list. Brother’s USB troubleshooting page, dated November 24, 2022, lists a cable spec and a wake-up routine, both covered further down.

How to Reconnect a Brother Printer to a Computer Wirelessly

Wireless reconnection is a two-part job. Part one happens on the printer, where you join it to the network. The second part happens on the computer, where you add the printer entry. Skipping part one is the mistake behind most “my computer can’t find the printer” threads, including a Microsoft Q&A thread from April 2024 in which an MFC-L2710DW owner had switched Wi-Fi networks. The advisor’s reply was that the new network has to be configured on the printer’s own LCD menu first, and only then should the printer be removed from Windows and added again.

Join the Printer to the Network from Its Control Panel

Brother machines with a touchscreen use one menu path, and models with a small two-line LCD and arrow buttons use another. Both end the same way, with the word Connected on the screen and a WLAN report printing on its own.

Using the Setup Wizard (Works with Any Router)

  1. Open the wireless menu. On a touchscreen model, press Settings, then All Settings, then Network, then WLAN (some newer models label it Wi-Fi), then Setup Wizard or Find Wi-Fi Network. On a button-and-LCD model such as the DCP-L2540DW, Brother’s control panel guide says to press Menu, use the down arrow to reach Network, press OK, reach WLAN, press OK, then reach Setup Wizard and press OK.
  2. Answer the Enable WLAN prompt. If the screen asks whether to enable WLAN, choose Yes.
  3. Pick your network. The printer lists the networks it can see. Use the arrows to select your network name (SSID) and press OK. If your router hides its name, scroll to <New SSID> and type the name exactly as it appears on the router, since Brother notes the name is case sensitive.
  4. Enter the Wi-Fi password. On a touchscreen, tap it in. On an LCD model, hold or repeatedly press the up or down arrow to select each character and press OK after each one; the Clear key deletes a mistake.
  5. Wait for Connected. Brother’s page says the LCD shows Connected on success and the machine prints a WLAN report with the results. It then suggests waiting about one minute and printing a Network Configuration report to confirm the printer received a valid IP address.

Two error messages matter here. Wrong Password means the key was mistyped or the security type doesn’t match. Connection Fail usually means the router is out of range or the security setting is one the printer can’t use; the control panel guide for the DCP-L2540DW states that the machine supports only WPA2-PSK with AES, so a router locked to another mode won’t accept it until you change that setting.

Using WPS (the Fast Route if Your Router Has the Button)

  1. Open the WPS option. On the printer, press Settings, All Settings, Network, WLAN, then WPS. Brother’s WPS page uses this exact path; LCD-button models reach the same option under Menu, Network, WLAN.
  2. Enable WLAN if asked. Choose Yes.
  3. Press the router button. When the screen reads “Start WPS on your wireless access point/router, then press [OK]”, press the WPS button on the router.
  4. Press OK on the printer. The two devices negotiate the connection without you typing a password.
  5. Wait for Connected. Press OK once it appears and move on to the computer.

Brother adds two conditions: only one device can go through WPS at a time, and the printer has to be within range of the router during setup, although you can move it afterward. If your router only offers WPS by PIN, the printer has a matching option, WPS w/ PIN Code, under the same WLAN menu. It shows an eight-digit code that you type into the router’s WPS PIN page.

Confirm the Connection Before Touching the Computer

The WLAN report that prints after setup is the fastest check. Look near the top for the Connection line; Brother’s Windows setup guide says to confirm it reads as a success before moving on. For a second check, print the Network Configuration report from the same Network menu (it usually sits under Print Reports) and read two lines: Wireless Link Status, which should say Link OK, and IP Address, which should sit in the same range as your computer’s address. What “same range” means is explained in the troubleshooting section with real numbers.

How to Add a Brother Printer to a Windows Computer

To add a Brother printer to a Windows computer, delete the old entry, then add it back through Settings. Remove the old one first, since a leftover entry pointing at a dead IP address will keep showing Offline no matter what else you do.

Remove the Old Entry

  1. Open Settings (Windows key + I), then Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners.
  2. Click the Brother printer, then Remove.
  3. Restart the computer so the print spooler starts clean.

Let Windows Find the Printer

  1. Back in Printers & scanners, click Add device.
  2. Wait for the Brother model to appear in the list, then click Add device next to it. Windows pulls a driver from Windows Update.
  3. Click the printer once it’s listed, then Print test page.

This route is quick, but it doesn’t always give you Brother’s full driver. Brother’s own Windows 11 instructions steer you past it by telling you to click “The printer that I want isn’t listed” so that Windows doesn’t install a generic driver. Where the two disagree, Brother’s page is the more authoritative source for its own hardware, and its method is the one to use when the quick route leaves you without duplex, scanning, or paper-size options.

Brother’s Manual Driver Method for Windows 11

Brother’s Windows 11 driver page covers more than 200 models and works for both USB and network printers. The steps below follow it.

  1. Download the driver. Go to support.brother.com, search for your model, open Downloads, and pick Windows 11. The Full Driver & Software Package is the easiest choice because it includes an installer that finds the printer for you; the plain Printer Driver is what the manual steps below need.
  2. Extract it. Double-click the downloaded file, choose a save location in the decompression window, click Decompress, and write down the folder path.
  3. Open the printer list. Settings, Bluetooth & devices, expand Devices, scroll to More devices and printer settings, then Add a printer.
  4. Choose manual setup. Click “The printer that I want isn’t listed.”
  5. Network printers: select “My printer is a little older. Help me find it,” let Windows search, and pick your Brother model. USB printers: select “Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings,” choose Use an existing port, and pick the port labeled USB001 (or another USB00X). Brother says the port appears on its own once the cable is connected and warns against creating one by hand.
  6. Point Windows at the driver. Click Have Disk, Browse to the folder you extracted, open it, click OK, and select your model.
  7. Replace the old driver if asked. Choose Replace the current driver.
  8. Finish. Accept the default name, decide on sharing, set it as default if you like, print a test page, and click Finish. If Windows complains that the software hasn’t passed Windows Logo testing, Brother’s page says to click Continue Anyway.

How to Connect a Brother Printer to a Mac

macOS handles Brother printers through AirPrint, which means most recent models add without a download. Apple’s Mac User Guide lists Brother among the manufacturers that support AirPrint and describes the point of the protocol as printing without installing an app or additional drivers. Brother’s own AirPrint page, updated June 1, 2023, gives version-specific paths, which follow below. Apple’s guide, which covers releases up to macOS Tahoe 26, confirms the same Printers & Scanners path still applies as of September 2026.

Remove the Stale Printer First

If the Mac already lists the printer and it’s stuck on Offline or Looking for printer, remove it before adding it again. On macOS 13 and later, open the Apple menu, System Settings, Printers & Scanners, click the Brother machine, and click Remove Printer. For macOS 12 and earlier, open System Preferences, Printers & Scanners, select the machine, and click the minus button. Brother’s Mac troubleshooting page, dated February 14, 2024, puts this step ahead of any driver work.

Add It on macOS 13 or Later

  1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
  2. Scroll the left sidebar to Printers & Scanners.
  3. Click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.
  4. Select the Brother machine in the list. In the Use menu, pick your model name if it’s offered; otherwise pick AirPrint.
  5. Click Add.

Add It on macOS 12 or Earlier

  1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Preferences.
  2. Click Printers & Scanners.
  3. Click the plus button under the printer list.
  4. Select the Brother machine. On macOS 12, choose the model name in the Use menu; on macOS 11 or earlier, Brother says to choose AirPrint.
  5. Click Add.

When the Printer Doesn’t Appear in the List

Apple’s guide offers a manual route. In the Add dialog, click the IP button, type the printer’s IP address (from the Network Configuration report) or its hostname, set Protocol to AirPrint, and click Add. Apple also notes that some Wi-Fi printers need a one-time USB connection to the Mac so the printer’s software can hand it the network details, after which you unplug the cable.

Real-world reports suggest checking the router before anything else. In an Apple Community thread from October 2024, the owner of a new HL-L2460DW and a MacBook Air running Sonoma 14.5 followed Brother’s setup instructions and still saw nothing in Printers & Scanners. The fix, three days later, was restarting the router and waiting for it to come fully back before trying again.

How to Reconnect a Brother Printer over USB

To reconnect a Brother printer over USB, plug a cable no longer than 6 feet directly into the computer.

  1. Check the printer’s screen. An error such as a paper jam or empty toner will stop jobs before the connection matters.
  2. Use the right cable, plugged in directly. Brother specifies a twisted-pair, shielded USB cable no longer than 6 feet, connected straight to the computer rather than through a hub. Its Windows 11 driver page repeats the 6-foot limit.
  3. Reseat everything and power cycle. Unplug the USB cable at both ends and plug it back in. If the printer went to sleep and vanished, Brother says to unplug its power cord for about one minute, reconnect it, and restart the computer.
  4. Take the printer off Offline. Brother’s page says to open the printer’s context menu and choose Use Printer Online (Windows 11 shows the same setting as a Use Printer Offline checkbox in the print queue window). Then set the machine as the default printer.
  5. Confirm Windows sees it. Open Device Manager, choose View, Show hidden devices, expand Printers, and look for an entry named Brother [model] USB Printer with no warning icon. If it’s missing, try another USB port on the computer.
  6. Reinstall the driver if it’s still missing. Download the latest package from Brother’s Downloads page and run it with the cable connected.

On a Mac, the USB route uses the same Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax dialog, and the printer shows up under its own name with USB as the connection type. Apple’s guide adds one hardware note: a Mac with a single USB-C port needs a multiport adapter, and the adapter’s own USB-C cable should be connected to power so the printer doesn’t drain the battery.

Which Reconnection Method Fits Your Situation

The right method depends on the cause: rejoin Wi-Fi for a network problem, or reseat the cable for a USB problem.

Situation First step on the printer Then on the computer
New router or new Wi-Fi password Setup Wizard or WPS to join the new network Remove the printer entry and add it again (Windows: Add device; Mac: Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax)
Printer shows Offline, network unchanged Print the Network Configuration report and note the IP address Windows: run the Network Connection Repair Tool or re-add; Mac: remove and re-add, or add by IP
Printer moved to another room Check Wireless Link Status; rerun Setup Wizard if it lost the signal Nothing, unless the IP address changed
USB printer not found Clear any error on the screen, power cycle for one minute Reseat the cable, use a direct port, check Device Manager, reinstall the driver
New computer, printer already on Wi-Fi Nothing Add the printer, then install Brother’s driver package for full features
Printer stuck at Connection Fail Move closer to the router, check the router’s security mode, retry Nothing until the printer shows Connected

What to Do if the Brother Printer Still Won’t Connect

If a Brother printer still won’t connect, power cycle the router, printer, and computer in order, then compare their IP addresses or run the repair tool.

Power Cycle in the Right Order

Turn off the router, the printer, and the computer. Brother’s pages say to wait at least five minutes before turning anything back on, and to bring the router up first so it finishes booting before the printer and computer look for it. Waiting out the router is the step that solved the Apple Community case above.

Compare the IP Addresses (a Worked Example)

Print the Network Configuration report from the printer and find the IP Address line. Next, find the computer’s address. On Windows, open Command Prompt and type ipconfig; on a Mac, open System Settings, Network, click your Wi-Fi connection, Details, then TCP/IP. Brother’s Mac page explains the rule with an example: a printer at 192.168.1.2 and a computer at 192.168.1.110 are on the same network because only the last number differs, and the subnet mask on both should read 255.255.255.0. The Windows page phrases the same rule as matching the first three groups of numbers, 192.168.1.x. If the first three groups don’t match, the printer is on a different network (a guest network, a second network name, or an old router’s range) and it needs to go through the Setup Wizard again.

Then test the link. On Windows, type ping followed by the printer’s address, such as ping 192.168.1.2. Mac users open Terminal from Finder, Go, Utilities and type ping -c 4 192.168.1.2, which is the form Brother’s Mac page uses so the command stops after four tries. Replies mean the computer can reach the printer and the fault is in the driver or the firewall. No replies mean the two devices aren’t really on the same network or a firewall is blocking them; Brother suggests checking that both use the same SSID and temporarily disabling the firewall before testing again, then turning it back on once the printer works.

Run the Network Connection Repair Tool (Windows)

Brother offers a free Network Connection Repair Tool on the Downloads page for most network models. Its Windows troubleshooting page describes the tool’s job as updating the machine’s IP address, which is exactly what goes wrong when the router hands the printer a new address. Run it with the printer switched on and connected, then print a test page.

Reset the Printing System (Mac)

macOS keeps its own printer database, and a corrupted entry can block a fresh add. Apple’s support page on the feature gives the path: Apple menu, System Settings, Printers & Scanners, then Control-click the printer in the list (or the empty list) and choose Reset Printing System. Apple warns that this deletes every printer, every completed job record, and every printer preset, and it says to try other fixes first. Afterward the list is empty and you add the Brother machine again with the steps above.

Reset the Printer’s Network Settings and Start Over

If the Network Configuration report shows Wireless Link Status as Error after the steps above, Brother’s advice on both pages is to reset the network settings to factory defaults and run the wireless setup from the beginning. On touchscreen models the path is Settings, All Settings, Network, Network Reset; the machine restarts, forgets every saved Wi-Fi network, and comes back ready for the Setup Wizard. Brother’s Mac page adds a caution: skip this reset if other computers on the network can still print, because the fault is then on the computer (usually a firewall) rather than on the printer.

Router Settings That Block Printers

Two router features show up repeatedly in Brother’s diagnostics. MAC address filtering, if enabled, must include the printer’s hardware address, which is printed on the Network Configuration report. Client isolation, which Brother calls a privacy separator, stops devices on the same Wi-Fi from talking to each other and has to be turned off for the printer’s network. Mesh systems and range extenders count as the multi-router setups Brother’s Mac page flags, so keep the printer and the computer on the main network name.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need to Reinstall the Brother Software After Changing Routers?

Not always. If the printer lands on the same IP address on the new router, the existing driver entry often works once the printer rejoins Wi-Fi. Brother’s router-replacement page does warn that you may need to uninstall and reinstall its software on each computer, so treat a reinstall as the second step, after re-adding the printer fails.

Can I Set up a Brother Printer Wirelessly Without a USB Cable?

Yes. The Setup Wizard and WPS both run entirely on the printer’s control panel, and the computer only needs to be on the same network afterward. Brother’s Windows wireless setup guide describes a temporary USB or Ethernet cable as an option inside its installer, not a requirement, and Apple’s guide says the same about Macs.

Does the Brother iPrint&Scan App Reconnect the Printer to My Computer?

No. Brother’s WPS page mentions iPrint&Scan as one way to finish setup after the printer connects, but Windows and macOS still need their own printer entry for other programs to print. Add the printer through Settings or System Settings as described above, then install the app if you want its scanning tools.

Why Does the Printer Connect to the Network but the Computer Still Says Offline?

The printer joined the network, but the computer’s stored entry points at an old address or an old port. Remove the printer entry and add it again, or on Windows run the Network Connection Repair Tool. Brother’s Windows page also says to check that the printer isn’t set to Paused and that the print queue is empty.

Work from the printer outward: get Connected on its screen, confirm the IP address on a Network Configuration report, then remove and re-add the printer on the computer. Most reconnect failures end at one of those three checkpoints, and the 6-foot cable rule, the five-minute power cycle, and the Network Reset option cover nearly all of the rest.

References

Author Profile

Eric Dawson
Eric Dawson
I'm Eric Dawson, the writer behind The Money Watch. I live in the Columbus, Ohio area and I write about the ordinary questions that turn out to be complicated: computers, shopping, food, travel, parking, small businesses, fees, rules and products. Every article starts with the official page, the maker or the agency, then the sources that check it, and I say plainly where they disagree and what I would do. More about how I work is on the About page.