How to Connect a Printer to a New Wi-Fi Network or Router

To connect a printer to a new Wi-Fi network, run the printer’s wireless setup again and choose the new network name, then enter the new password. A printer does not move to a new router on its own: it keeps looking for the old network it remembers. On printers with a screen this takes a few minutes. On screenless printers you usually restore the network settings first, then connect with WPS or the maker’s app. Afterwards, re-add the printer on any computer that cannot find it.

When you need to do this

• You changed internet provider and got a new router.
• You replaced a router or installed a mesh Wi-Fi system.
• You changed the Wi-Fi name or password.
• You moved house and the printer came with you.
• You are giving a printer to someone else and it needs to join their network.

In all these cases the printer still holds the old network name and password, so it shows as offline everywhere.

The shortcut: reuse the old name and password

If you are setting up a new router and have not changed anything else yet, the easiest fix is to give the new router exactly the same network name (SSID) and password as the old one, with the same capital letters and the same security type (WPA2 or WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode). The printer, smart speakers and other devices then reconnect without any setup at all. Most router apps let you choose the name and password during first setup.

This does not work if you deliberately changed the password, for example because it had been shared too widely. In that case, continue below.

Before you start

1. Write down the new network name and password exactly. Printer keypads are slow, and a single wrong letter causes most failed connections.
2. Check the band. Many home printers only connect on 2.4 GHz. If the new router uses one combined name for 2.4 and 5 GHz, that is normally fine; if it has a 5 GHz-only network, use the 2.4 GHz one. Our 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi setup guide explains the options.
3. Bring the printer within a few metres of the router for setup if the new router is in a different place from the old one.

Printers with a screen

The wording differs between makers, but the steps are much the same:

1. On the control panel, tap the Wi-Fi icon or open Settings, then Network or Wireless.
2. Choose Wireless Setup Wizard, Wi-Fi Setup or Connect to network.
3. Wait while the printer scans, then select the new network name.
4. Enter the password and confirm.
5. Wait for the Wi-Fi light or icon to show a steady connection.

Some menus also offer WPS at this point. If your new router has a working WPS button, choose that option and press the router’s button within two minutes; see our WPS guide.

Printers without a screen

Screenless printers cannot show a list of networks, so they join through WPS or through the maker’s app. Before either will work, many models need to forget the old network:

1. Restore the network settings. On many screenless printers this is a button combination held for a few seconds. The exact combination varies by model and even between models from the same maker, so look it up in the printer’s manual or on the maker’s support page. Avoid a full factory reset unless the manual says it is needed.
2. Connect with WPS if your router supports it: press the Wi-Fi button on the printer as the manual describes, then the WPS button on the router.
3. Or use the maker’s app. Apps such as HP Smart, Canon PRINT and Epson Smart Panel find a printer in setup mode and pass it the Wi-Fi details from your phone. See our guides to HP printer setup with HP Smart, Canon PIXMA setup and Epson Wi-Fi setup.

Check that the printer is on the new network

Print a network configuration report (see how to find your printer’s IP address for where to find it). Check three things:

On the report	What you want to see
Network name (SSID)	The new network name, not the old one
Status	Connected
IP address	An address in the new router’s range, not 169.254.x.x

The new router may use a different address range from the old one, for example 192.168.0.x instead of 192.168.1.x. That is normal, but it is the reason computers lose track of the printer.

Re-add the printer on each device

How much work this takes depends on how each device found the printer the first time:

• iPhone, iPad and Android usually find the printer again automatically with AirPrint or the default print service once the phone is on the same new network. See printing from iPhone and printing from Android.
• Mac: if the old entry shows as offline, remove it in System Settings, Printers & Scanners, then add it again. See how to add a printer on Mac.
• Windows 11: remove the old printer in Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, then select Add device. Printers added by IP address always need this step, because the address has changed. See how to add a printer in Windows 11.
• Chromebook: saved printers with an old IP address need to be removed and saved again.

Finally, reserve the printer’s new address in the new router so it stays the same. Our Ethernet printer setup guide shows how a reservation works; the same steps apply to Wi-Fi printers.

Changing the network from a computer instead

If the printer has no screen and its Wi-Fi setup mode is awkward, two other routes often work:

• The printer’s web settings page. While the printer is still reachable (on the old network, on Ethernet, or over its own Wi-Fi Direct network), open its IP address in a browser, log in as administrator and enter the new network name and password. Save, then switch the old router off. See access a printer’s web interface.
• A temporary USB cable. Many makers’ installers can send the new Wi-Fi details over USB, then tell you to unplug the cable. Our guide to changing a printer from USB to wireless describes this method.

New mesh system?

If the new network is a mesh system, reserve the printer’s address in the mesh app after it joins, and make sure only one device in the house is acting as the router. Our printer on mesh Wi-Fi guide covers both.

If the printer will not join the new network

• Password rejected. Re-enter it slowly, checking capital letters, and confirm it on a phone first.
• Network not listed. Check the 2.4 GHz band is enabled and the printer is close to the router. Hidden network names must be typed in by hand.
• WPS does nothing. WPS may be disabled in the new router’s settings, or the router may not support it. Use the menu or the app instead.
• Mesh system. Connect the printer while it is near the main mesh unit, not a satellite, for first setup.

If you want to avoid Wi-Fi changes entirely in future, a printer with an Ethernet port can be wired to the router instead; the wireless printer setup guide compares the options.