Wondering why Brother MFC-J491DW not printing? Stay with us!
The Brother Printer will not print when there is an Error Code on the screen.
To fix Brother MFC-J491DW printing issues, clearing errors is the first step. Next check the connection between the source device, which involves the WiFi, Driver, and Configuration.
Let’s next learn more about the problem and then solve the issue in minutes!
Why Is Brother Printer MFC J491DW Not Printing?
The printing of files into physical documents always happens from another device that sends the data over to the Brother Printer.
In this configuration there are quite a few different reasons why the printing would not conduct and next, we’re about to review ALL of them!
Let’s jump right in!
Here’s what could be preventing the Brother Printer from operating:
- Bad Connection To Print Device!
- No Ink (Toner Cartridge)
- Brother Printer is not Default Printing Device
- No Brother Driver Installed on the Master Machine
- Paper Jam or Toner Cartridge Leak
The situation could be different for any user so it’s important to check one more thing!
Any Error Codes?
The Brother Printer wouldn’t be able to print a document from a computer device as long as there are any Error Codes on the screen.
There could be many different error codes such as No Toner, Paper Jam, Unable to Print, No Paper, or any random error number (54,55,20,21,22,23).
Make sure that there are NO ERRORS on the MFC-J491DW Brother Printer!
In case everything looks normal and there is no proper reasoning for the inability of the machine to print, we’ll need to proceed with a troubleshooting guide to solve the problem in minutes!
How To Fix When Brother MFC-J491DW Not Printing?
The solution includes a list of solutions that will not only help us clear potential Error Codes on the screen but also restore the connection to our Print Device (computer or smartphone).
Let’s next jump into the first solution with is one of the most commonly attempted methods:
Solution #1 Restart Devices!
It does not matter whether you’re using a Laptop, Desktop Computer, Tablet, or Smartphone, in this first step we need to restart ALL devices involved in the Printing Setup.
- Simply turn OFF and ON both your Print Source Device and Brother Printer!
If you’re patient, you can leave the Brother MFC-J491DW Printer OFF for about 3-4 minutes which is enough to power circulate the device, and refresh ALL services.
However, a simple restart will also cover our point so test whether the Brother Printer works, before proceeding.
Tip: Desktop Computers should also be restarted to refresh the Brother Printer connection!
Solution #2 Inspect Printing Connection
When the connection between the Source Device and Brother Printer is impacted, the machine will stop receiving the documents data, therefore stop printing.
To restore the connection we need to inspect two things – the WiFi connection and whether both devices are connected.
The Brother Printer and Source device have to be connected to the same WiFi.
This is only important when you’re attempting to wirelessly print from a source device, so if you’re using a USB or Ethernet cable to connect both devices, jump to the next step!
Here’s how to connect your Brother Printer to the WiFi:
- Press the Menu button.
- Use the “–” button to highlight the Network.
- Hit the OK button to select Network.
- From there go down to select Setup Wizard.
- Proceed by pressing “+” to Enable WLAN.
- Wait for the “Searching for SSID”.
- Select your Source Device WiFi.
- Insert the Password.
After a while, the Brother Printer will print a document saying that you’re connected to the WiFi.
In case your Source Device is connected to the Internet via Ethernet cable, keep reading!
Source Device Ethernet Connection?
When your Source Device (Computer or Laptop) is connected to the internet via Ethernet Cable we need to add the Brother Printer from the settings and select it as Default Print Device.
Here’s how to connect a computer to the Brother Printer:
- Turn ON the Brother Printer.
- Open the Start Menu on your Windows PC.
- Search for Printer & Scanners.
- Click on Add a Printer or Scanner.
- Find and choose Brother MFC-J491DW.
- Complete the setup by clicking Finish.
Now it’s time to attempt to print a document. In case it does not work, proceed further!
Tip: We strongly suggest using .PDF files for the printing tests throughout the guide!
Solution #3 Reinstall Brother Driver
Sometimes the Source Device can’t recognize your Brother MFC-J491DW Printer because the driver was not installed properly or missing.
This is why here we’ll learn how to manually install the Brother Printer driver to allow the connection between both devices and start printing!
Here’s how to install Brother Printer MFC-J491DW Desktop Driver:
- In the Control Panel, click on Hardware & Sound.
- From there select “The printer that I want isn’t listed”.
- Choose Autodetect under “Device Type”.
- Tick the box “Query The Printer and Automatically Select The Driver to Use”.
- From the Manufacturer’s List, select “Brother”.
- Lastly, click on Windows Update.
This operation will now force your Desktop Computer to download and install the Brother Printer drive, which will make the device visible and usable.
When the driver is downloaded and installed on your machine, follow Solution #2, to set up your Brother MFC-J491DW Printer.
Note: The Automatic Windows Driver Installation requires active internet on your machine!
Solution #4 Print via USB Cable
A good-to-know method is that you can print documents from your computer on your Brother MFC-J491DW Printer by connecting both devices with a USB cable.
One side goes into your printer and the other side plugs in one of the USB entries on your Laptop/Desktop Computer.
You’ll need however to check whether the Brother Printer is recognized:
- From the Start Menu, type “Device Manager” and open the window.
- Next, go to View and tick the box Show Hidden Devices.
- Go to “Printers” and make sure that the Brother Machine appears there.
- You should be seeing “Brother MFC-J491DW USB Printer”.
You should now be able to print. However, in case, there were quite a few documents piled up in the Printing Queue, they will start coming out one after another.
However, you can clear the Queue by hovering over Documents > Clear All Documents to form the Queue.
Note: The latest printing requests will be executed last.
Solution #5 Use the Auto Setup Tool
Luckily Brother has provided its users with an automatic Setup/Repair Tool that can help us out when our printers won’t perform.
The tool simply needs to be downloaded on the Source Device and we strongly suggest using a Desktop Computer to follow the steps below:
- Select Your Operating System to begin.
- Download the appropriate OS 32 or 64 bits software.
- Go down to the “Utilities”.
- Download the Network Connection Repair Tool.
- Agree to the EULA Prompts and click Download.
- Open the file “nettool_1223.EXE”.
- Next, press “YES” to continue.
- Follow the on-screen instructions!
After a few minutes of diagnostics, the repair tool might or might not solve the problem.
It’s recommended to allow the Repair Tool to perform its operation and then test whether the Brother MFC-J491DW printer will be able to print any documents.
Solution #6 Factory Reset Brother Printer!
We’ve saved the ultimate and most powerful solution to be last.
This is understandable since the Factory Reset erases ALL data on your Brother Printer as well as any saved connections, documents in the Queue, and custom configurations made to the machine.
No going back.
Here’s how to factory reset your Brother MFC-J491DW Printer:
- Press the Menu Button > Settings.
- Use the Up/Down Arrows to navigate.
- Select Initial Setup, and select the OK button.
- Choose Reset > OK.
The reset might take up to 5 minutes so be patient.
In case, however, you’re not able to print even after the factory reset, contact Brother Customer Service and report your problem!
Tip: You can reach out to Brother Customer Service online and ask a question anytime!
Quick Recap:
Thus, the Brother Printer is not printing because of an on-screen Error that hasn’t been cleared or the connection to the Source Device has been interrupted. We’ve learned that we need to inspect each and every possibility to identify the true cause!
Read Next: How to Fix Brother Airprint Not Working?
Final Thoughts:
Now that we’ve learned why Brother MFC-J491DW not printing and how to solve the problem in no time we can finally get our tasks done!
In case, however, the problem is persistent and you couldn’t solve the problem, make sure to contact Brother Support and ask for help!
Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites. Check out more about him here.