Brother Printer Not Recognizing New Toner Cartridge? – Fixed

Wondering why is Brother Printer not recognizing new toner cartridge?

The Brother Printer will not recognize the toner cartridge even when the component is new and the drum assembly is not positioned correctly.

Another possibility will be the reset gear or the cartridge level, which when out of order the toner is not recognized.

The solution only requires a few minutes of your time so let’s jump right in!

Why Brother Printer Won’t Recognize New Toner?

The main and most frequently experienced case in which Brother Printer is not recognizing a brand new toner cartridge is when the drum assembly is not installed correctly!

There could be multiple factors towards the installation of the Toner and Drum as well as several external factors, considering that the toner cartridge is brand new.

Let’s learn more!

Here’s why the Brother Printer won’t recognize a new toner cartridge:

• Toner or Drum not installed correctly!
• Brother Printer not restarted
• The printer is hardly unleveled
• Broken cartridge lever

The case could be different for any user so we’ll need to inspect any possibility and apply only the best working solutions.

Now that we know what we’re dealing with, let’s proceed further!

Brother Printer Not Recognizing New Toner Cartridge – Fixed

To solve the problem and make your Brother printer start recognizing the new toner cartridge we’re going to undertake a few chronological solutions.

Let’s jump right in!

Solution #1 Restart Brother Printer!

The very first step against the “No Toner” message on the screen is to restart the Brother Printer, which will help us identify the problem further.

After installing the new toner cartridge the machine should be rebooted, and clear the error message from the screen.

Here’s how to restart almost any Brother Printer in easy steps:

1. Press the hold the Start button until the machine turns OFF.
2. Disconnect the Power Adapter from the source outlet.
3. Wait for a few minutes for the Brother Printer to discharge.
4. Reconnect the Power Adapter and turn on the Brother Printer.

After the restart the “No Toner” error message should be gone, therefore the new toner cartridge is recognized by the machine. The printer operation should work smoothly now.

Solution #2 Embed The Toner Cartridge

The next step is to reinstall the toner cartridge into the drum assembly the correct way and check whether the “No Toner” message will disappear from the screen.

Let’s move on!

1. Lift the front cover of the Brother Printer and gently pull the drum assembly out.
2. Then release the toner cartridge by pressing the Green Locker Lever on the right side!
3. Next insert the toner cartridge into the drum unit and make sure that it locks into place.
4. It’s important to verify that the toner cartridge color matches the color label on the drum.

Now when we’re confident that the toner cartridge was installed correctly into the Brother Printer, we can restart the machine once again and test whether the reinstallation helped.

Note: Repeat the steps for all other toner cartridges!

Solution #3 Clear “Low Toner” Error!

This is one of the most powerful and effective methods in which we’re going to learn how to reset the Toner Counter.

This is proven to help when a Brother printer will not recognize new toner cartridge. Follow the respective steps for DCP, HL, or MFC models!

Reset Toner on Brother HL Series:

1. Press to release the Front Cover.
2. Take out the Drum Unit and Toner Cartridge.
3. Press the Start button > Install Drum + Toner > press Start twice.
4. The “Low Toner” error should now be gone.

Reset Toner on Brother DCP Series:

1. Release the Front Cover.
2. Press the Back/Clear button.
3. When you see the “Replace Drum” message, press Start.
4. Press the Down or Up Arrow button.
5. Then, press the “0” button twice.
6. Press OK.
7. The “Low Toner” code should be gone!

Reset Toner on Brother MFC Series:

1. Open the Printer Cover.
2. Press the Back/Clear button once.
3. Press the “*” button and then,the 0 button twice!
4. The “Low Toner” message should be resolved.

In case the new toner cartridge is still not recognized by the Brother Printer, scroll up and re-insert the Toner and Drum.

In addition, perform another restart now after the error has been cleared to test whether the new toner cartridge will be recognized. Good Luck!

Solution #4 Level The Brother Printer

In some rare cases, a new toner cartridge might not be recognized because the Brother Printer is unleveled to a point where the Drum can’t embed into the machine, therefore not recognized.

Reposition your Brother Printer on a flat surface and reinsert the new toner cartridge!

When you’re ready, restart the printer and test whether the new toner cartridge will be recognized.

In case the problem persists, we need to start focusing on the hardware!

Solution #5 Reinstall The Reset Gear!

When the Reset Gear (white plastic gear) is displaced, it can lead to the toner cartridge being not-recognized by the Brother Printer.

The Reset Gear is located on the side of the toner cartridge and covered by a panel that can be removed by pulling it out gently.

• Take out the white color Reset Gear and position it correctly.

Re-install the Reset Gear and cover on the toner cartridge and install the drum assembly back into the Brother Printer.

Then you can test whether the new toner cartridge is recognized.

Broken Toner Lever?

In case you didn’t know, there is a cartridge level on the right side, inside the Brother Printer.

It’s located on the top right corner where the toner cartridge starts sliding in.

The cartridge level is important for the toner to be recognized and when broken cannot be fixed at home.

You can reach in with an object to poke the level and check whether it’s broken or not.

It has to go in by folding and in case the component is broken or loose, you’ll need a repair service!

Solution #6 Factory Reset Brother Printer!

While we’ve addressed ALL possibilities with the above solutions we’ve left one possibility until the end.

It’s possible for the Brother Printer to not be able to recognize the new toner cartridge because of a software-related problem, and the only solution remains a Factory Reset.

Alert: The factory reset disconnects the printer from ALL source devices!

Here’s how to universally perform a factory reset on Brother Printer:

1. Use the Up/Down Arrows to select Initial Setup.
2. Highlight and select Reset, using the OK button.
3. Use the arrows to select Factory Reset > OK.

The reset might take up to 10 minutes and your Brother Printer will be reverted to factory settings, therefore disconnected from the WiFi and any printing source devices.

However, it’s important for the machine to recognize the new toner cartridge so feel free to test.

Brother Printer Still Not Recognizing New Toner…

In case you’ve reached this far in the guide, we need to share some bad news with you.

The reason why a new toner cartridge is not being recognized could be due to a Faulty Main Board or simply because the toner cartridge that you’ve purchased is not compatible.

It’s extremely important to use only an Original Brother Toner Cartridge.

In case the replacement toner cartridge is original and still not recognized you’ll need to seek help so feel free to contact Brother Customer Service and report your problem.

With a bit of luck, the issue could turn out to be something small and easily solved. Good Luck!

Tip: Don’t forget to share what you’ve tried in this guide to save as much time as possible!

Quick Recap:

Thus, the Brother Printer will not recognize a new toner cartridge when the Drum Unit is not installed correctly into the machine or the Reset Gear is displaced. We’ve also learned that the issue might be software-related so we need to reset the printer as well.

Read Next: How to Connect Brother MFC-9320CW to WiFi?

Wrapping Up:

Now that we’ve learned why Brother Printer not recognizing new toner cartridge and how to solve the problem in a matter of minutes, we’re ready to start printing.

In case the issue is persistent find more about Brother Printer errors and how to solve them in our blog!

We strongly recommend using only Genuine Brother Toner Cartridge that you can find online but you always need to make sure that the component matches your Brother Printer model.

Good Luck!