My Canon Printer Won’t Connect to My Phone – (Easy Fix!)

It’s frustrating when you print something, but my Canon printer won’t connect to my phone. 

The error indicates that your phone and printer are not connected properly. Your printer will show an error message on its screen or LED light and print black pages, garbled text, and incorrect colors. 

To get your Canon printer to connect to your phone, you need to check if they’re paired properly via Bluetooth or WiFi. Look at other ways to connect, like enabling WiFi Direct on your printer.

Why don’t we take a look at some other troubleshooting methods?

Easy Solutions to Fix My Canon Printer Won’t Connect to My Phone

By the end of this article, you’ll know why won’t my Canon printer connect to my phone. We recommend following these steps carefully for a more efficient troubleshooting experience.

1. Verify Your Phone Connections to the Printer (Bluetooth, WiFi)

Connect it to your printer using Bluetooth or WiFi to print from your phone. The steps may differ based on your specific printer and phone models.

But you can easily print photos and documents from your phone once connected.

Verify connection using Bluetooth 

1. On your phone, go to Settings. 
2. Select the Bluetooth option.
3. Check if your printer is paired and connected.
4. If it’s not connected, tap on your printer name.
5. Select Confirm to pair your printer to your device.

Verify connection using WiFi

1. On your phone, go to Settings.
2. Choose the WiFi option.
3. Check if your printer is connected to the same network as your phone.
4. If not, tap on the network with your printer name. 
5. Enter the password if required. 

Info: Ensuring these wireless connection methods are switched on and active allows for a more efficient fix.

If you need to confirm that your printer is connected and still experiencing this particular issue, you’ll need to proceed to the other solutions below.

2. Restart Print Spooler Service

The Print Spooler is a software program that manages the printing process.

If it’s corrupted or malfunctioning, your printer won’t be able to connect to your phone.

To fix this, you need to restart the Print Spooler service:

1. Press Win + R keys on your computer to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type services.msc and click OK to open the Services window. 
3. Scroll down and find the Print Spooler service.
4. Right-click on it and select Stop. 
5. Wait for a few seconds for the service to stop. 
6. Right-click on the Print Spooler service again, then this time select Start.
7. Wait for a few seconds for the service to start. 
8. Attempt reconnecting your phone and printer. 

Restarting the Print Spooler service will clear up any problems and get your printer back in action. We also recommend rebooting your printer after completing this step so it refreshes its connection with the service.

3. Reset Your Phone’s Network Settings

To fix any network-related issues, reset your phone’s network settings to factory defaults.

This solution will help you resolve any configuration problems. Essentially, it erases all custom WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular data settings. 

Reset network settings on iPhone

1. Go to Settings on the home screen. 
2. Scroll down and tap General. 
3. Scroll to the bottom and select Reset.
4. Tap Reset Network Settings.
5. Enter your phone’s password if it’s required.
6. Select Reset Network Settings again to confirm.

Reset network settings on your Android device

1. Open the Settings app on the home screen.
2. Scroll down and tap System.
3. Tap Reset Options.
4. Select Reset WiFi, mobile & Bluetooth.
5. Tap Reset Settings. 
6. Tap it again to confirm the action. 

Note: We recommend restarting your device after resetting its network settings, reconnecting it to your printer, and checking if it connects. 

If your printer still can’t connect to your phone, let’s look closer at its configurations, as it’s the source of the issue and not your phone.

4. Reset Your Canon’s Network Settings

If you don’t want to reset your phone’s network settings, try resetting your Canon’s network settings instead.

You will need to set up your Canon printer’s network connection again. But this will resolve any network configuration issues causing the problem. 

1. Press the Setup button on your printer.
2. You will see 11 on the screen. 
3. Press the Black or Color button to confirm. 
4. Wait for a few seconds while the printer resets its network settings. 
5. Reconnect your printer to your WiFi network. 
6. Connect your Canon printer and your phone again. 

Tip: Ensure you have your network information handy before starting the setup process. 

5. Enable WiFi Direct on Your Printer

WiFi Direct is a feature that allows your phone to connect with your Canon printer directly without using a router or an access point.

Enabling it helps you avoid any network issues that might affect the connection. 

1. Press the Home button on your printer.
2. Select the WLAN icon, it’s the “i” icon.
3. Enable the WiFi Direct option so your printer creates its network.
4. On your phone, open the Settings.
5. Go to WiFi.
6. On the network list, look for the name of your printer with -DIRECT.
7. Tap on the connection.

You will need to send print jobs once your phone is connected to your printer’s WiFi network.

Note: Enabling WiFi Direct on your Canon printer allows you to print from your phone, tablet, and other wireless devices, even if you don’t have a wireless router setup.

6. Refresh Your WiFi by Power Cycling Your Router

An issue with your network, such as a glitch or bug, will cause this problem, where your phone will have difficulty connecting with your printer.

If you suspect this issue, power cycling your router helps improve your connection and refreshes it.

1. Turn off your router and unplug it from the power outlet.
2. Wait for at least 2 minutes while the router powers down. 
3. Plug in and turn on your router.
4. Wait for the WiFi and internet indicator lights to come back on.
5. Once your router has established the network, reconnect your printer and phone.

Your printer and phone must be connected to the same WiFi network. You’ll need to watch out for multi-band routers, as devices on one band won’t be able to detect others in a different band.

Tip: Restart your printer and phone to ensure it’s properly connected to the newly rebooted router. 

7. Reconnect Your Printer to WiFi via WPS

WPS is short for WiFi Protected Setup, a feature enabling you to connect your devices to a WiFi network without a password.

Following the steps below, you are able to easily reconnect your Canon printer to your WiFi via WPS, eliminating potential errors. 

1. On your router, look for the button labeled WPS.
2. Press and hold it for 5 seconds.
3. Wait for the WPS indicator lights to start blinking.
4. On your printer, press the WiFi button.
5. Wait for the ON lamp to flash once.
6. Wait up to 2 minutes while the printer and router connect.

Once the printer connects to your network, the WiFi and power lights will stop blinking and remain still. Do it again to connect your printer and phone. 

8. Temporarily Turn Off Firewall

Your firewall protects your computer from unauthorized access and attacks.

However, sometimes, it also blocks or interferes the communication between your devices. Temporarily turning it off may solve the problem. 

1. On your computer, open the Control Panel.
2. Go to System and Security.
3. Select Windows Defender Firewall.
4. Choose the Turn Windows Defender On or Off option.
5. Click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall (Not Recommended).
6. Select OK to save the changes.

Note: After troubleshooting, reopen the firewall to protect your device and network from potential threats.   

Quick Recap

Two of the most effective solutions to my Canon printer won’t connect to my phone problem involve verifying your phone’s connections to the printer.

Ensure your devices are paired and connected properly to print with your phone without any trouble.  If you have other concerns with your Canon printer, visit our blog! 

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