“I added a new printer on my Windows 10 x64 as a standard IP port printer. The printer model was automatically and correctly detected and installed but, at the end of the installation process, I have a “Status: Attention Required” and the test page fails to be printed (it remains in my spooler indefinitely).”
Many Windows 10 users have recently encountered an error where the printer refuses to print any pages, and they get an error message showing printer attention required or printer needs user intervention. Here, I shall discuss why you were getting this error, and how to solve this error.
Does My Printer Say User Intervention Required?
The ‘printer status attention required’ error is usually associated with a malfunctioning print spooler service. A printer spooler is a small application that handles the print jobs on a computer and enables multiple print jobs within a print buffer when retrieved by the printer.
The error is also associated with connection issues between your printer and your computer. In these cases, you shall receive a notification that asks you to go to your desktop and follow some on-screen instructions, which shall guide you through the error.
However, most of the time the desktop notification is vague and does not tell clearly, what is causing the issue and how to resolve it. Here are some easy solutions that you can use to solve the user intervention required error on your computer.
How To Solve Printer Attention Required Notification?
Now that you have a vague idea about why you may be getting the error, you can start following this simple guide to solve the ‘printer user intervention’ error. However, note that not all solutions may be applicable to you, so it is advised to follow these fixes in the order they are provided until you find one that solves the error on your device.
Note: this is assuming you are on the latest build of Windows 10. If not, first try updating Windows, which shall eliminate any lingering issues with operating system incompatibility or missed driver updates.
Solution 1: Check Ink Levels
In our busy lives, some trivial things like printer ink levels are easy to miss focus on. However, the low ink levels are reported as one of the causes that you may get the user intervention required notification when trying to print documents or other things through your printer.
Check for the ink levels on your printer and refill all the cartridges so that no further errors occur due to blank cartridges.
Solution 2: Check Connectivity
While you check for ink levels, also check for any lights on your printer, which indicates any poor connection between the two. These can be caused by poor connections, broken cables or malfunctioning ports on either the printer or your computer.
There is usually an indicator for the same on your printer. Check for any LEDs that indicate any error on your printer. You can also try restarting your printer by disconnecting it from the power supply and your computer, and then reconnecting it after some time has passed.
Solution 3: Check And Restart Print Spooler Service
If your printer needs user intervention, the error is usually associated with a corrupt or misbehaving print spooler service. The print spooler handles the print jobs sent to your printer and any error to the spooler service can lead to you getting the printer attention required error on your device.
- Open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R.
- Type services.msc and press Enter to launch the Services console.
- Locate the Print Spooler service and double click on it to open its Properties.
- Check the status of the service. If you see that it is already running, first stop the service using the Stop button.
- Open a Run dialog again using the Win + R keys.
- Type %WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers and press Enter to open the printer spool.
- Delete all the files in the folder that opens.
- Go back to the Services console, and open Print Spooler properties again.
- Click on the Start button, and make sure that the Automatic option is selected from the startup type drop-down menu.
- Close the Services console and re-attempt the printing job.
This should help you solve the printer status attention required error. However, if this still fails to solve your error, here are some other minor solutions, which may help you solve the printing problems.
Solution 4: Run The Printer Troubleshooter
If you repeatedly keep getting the user intervention required notification on your device, there might be some internal error that can be solved using the built-in troubleshooter. There are two ways to launch the troubleshooter, and here I shall show you both of them.
From the settings app
- Open the Windows 10 Settings You can use the keyboard shortcut Win + I.
- Click on Update & Security option.
- From the left pane menu, click on Troubleshoot.
- Locate Printer from the right pane and click on it to expand the options.
- Click on the ‘Run the troubleshooter’ button.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the check for any lingering issues, and to resolve them from within the troubleshooter.
From command prompt
- Open an elevated Command Prompt. To do this, press Win + R to launch a Run dialog, type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
- Enter the following command in the command line editor to launch and run the built-in troubleshooter:
msdt.exe /id PrinterDiagnostic
Solution 5: Update Drivers
Another potential cause for the Attention required message may be outdated drivers. This is a very simple error to solve, and you can follow these steps to resolve it.
- Open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R.
- Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter to launch the Device Manager console.
- Here, check for any outdated device drivers. You will find the outdated drivers marked with a yellow exclamation mark beside the name.
- If there are no critical driver updates, click on Print queues.
- Here, locate your Printer and select Update driver from the right-click context menu.
- If Windows fails to find the latest drivers, you need to download the drivers manually from the manufacturer’s website. This is also considered one of the best methods to update your driver.
- Once downloaded, double click on the downloaded driver to run the installation of the updated driver.
Now try printing the files again through the printer. This should now solve your error.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know how to update printer attention required error using one or a combination of the solutions provided above. Tell us in the comments about how you solved the error on your Windows 10 device.
