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While utilizing a printer, encountering unforeseen hiccups is inevitable. Among these, the frustration of being unable to print your Word documents may arise. To assist you in identifying and resolving related issues, Mytour provides guidance in this troubleshooting article.
1. Troubleshooting hardware issues preventing Word file printing
1.1. Unable to connect to the printer
If your print command yields no response from your printer, it indicates a connectivity issue between your computer and the printer. In such error cases, you should verify the connection with your printer.
- Check if the printer is powered on.
- Examine whether the connecting cable is loose or not.
- Inspect the printer cable for any damages.
- Verify if your printer is malfunctioning; if so, consider purchasing a new one.
1.2. Error originating from driver software
If the issue doesn't stem from the cable and is related to the software directing the printer (driver), you can troubleshoot the error with the following steps:
Step 1: To begin, open the Control Panel. You can do this in various ways, either by clicking the Control Panel icon on your screen or by searching for it in the Search section of Windows.
Step 2: After successfully accessing the Control Panel, ensure that the View by mode is set to Category. Then, click on the View devices and printers line.
Step 3: Right-click on the printer you want to connect and select Troubleshoot.
Afterward, wait for your computer to examine any issues related to your printer.
Step 4: After completing the error check, you will identify the issue with your printer, and Windows will display the status as 'Fixed' for the resolved problem.
As shown below, two errors have been highlighted:
- A print job in the print queue is preventing other print jobs from printing.
- The USB device might have stopped responding.
Finally, click on Close the troubleshooter to close the error-fixing function window.
2. Resolving printing errors caused by Word software
2.1. Error from standalone Word files
Sometimes, the inability to print documents is due to issues within individual Word files.
To check whether the issue lies with a specific .docx file being corrupted or if other files are similarly affected, create a new Word document to test if it exhibits the same printing problem.
Tip: Quickly create a new Word file using the Ctrl N shortcut and use the command =rand(3,5) to generate a random text of three paragraphs, five sentences each.
Then use the Ctrl + P shortcut to initiate the print command.
If your printer operates normally, it indicates that your document is corrupted and causing the printing issue.
You can resolve this by saving your document as a new file.
Click on the File ribbon in the toolbar and choose Save As from the displayed File list. Alternatively, you can use the F12 shortcut with the same function.
After saving as a new file, you can proceed to print your Word document as usual.
2.2. Convert to a PDF file for printing
If all your Word files are unable to print normally, it's likely that your Word software is corrupted. In this case, it's best to uninstall and reinstall Word. However, if you urgently need to print a document, you can opt to convert the Word file to a PDF for printing.
Click on the File ribbon in the toolbar and choose Save As from the displayed File list. Alternatively, you can use the F12 shortcut for the same function.
Once the Save As option menu appears, change Save as type to PDF (*.pdf) and select the file-saving location.
Then customize settings for the new PDF file; if using it for immediate printing, set to Standard, check Open file after publishing to open the file immediately after saving. Click Save to complete the process.
Once the document opens in the PDF reader, you can proceed to print it using the available print icon typically visible in the interface.
Alternatively, a quick and familiar shortcut is to use Ctrl + P, which opens the print interface for normal printing.
Thank you for following our article on How to Fix the Issue of Unable to Print Word Files by Mytour. We hope that the information provided has equipped you with the necessary knowledge to address the challenge of being unable to print your documents. Wishing you success in resolving the issue!
