How to Connect an HP Printer to WiFi the Easy Way

Connecting an HP printer to WiFi takes under three minutes using the printer’s built-in Wireless Setup Wizard. On the printer’s control panel, go to Wireless or Network Setup, select Wireless Setup Wizard, choose your network name, enter the password, and confirm. The printer prints a confirmation page when the connection succeeds. Every HP printer with a touchscreen or LCD panel supports this method regardless of model year.

Before You Start: What You Need

• Your WiFi network name (SSID) and password. If you have never changed them, check the sticker on the back or bottom of your router.
• The printer powered on and showing the home screen (not in sleep or error state).
• A 2.4 GHz WiFi network. HP printers released before 2021 only support 2.4 GHz. Models from 2021 onward (HP DeskJet Plus 4155, ENVY 6055, and newer) support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

One thing that catches people: if your router broadcasts separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks with different names, make sure you select the 2.4 GHz network during printer setup unless your specific model supports 5 GHz. Connecting an older HP printer to a 5 GHz network causes an immediate connection failure that looks like a wrong-password error.

Method 1: Wireless Setup Wizard (Works on All HP Models)

1. On the printer’s control panel, tap or press the Wireless icon (the signal arc symbol) or navigate to Settings.
2. Select Wireless Setup Wizard or Network Setup > Wireless Setup Wizard. On older LCD models without a touchscreen, use the arrow keys to navigate.
3. The printer scans for available networks. Wait 15 to 20 seconds for the list to populate.
4. Select your network name from the list. If it does not appear, select Enter New Network Name and type the SSID manually.
5. Enter your WiFi password using the on-screen keyboard. Passwords are case-sensitive. Use the shift key on the keyboard panel to toggle between uppercase and lowercase.
6. Select OK or Connect. The printer takes 30 to 60 seconds to establish the connection.
7. A confirmation page prints automatically. The wireless icon on the control panel lights up solid blue when connected.

Method 2: WPS Button (Fastest, No Password Needed)

If your router has a WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) button, usually on the back or side, you can connect the printer without entering a password. This method works on all HP printers that have a WPS option in the wireless menu.

1. On the printer, go to Wireless > Wi-Fi Protected Setup or look for a WPS option in the network settings.
2. Select Push Button.
3. Within two minutes, press the WPS button on your router and hold it for two to three seconds.
4. The printer and router negotiate the connection automatically. The printer’s wireless light stops blinking and goes solid when connected.

WPS has known security vulnerabilities (the PIN method in particular is brute-forceable), so disable WPS on your router after the printer is connected if you want to close that exposure. The Push Button method is safer than PIN-based WPS but still less secure than a standard WPA2 password connection.

Method 3: HP Smart App (Best for Phones and Tablets)

The HP Smart app (free, iOS and Android) handles printer WiFi setup through your phone’s connection, which is faster than navigating the printer’s keyboard for a complex password.

1. Download HP Smart from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Make sure your phone is connected to the same WiFi network you want the printer to join.
3. Open HP Smart and tap the + (Add Printer) button.
4. The app searches for nearby HP printers. Select your printer from the list.
5. Follow the in-app prompts. The app transfers your WiFi credentials to the printer automatically over a temporary direct connection.
6. The printer connects to your WiFi network and appears as ready in the HP Smart app.

HP Smart also lets you print, scan, and check ink levels from your phone after setup. It is the recommended method for HP ENVY and DeskJet Plus models because those series are designed to work with HP Smart as the primary management interface.

Method 4: USB Setup (When WiFi Setup Fails)

If every wireless method fails and the printer came with a USB cable, use it to install the HP driver on your PC first, then switch to wireless through the HP printer software.

1. Connect the printer to your PC with a USB cable.
2. Go to support.hp.com/drivers, search your printer model, and download the full feature driver (not just the basic driver).
3. Run the installer. When it asks how you want to connect, select Wireless even though the USB cable is currently connected.
4. The installer walks you through entering your WiFi credentials. It pushes them to the printer over USB, then tells you to disconnect the cable.
5. The printer switches to WiFi mode. Disconnect the USB cable when prompted.

Printer Connected but Computer Cannot Find It

This is the most common follow-up problem after a successful WiFi connection. The printer has an IP address on your network, but the PC’s printer driver is still pointing at the old USB connection or an outdated IP address.

The single most effective fix for “printer connected to WiFi but PC cannot see it” is the HP Print and Scan Doctor. It automatically detects the printer’s new IP address and updates the driver configuration. Download it from HP’s support site at support.hp.com; search “Print and Scan Doctor.”

How to Keep Your HP Printer Connected Reliably

HP printers lose their WiFi connection more often than most networked devices because they go into deep sleep states that can cause the WiFi radio to drop off the network. Two settings prevent this:

• Assign a static IP via DHCP reservation. Log into your router (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1), find the DHCP clients table, locate your printer’s MAC address, and reserve its current IP permanently. The printer always gets the same address, so the PC driver never loses it. How to reach your router admin panel is covered in the WiFi channel guide under router access steps.
• Disable automatic power-off. On the printer’s control panel, go to Settings > Power Management and set Auto Power Off to Never or to a longer interval like 2 hours. Sleep mode is fine; complete power-off causes the printer to re-negotiate its network connection on wake, which sometimes fails.

If your printer is in a room far from the router and drops WiFi regularly, the underlying cause is signal weakness, not a printer bug. Moving the router or adding a mesh node near the printer is a more reliable fix than any printer setting. The weak WiFi signal guide covers range extension options ranked by cost and impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why won’t my HP printer connect to WiFi even though the password is correct?

The most common cause is connecting a 2.4 GHz-only printer to a 5 GHz network. Check that you are selecting the 2.4 GHz band during setup. The second most common cause is a router that requires a reboot: unplug it for 30 seconds, then retry. If neither works, restore the printer’s network settings to factory via Settings > Network Setup > Restore Network Settings and run the Wireless Setup Wizard again from scratch.

How do I connect my HP printer to WiFi without a touchscreen?

Use the WPS Push Button method if your router has a WPS button. Alternatively, connect the printer to a PC via USB, download the HP full feature driver from support.hp.com, and use the installer’s wireless setup option to push WiFi credentials over the USB cable. Both methods work on HP printers with only a basic LED control panel and no display.

Can I connect my HP printer to WiFi without a computer?

Yes. Use the HP Smart app on an iPhone or Android phone. Download HP Smart, connect your phone to the target WiFi network, open the app, tap Add Printer, and follow the prompts. The app handles credential transfer entirely from the phone, no computer required.

Why does my HP printer keep disconnecting from WiFi?

The two most common causes are an unstable IP address (the router assigns a new one after each reboot) and the printer’s auto power-off cutting the WiFi radio. Fix the first by setting a DHCP reservation in your router for the printer’s MAC address. Fix the second by disabling Auto Power Off in the printer’s power management settings. If signal strength is under 50 percent at the printer’s location, a mesh node or range extender solves the underlying radio issue.