HP Printer Setup
123.hp.com/setup HP setup contains one decision you cannot undo, and it arrives about four minutes in, disguised as a friendly offer.
That decision is HP+. Accept it and your printer is permanently committed to Original HP ink, a live internet connection and an HP account, for as long as you own it. There's no menu to turn it off afterwards. It's embedded in the device.
Most setup guides mention HP+ somewhere near the bottom. It belongs at the top, because everything else in this guide is reversible and that isn't.
So we'll start with the decisions, then do the setup properly.
The two decisions to make before you plug anything in Decision one: HP+, yes or no
HP+ is a cloud-based feature set built into certain HP printers. Eligible models are identified by a lowercase e at the end of the product number. A DeskJet 2755e is HP+ eligible. A DeskJet 2755 is not. Select LaserJet, OfficeJet, ENVY and DeskJet models carry it.
What you get: typically extra months of Instant Ink, an extended warranty, cloud printing features, and some security monitoring.
What you give up, permanently:
Original HP ink or toner for the lifetime of the printer. Not "recommended." Required. Third-party cartridges will not work. A permanent internet connection. The printer needs to stay online. An HP account. Required to activate and to keep things working.
HP is explicit that once activated, HP+ is embedded in the device and requires Original HP supplies for the life of the printer. HP+ isn't a subscription you cancel. It's a state the printer enters.
Here's the honest framing. If you print rarely and will buy HP cartridges anyway, HP+ is a reasonable deal and the extended warranty has real value. If you were planning to use compatible cartridges to keep running costs down, HP+ closes that door forever, and the extra warranty months won't come close to covering the difference.
Decide before you start setup, because the prompt is designed to be accepted.
Decision two: the All-in Plan, if you're offered it
Some HP printers are now sold through a subscription where you don't own the hardware at all. You pay monthly, ink arrives automatically, and the printer stays HP's property. Cancel and it goes back.
That's a legitimate model and it suits some households. It is not the same as buying a printer, and the setup flow doesn't always make the distinction obvious. If you're being asked for card details to complete setup on a printer you thought you'd bought outright, stop and read what you're agreeing to.
What changed in 2026 HP Smart is becoming "the HP app"
HP has merged HP Smart and its myHP device app into a single product called simply the HP app. HP's own documentation is direct about the consequence: once the HP app is available for your device, HP Smart is obsolete and cannot be reinstalled.
Where things stand right now:
iOS and Android: the transition has largely happened. Searching the stores for HP Smart redirects you to the HP app. Existing installs updated in place, and printers and settings carried over. Windows: HP Smart is still available and still supported. The Windows version of the HP app launched without print features, so on a PC, HP Smart remains the app that actually prints and scans for now. macOS: the HP app is the supported download.
The practical advice: on your phone, get the HP app. On Windows, if HP Smart is already working, leave it alone. If you're installing fresh on a PC, check which one currently offers print and scan for your model rather than assuming.
One useful detail from HP's documentation: installing the HP app installs the drivers the printer needs. You don't then hunt for a separate driver download.
Windows mostly doesn't want a driver anymore
Microsoft has been retiring third-party printer drivers since 2023, and 2026 is when it became the default behaviour.
On 15 January 2026, Windows Update stopped publishing new third-party printer drivers for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025. On 1 July 2026, Windows changed its driver ranking so its own built-in IPP class driver is preferred during new printer installations.
For HP specifically this creates a genuine choice, and it's worth understanding it before you pick.
The Windows route: add the printer through Windows settings. It prints, immediately, with nothing installed. No account, no app, no cloud. It won't scan, and it won't give you HP's ink monitoring or maintenance tools.
The HP app route: more features, ink levels, scanning, mobile printing, guided setup. Also an HP account for anything beyond the basics, and a piece of software that stays resident.
Neither is wrong. If you have an all-in-one and you scan regularly, you'll want HP's software. If you have a printer that only prints and you'd rather not have an account, the Windows route genuinely works and is worth knowing about, because HP's setup flow won't mention it.
Dynamic Security: where things actually stand
This is HP's system for detecting cartridges without an HP chip and refusing to print with them. It has a long and litigated history, and you should know the shape of it before you buy ink.
HP's position is that Dynamic Security protects against counterfeit cartridges and improves security. HP's CEO has argued third-party cartridges could in theory carry malicious firmware, a claim security researchers have generally described as speculative.
The history in brief. A 2016 firmware update disabled third-party cartridges and produced error messages HP later admitted were wrong, leading to a $1.5 million settlement in California in 2019. HP has also paid out in Europe, Italy and Australia. A November 2020 update re-enabled Dynamic Security on some models, prompting a class action from businesses including an emergency housing organisation whose Color LaserJet stopped accepting the third-party toner it had been using. That case settled in August 2024 and was approved in March 2025.
The settlement terms were modest. HP admitted no wrongdoing, three named plaintiffs received $5,000 each, legal fees of roughly $725,000 were covered, and the wider class received nothing. The one practical concession: owners of 21 specific listed models can decline firmware updates that include Dynamic Security, and those already blocked can downgrade firmware to remove it, on those listed models only.
Everything outside that list, manufactured after December 2016, remains subject to Dynamic Security at HP's discretion. A separate antitrust action over the 2022 and 2023 updates was filed in Illinois and litigation has continued.
The error message to recognise, if it ever appears, says the printer is intended to work only with new or reused cartridges that have a new or reused HP chip.
What to do with all that:
Buying HP cartridges anyway? None of this affects you. Leave automatic firmware updates on. Planning to use compatible cartridges? Turn automatic firmware updates off during setup, and understand that you're managing an ongoing risk rather than eliminating it. Do not enrol in HP+, which makes the question moot. Considering a Smart Tank model? Refillable tanks sidestep the cartridge chip question entirely, which is part of why they exist. Know which HP you have DeskJet — entry-level home all-in-ones. Cheap to buy, expensive per page. ENVY — home all-in-ones with better photo output and build. OfficeJet and OfficeJet Pro — office inkjets, faster, higher-yield cartridges, usually with a document feeder. Smart Tank — HP's refillable ink tank line. Higher upfront cost, far lower running cost, no cartridge chips to fight with. LaserJet and Color LaserJet — toner-based. Faster, cheaper per page for text, better for anyone who prints in bursts with long gaps. DesignJet — large format.
The e suffix is the one that matters most. Check the full model number on the front of the machine or the label at the back. That single trailing letter tells you whether HP+ will be offered, and therefore whether the ink decision above applies to you.
Physical setup Cartridge models: DeskJet, ENVY, OfficeJet Remove all tape and packing material, including anything inside the cartridge access door. Power on before installing cartridges. The carriage moves into position on boot. Unwrap each cartridge and pull the protective tape off the nozzles. Don't touch the copper contacts or the nozzles themselves. Slide the cartridge in at a slight upward angle and push until it clicks. The slots are colour-coded and labelled. Close the door and let the printer run its alignment. It will pull in a sheet of paper and print a pattern. On some models you'll be asked to scan or photograph that alignment page. Do it. Skipping it leaves the printer misaligned. Smart Tank models Keep the printer level throughout, and keep it level afterwards. Open the tank cover and remove the caps. Fill every tank to its line, including the colours you don't think you'll use. The initial charge draws from all channels at once, and an empty channel pulls air into the line. HP's bottles are keyed to their tanks and stop when full. Hold the bottle in place and let it drain. Don't squeeze. Close the caps until they click, then close the cover. Start the initial priming and leave the printer alone until it finishes. This takes several minutes. Don't open covers, don't power off, don't unplug. Print an alignment or diagnostic page when it's done.
Moving a Smart Tank later requires following your model's transport procedure. Ink and gravity are not friends.
LaserJet models Remove the toner cartridge, pull out any orange sealing tape or shipping pin, and rock it gently side to side a few times. Slide it back in until it seats and the door closes without force. Load paper, squaring the guides to the stack without bowing it. Power on. Colour models will run a calibration cycle. Let it finish. Network prep Check your band
Most HP home models connect on 2.4 GHz only. Newer OfficeJet Pro and higher-end machines handle 5 GHz. Don't assume.
The usual failure: your router broadcasts both bands under one name, your phone sits on 5 GHz, and the printer can't join the network you're pointing it at. The error tells you nothing useful.
Either split your router's bands temporarily, or make sure you know the 2.4 GHz network name so you can enter it manually.
Check your security settings Some older HP models can't join a WPA3-only network. Switch to WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode for setup. Turn AP isolation off. It's on by default on many guest networks and it stops devices from seeing each other. The two-hour window nobody mentions
This is the HP-specific detail that causes the most abandoned setups.
When an HP printer is new, or after you restore Wi-Fi setup mode, it enters a temporary state where the setup app can find and configure it. HP's documentation says you need to add the printer in the app within two hours of that mode starting. After that, the printer stops advertising itself and the app simply won't see it.
So if setup fails and you come back to it the next evening, it won't work, and nothing on screen will explain why. The fix is to restore Wi-Fi setup mode and start again promptly. On most models that's done from the network menu, or by holding the Wireless and Cancel buttons together for a few seconds on models without a screen. Check your model's guide for the exact combination.
Choose your connection
Wi-Fi suits most homes. Its recurring weakness is a changing IP address, which is fixable and covered below.
Ethernet, where the model has a port, is the quiet, stable choice for anything near the router.
USB works for one computer. Note that if you're on an HP+ printer, USB doesn't exempt you from the internet requirement.
Wi-Fi Direct makes the printer broadcast its own network. Useful as a fallback. Your device loses internet access while connected, so it's not a primary setup.
Step one: get the printer onto the network Using the HP app, HP's intended route Finish the hardware setup and ink or toner installation first. Connect your phone or computer to the Wi-Fi network you want the printer on. This matters: the app hands over the credentials of the network it is on. Install the HP app from your app store, or HP Smart on Windows. Make sure the printer is in Wi-Fi setup mode, and that you're within the two-hour window. Open the app and choose to add or set up a printer. Follow the prompts. The app will find the printer and configure the network. This is where HP+ will be offered if your model is eligible. Read that screen properly. It's the decision from the top of this guide.
You'll be asked to create or sign in to an HP account. Sign-in is required for cloud features, remote printing, subscriptions and HP+. On Windows, HP Smart has historically allowed local printing and scanning without signing in, though what's available without an account has narrowed over time.
Using the printer's own panel instead
On models with a touchscreen you can skip the app entirely for the network part.
Tap the wireless icon, or go to Settings → Network Setup → Wireless Settings. Choose Wireless Setup Wizard. Pick your network, or choose manual entry if it's hidden or on a band the printer can't scan. Enter the password. Case sensitive. Wait for confirmation. Using WPS On the printer, choose WPS from the wireless settings menu, or hold the Wireless button until the light blinks on models without a screen. Within two minutes, press the WPS button on your router. Wait for the wireless light to go solid. Print the network configuration page
Ten seconds, saves hours.
On models with a menu: Settings → Reports → Network Configuration, or Wireless → Print Report → Network Configuration.
On button-only models: hold the Wireless button and the Information button together, or press the Information button (the one marked with an i) on models that have it. The combination varies, so check your model's guide.
The page gives you the printer's IP address, its MAC address, the network name and the firmware version. Keep it.
Pin the IP address down
The dominant cause of "my HP keeps going offline" is the router handing it a new address.
Log into your router, find the connected devices or DHCP client list, locate the HP, and create a DHCP reservation. This is better than a static IP set on the printer, because the router stays in charge and can't create a conflict.
Typing that IP into a browser on the same network opens the printer's Embedded Web Server, where you can check status, set an administrator password and control firmware update behaviour without walking to the machine. On an HP printer this page is genuinely useful, and it's also where you'll find the firmware update settings if you decided to turn automatic updates off.
Step two: set up your devices Windows 11
Route A, driverless. Fastest, no account, prints only.
Confirm the printer is on the network and you have its IP. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners. Click Add device and wait fifteen to thirty seconds. Your HP should appear by model name. Click Add device beside it. Test it: select the printer, open Printer properties, click Print Test Page.
If it doesn't appear, click Add manually, choose Add a printer using an IP address or hostname, set device type to Autodetect or IPP Device, and enter the IP.
Route B, HP's software. Needed for scanning, ink levels, and HP+ activation.
Install HP Smart from the Microsoft Store, or the HP app if it's offering print features for your model. Open it, add your printer, and follow the prompts. HP's documentation notes that installing the app installs the drivers too, so there's no separate driver hunt.
If the Microsoft Store install fails or shows a blank screen, HP's own guidance points to the alternate setup path at 123.hp.com/setup. Type that address directly rather than clicking a search result, since HP setup pages attract a lot of imitators.
Windows 10
Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025. It still prints, but it isn't getting fixes.
HP Smart still works here, and remains available for Windows 10, including a build for 32-bit systems. Use it, or install the full driver package from HP's support site for your model. If this is your main machine, plan the Windows 11 move.
macOS
HP machines from the last decade are AirPrint devices, so macOS needs nothing from HP to print.
Open System Settings → Printers & Scanners. Click Add Printer, Scanner or Fax. Your HP should appear under the Default tab, usually described as Bonjour Multifunction. Select it and check the Use dropdown reads AirPrint or Secure AirPrint. Click Add.
If it's missing, use the IP tab, enter the IP address, set Protocol to Internet Printing Protocol - IPP, and add it.
Scanning on Mac: basic scanning works through Image Capture or the Scan tab in Printers & Scanners. For document feeder handling and multi-page PDFs, install the HP app from the Mac App Store, which is now HP's supported macOS download.
iPhone and iPad
Printing needs nothing installed.
Confirm the iPhone and printer are on the same network, not a separate guest network. Open what you want to print. Tap the share icon, scroll down, tap Print. Tap Printer and choose your HP. Set copies and range, then tap Print.
Install the HP app from the App Store for scanning, ink levels, mobile fax and guided setup. Searching for HP Smart will redirect you there.
Android
Current Android builds include the Mopria print framework, so basic printing works with nothing installed.
Open your document or photo. Tap the three-dot menu, then Print, or Share → Print. Tap the printer dropdown at the top. Select your HP. Tap the print icon.
If nothing is listed, go to Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → Printing and check a print service is enabled. HP Print Service Plugin ships on many Android devices; Mopria Print Service from the Play Store covers the rest. Menu paths vary by Android skin, so search Settings for "printing" if you can't find it.
Install the HP app from the Play Store for scanning and management.
ChromeOS Click the clock, then the gear for Settings. Go to Print and scan → Printers. Your HP should be listed under printers nearby. Click Set up. If not, click Add printer manually, name it, enter the IP address, set protocol to IPP and queue to ipp/print. If asked for a driver and your model isn't listed by name, choose the generic IPP option.
Scanning works through the built-in ChromeOS Scan app on most network-connected HP all-in-ones.
Linux
HP has the best Linux support of any printer manufacturer, and it's not close.
HPLIP is HP's own open-source driver suite, and it covers printing and scanning across a very wide range of HP hardware. Most distributions package it:
sudo apt install hplip hplip-gui
Then run the setup tool:
hp-setup -i
It will discover network printers or walk you through a USB connection, download any required plugin for models that need one, and register the queue with CUPS. For scanning, hp-scan works from the command line and HPLIP integrates with SANE, so Simple Scan and similar tools will see the device.
Driverless as an alternative. If HPLIP is being awkward or your distribution's package is stale, IPP Everywhere works well on modern HP hardware:
lpadmin -p HP -E -v ipp://
Make sure cups and avahi-daemon are installed and running either way.
Troubleshooting The printer shows offline in Windows
Usually the IP address changed.
Print a network configuration page and compare the IP to the port Windows is using, under Printer properties → Ports. If they differ, set a DHCP reservation in the router. In Printers & scanners, make sure Use Printer Offline isn't ticked. Check the Print Spooler service is running: open services.msc, find Print Spooler, start it if stopped. Remove and re-add the printer by IP rather than by discovered name. The app can't find the printer during setup Check the two-hour window first. Restore Wi-Fi setup mode on the printer and add it in the app promptly. This is the single most common cause and the least obvious. Confirm your phone or PC is on the network you want the printer to join. The app passes across its own network's credentials. Confirm that network is 2.4 GHz if your model is 2.4 GHz only. Turn AP isolation off on the router. Move the printer nearer the router for setup, then move it back. Sign in to your HP account in the app. HP's own troubleshooting for a printer showing as not connected or unavailable starts with signing in and waiting a few minutes for the status to refresh. "Cartridge problem" or a cartridge that worked yesterday stops working
Work through the innocent explanations first, because most of the time that's what it is.
Remove the cartridge and check the protective tape is fully off. Wipe the copper contacts with a dry lint-free cloth. Never touch them with bare fingers. Reseat firmly until it clicks. A cartridge sitting slightly proud reads as missing. Check the region code. HP cartridges are region-specific and one bought for another market may be rejected. Power off, unplug for ten minutes, plug back in.
If none of that helps and the message specifically says the printer works only with cartridges that have a new or reused HP chip, that's Dynamic Security rather than a hardware fault. On an HP+ printer, the answer is Original HP supplies. On a non-HP+ printer, check whether your model is on the settlement list that allows declining Dynamic Security firmware; otherwise your options are HP cartridges or a supplier shipping updated chips.
Print quality problems
Inkjet, streaky or missing colours:
Run the printhead cleaning from the printer's maintenance menu or the HP app. One cycle. Print a diagnostic page and compare. If it improved but isn't right, run one more. Two or three per session, maximum. Each one uses ink. If nothing changed, leave the printer switched on and idle overnight and try again. Time does more for dried ink than repeated cleanings. On models where the printhead is part of the cartridge, a channel that stays dead usually means a new cartridge. On models with an integrated printhead, persistent failure is a machine problem. Run Align Printheads afterwards.
Laser, vertical streaks or repeating marks:
Streaks down the page usually mean the drum or the transfer roller, not the toner. Faded overall output means shake the toner cartridge; if that helps briefly, it's low. Repeating marks at regular intervals mean something is stuck on a roller. Measure the gap between repeats to work out which.
Any printer, smearing or ghosting: check the paper weight against what the machine supports, and try a fresh ream. Damp paper causes more quality complaints than any other single cause.
Paper jams Turn the printer off before reaching in. Pull paper slowly, with both hands, in the direction it normally travels. Never yank it backwards. Check the rear access door and the duplex unit, not just the front. Torn fragments left behind cause the next three jams. On models with a rear roller assembly, clean the pickup rollers with a lightly dampened lint-free cloth if jams are becoming frequent. Scanning works but printing doesn't, or the reverse
Usually a half-finished install where print and scan came in through different routes.
If the printer went in through Windows as an IPP device, printing works and scanning won't until you install HP's software. On Mac, check whether it appears in Image Capture. If it prints but won't scan, install the HP app. On either, remove the device completely and reinstall once through a single method rather than stacking installs. The printer wants an account and you'd rather not
On Windows, adding the printer through Settings → Printers & scanners gives you printing with no HP software and no account at all. You lose scanning and ink monitoring.
For scanning without HP's software, third-party scanning tools that work through the standard scanner interfaces exist and are widely used, and on Mac, Image Capture handles it natively.
This route isn't available on an HP+ printer, where the account and the connection are part of the deal you accepted.
Five minutes that prevent most future problems Print the network configuration page and keep it. IP address, MAC address, firmware version. Set the DHCP reservation so the address stops moving. Set an administrator password in the Embedded Web Server rather than leaving it open. Make your firmware update decision deliberately, especially if you plan to use compatible cartridges, and set it in the Embedded Web Server rather than leaving whatever setup chose. Print something every week if you have an inkjet. One page of mixed colour and black. Idle inkjets clog; laser printers don't care. Common questions
Can I turn HP+ off after activating it? No. HP describes HP+ as embedded in the device once activated, requiring Original HP supplies for the lifetime of the printer. There's no setting to reverse it. This is why it's the first section of this guide.
How do I know if my printer is HP+ eligible? Look for a lowercase e at the end of the model number. DeskJet 2755e, ENVY 6055e, OfficeJet Pro 9015e. No e, no HP+.
What happened to HP Smart? HP merged it with myHP into a single app now called the HP app. On mobile the switch has happened and HP Smart redirects. On Windows, HP Smart is still available and still the app with print and scan features, since the Windows HP app launched without them.
Do I need an HP account? For HP+, Instant Ink, remote printing, mobile fax and cloud features, yes. For plain local printing on Windows through the built-in driver, no.
Will HP block my third-party cartridges? On an HP+ printer, yes, that's the arrangement. On other models made after December 2016, HP retains the ability to enable Dynamic Security through firmware. A 2025 settlement gave owners of 21 specific models the option to decline those updates, but that list is narrow.
Should I install firmware updates? If you use HP supplies, yes. They include genuine security fixes. If you use compatible cartridges, you're weighing security patches against the risk of a cartridge lockout, and that's a real trade-off rather than an obvious call.
My printer prints from the laptop but not the phone. Check both are on the same network rather than one being on a guest network, then check AP isolation is off on the router.
Is a Smart Tank worth the extra money? If you print more than a few pages a week, almost certainly. The running cost difference is large, and refillable tanks avoid the cartridge chip question entirely.