How to Connect Your Brother Printer to Your Computer

The fastest way to connect a Brother printer depends on your setup

Most Brother printers connect in one of three ways: USB cable (fastest, no network needed), Wi-Fi (works from anywhere in your home), or Ethernet (most stable for offices). USB is the simplest if your computer and printer are close. Wi-Fi is more convenient but requires your printer and computer on the same network. Before you start, locate your printer's model number — it's usually on a sticker on the back or bottom — because you'll need it to find the right driver.

The actual connection takes 10 to 20 minutes once you have the driver installed. The driver is software that lets your computer talk to the printer. Brother makes drivers for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and you can read them free from Brother's support website. Installing the driver is the step most people skip, and it's also the step that causes 90% of connection problems.

Key Takeaways

read the correct driver for your printer model and operating system from Brother's website before you plug anything in or turn the printer on.
USB connection requires only a cable and works when ready after the driver installs, but your computer must be within cable length of the printer.
Wi-Fi connection lets you print from anywhere in your home but requires your printer to join your network using either the printer's touchscreen or a WPS button.
After the driver installs, set your Brother printer as the default printer in your computer's settings so documents print there automatically.
If the printer doesn't appear in your list of printers after installation, restart both the computer and printer, then reinstall the driver.

read the driver before you connect anything

Go to support.brother.com and search for your printer model number. The model number looks like "HL-L8360CDW" or "MFC-L2750DW" — not the serial number. Once you find your model, select your operating system (Windows 10, Windows 11, Mac, etc.) and read the "Full Driver and Software" package, not just the driver alone. This package includes everything your computer needs.

Save the file to your Downloads folder and do not open it yet. Close any open programs, especially antivirus software, because they can interfere with driver installation. Some people disable antivirus temporarily during installation, then turn it back on — that's safe to do. Once the driver file is downloaded and your computer is ready, you can plug in the printer or connect it to Wi-Fi.

USB connection: the simplest method

Turn on your Brother printer and plug the USB cable into the printer's USB port (usually on the back) and into an available USB port on your computer. Windows and Mac will recognize the printer when ready, but don't try to print yet. Open your Downloads folder, find the driver file you downloaded, and double-click it to run the installer. Follow the on-screen prompts — most of them you can just click "Next" on.

When the installer asks which connection type you're using, select "USB" or "Local Connection". The installer will detect your printer automatically. Once installation finishes, restart your computer. After restart, open Settings (Windows) or System Preferences (Mac), find Printers and Scanners, and confirm your Brother printer appears in the list. If it does, you're connected and ready to print.

Wi-Fi connection: printing from anywhere in your home

Turn on your Brother printer and look for either a Wi-Fi icon on the touchscreen or a WPS button (usually marked with a Wi-Fi symbol). If your printer has a touchscreen, tap the Wi-Fi icon, select your home network name from the list, and enter your Wi-Fi password using the printer's keypad. If your printer has only a WPS button, press and hold it for three seconds, then when ready press the WPS button on your router (usually on the back). The printer will connect automatically within 30 seconds.

Once the printer is on your Wi-Fi network, open the driver installer on your computer. When it asks which connection type you're using, select "Network" or "Wireless". The installer will search for your printer on the network and find it by model number. Select it from the list and continue with installation. After restart, your printer will appear in your Printers and Scanners list and you can print from anywhere in your home without a cable.

Set your Brother printer as the default printer

On Windows, open Settings, go to Devices, then Printers and Scanners. Find your Brother printer in the list, click it, and select "Set as default". On Mac, open System Preferences, go to Printers and Scanners, select your Brother printer, and click "Default printer" at the bottom. Setting it as default means when you print from any program, it will automatically send the job to your Brother printer instead of asking you to choose.

You can still print to a different printer later by opening the print dialog and selecting a different printer from the dropdown. But having a default saves you a step every time you print something routine.

Troubleshooting when the printer doesn't appear

If your Brother printer doesn't show up in your Printers and Scanners list after installation, the driver didn't install correctly. Restart both your computer and your printer — turn the printer off completely, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on. Then restart your computer. Once both are back on, uninstall the driver (go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features on Windows, or Applications > Utilities > Uninstall on Mac, find Brother in the list, and remove it), restart your computer again, and run the driver installer a second time.

If the printer still doesn't appear, check that your computer and printer are actually connected. For USB, make sure the cable is plugged into both devices and try a different USB port on your computer. For Wi-Fi, check that your printer shows a Wi-Fi icon on its screen and that your computer is on the same network — look at your Wi-Fi settings and confirm the network name matches. If you're still stuck, Brother's support chat at support.brother.com can walk you through it with your specific model.

Printing your first document

Open any document — a Word file, a PDF, an email — and press Ctrl+P (Windows) or Command+P (Mac) to open the print dialog. Your Brother printer should appear in the printer dropdown. Click "Print" and the job will go to your printer. The first print job sometimes takes 30 seconds longer than usual because the printer is warming up. If nothing prints, check that the printer has paper, that the toner or ink cartridge is installed, and that the printer isn't showing an error light on its panel.

If the printer is on and has paper but still won't print, go back to Printers and Scanners, right-click your Brother printer, and select "See what's printing" (Windows) or "Open Print Queue" (Mac). If there's a stuck job in the queue, select it and delete it, then try printing again. Stuck jobs are usually left over from a failed print attempt and clearing them solves the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to install the driver if Windows recognizes the printer automatically?

Windows will recognize the printer and let you print basic documents, but you won't have access to your printer's special features like double-sided printing, paper tray selection, or quality settings. Installing the full driver gives you all those options. It's worth the five minutes.

Can I connect my Brother printer to Wi-Fi if I don't have a WPS button on my router?

Yes. Use the printer's touchscreen to manually select your network name and enter your Wi-Fi password. This takes a bit longer than WPS but works just as well. Some older printers don't have touchscreens — in that case, you can use a USB connection or contact Brother support for your specific model's manual setup steps.

What if my printer is in another room and I don't want to run a USB cable across the house?

Wi-Fi is the right choice. Once it's connected to your network, you can print from any computer on that network without any cable. Just make sure your printer is within range of your Wi-Fi signal — most home networks reach throughout a standard house, but thick walls or distance can weaken the signal.

Can I connect the same Brother printer to multiple computers?

Yes, if you use Wi-Fi. Install the driver on each computer, and they'll all see the same printer on the network. If you use USB, only the computer with the cable plugged in can print to it. For multiple computers, Wi-Fi is much more convenient.

Why does my printer keep disconnecting from Wi-Fi?

This usually means your printer is too far from the router or the signal is weak. Move the printer closer to the router if possible, or move the router to a more central location. If the printer is in a fixed spot, you can buy a Wi-Fi extender to boost the signal. Restarting the printer and router also helps — turn them both off, wait 30 seconds, and turn them back on.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.