Paper jam in the printer
Turn the printer off
Press the power button until the light goes out. Never pull paper while the printer is still moving.
Turn the printer off
Press the power button until the light goes out. Never pull paper while the printer is still moving.
Open the cover and pull the paper out slowly with both hands
Pull in the direction the paper travels, slowly so it doesn’t tear.
Make sure no torn pieces are left, then turn it on
A small torn piece can cause another jam. Close the cover and turn the printer on.
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From basic to technician
Technician fixes (advanced)
The simple steps didn’t help? A technician would try these next, in this order. Stop as soon as the problem is fixed. Commands marked “as administrator”: right-click Start › Terminal (Admin).
Check both sides: rear feeder and front
Shine a torch into the rear feeder and the front slot. Torn corners often hide under the rollers. Remove them with your fingers or tweezers, never with a knife or anything metal.
Clean the pick-up roller
Load one sheet of plain paper, hold the power/stop button as the printer’s manual describes for “paper guide cleaning”, or wipe the rubber roller with a lint-free cloth dampened with water. Dirty rollers slip and cause skewed feeds and double feeds.
Jam light keeps blinking with no paper inside
Turn the printer off, unplug it for 5 minutes, plug in and turn on. If the error stays, note the light pattern (which lights blink and how) and look it up in the manual’s “error indicators” page: some patterns mean “service required”, not a jam.
Cancel the job that jammed
After a jam, the document may still sit in the print queue and restart halfway. Open the print queue (Settings › Printers & scanners › the printer › Open print queue) and cancel it before printing again.
Technical details (for the curious)
Why paper jams
The most common causes: too much paper, damp or creased paper, an edge guide that is too loose or too tight, and paper that is too thin or thick for the printer.
“Jam” but no paper inside
A small torn piece, a paper clip or a small object inside can make the sensor think there is a jam. Check with a torch from the front and the back.
Worn rollers
If the printer often pulls two sheets or feeds them crooked, the rubber pick-up rollers may be dirty or worn. Wipe them with a slightly damp cloth; if that doesn’t help, a shop can replace them.
While you’re here
Worth reading
Quiz time
Still not fixed?
In the next update you can tell us what happened, and our AI helper will suggest another way. Until then, restart the device and go through the steps once more.