How do I stop the HP pop-ups which claim I am out of ink and... - HP Support Community

hashachar · ‎09-14-2025

I am trying to print only in black, and it shows my black is full. How do I stop the pop-up from HP which halts my printing? This is ridiculous! In all the years I have owned and used this printer, this has never ever occurred. Why now? I want to print in black and my black is full.

Win10, 64bit

It has now been almost 2 days since I posted this message asking for help. I am still unable to print. I only print in black and this has never ever happened before in all my years of owning this printer. HP is disallowing me from printing at all now, because I do not have cyan, yellow or magenta ink in my printer. The pop-ups are completely invasive, unnecessary and control my printer from HP, and not me! This is absolutely unforgivable, and as soon as I can, I am switching to another brand of printer--which is so sad, because in all these decades, I have only used and supported HP. They/you have now lost me (and everyone else I am going to tell about this occurrence on-line and in-person) as a reliable customer and supporter. When I let people know of this invasive occurrence, they will not support it either. I do not welcome anyone outside my home to control my computer without my consent, and this impedes my work and invades my home--only because HP wants to sell more (unnecessary) ink I do not even use? GET OUT OF MY COMPUTER!!! As soon as I get rid of my HP printer, I will be hiring someone to get all of HP's information out of my laptop. This is absolutely inexcusable in every way, shape and form!!!!!!!!!!!! If you would like to contact me about this issue, I would be more than happy to converse with anyone who is in charge of setting up this terrible situation.

zoey7886 · ‎09-17-2025

@hashachar, Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding Managing HP Ink Alerts and Pop-ups!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

If you are receiving HP pop-ups stating that you are out of ink, even though your black ink cartridge is full, and it is hindering your ability to print, you can try the following methods to manage or disable these alerts:

Use Printer Settings to Override Ink Warnings:

Some HP printers have settings that allow you to override or disable the alerts related to ink levels. To access these settings, open the "HP Printer Assistant" or "HP Smart" application on your computer.
Navigate to "Estimated Ink Levels" or a similar option, where you may find options to disable ink level alerts.

Utilize the Printer's Control Panel:

If your printer has a built-in control panel, you can navigate through the settings to find options related to ink alerts. Some printers allow you to print in "Black Ink Only" mode or may offer an option to bypass ink warnings.

Update Printer Drivers:

Ensure that your printer drivers are up to date. Visit the HP Support website to download and install the latest drivers specific to your printer model. Sometimes, outdated drivers can cause unnecessary pop-up alerts.

Check Printer Utility Software:

Go to your computer's "Settings" or "Control Panel", click on "Devices and Printers", find your HP printer, and right-click to access "Printer Properties" or "Printing Preferences".
Look for any options that allow you to disable ink status monitoring.

Disable HP Alerts from Task Manager:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Go to the "Startup" tab, locate any HP-related processes, and disable them if they're not necessary for your printing needs.

Printing Preferences:

In the "Control Panel" under "Devices and Printers", right-click your HP printer, select "Printing Preferences", and enable "Print in Grayscale" if available. This should allow the printer to function using only the black ink cartridge.

Hope this helps!

Take care, and have an amazing day!

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Regards,

ZOEY7886
I am an HP Employee

hashachar · ‎09-17-2025

Thank you for your kind reply, Zoey.

I have now tried everything you have suggested above, including re-starting my computer after everything (after trying the suggestion first and not getting a result, that is), and nothing is helping.

As you can tell by what I wrote above, this is far more than something annoying...it is impeding my life, and not acceptable.

Thank you again for your kind reply.

zoey7886 · ‎09-18-2025

@hashachar, I hear your frustration, and you’re absolutely right — it feels intrusive when your own printer refuses to work even though you know you have enough black ink to get the job done. Unfortunately, many HP inkjet models are designed with what’s called “cartridge protection” or “cartridge monitoring”, which means they can refuse to print if any color cartridge is empty, even when you only want to use black. That’s why this started happening now — likely after a firmware update or software change that re-enabled these restrictions.

Here are a few concrete steps you can try to break past it:

1. Force “Black Ink Only” / “Grayscale Printing”

Open Control Panel > Devices and Printers.

Right-click your HP printer → Printing Preferences.

Look for Print in Grayscale or Black Ink Only.

Apply, then restart your computer.

2. Disable HP Cartridge Protection & Ink Monitoring

Open the HP app or HP Printer Assistant.

Go to Settings > Advanced Settings (this usually opens a web page with the Embedded Web Server of your printer).

Look for Supply Settings → disable Cartridge Protection and/or “Stop printing when cartridge is empty”.

Save and restart the printer.

3. Block HP Pop-ups

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → open Task Manager → Startup tab.

Disable HP Status Alerts / HP Update / HP Utility entries.

This will stop the “nag pop-ups,” though it won’t always bypass the block if the firmware is enforcing it.