M476dw Will Not Authenticate HP Toner Cartridges

[UCG-Musician]

I purchased a three pack of color toner cartridges from a reseller.  All the boxes show that the products are HP, not a knock-off.  The cartridges themselves are labeled HP OEM and have bar codes and serial numbers.  However, the printer only authenticates one of the three toner cartridges and I cannot get past the error message.  I set the printer app to ignore the message and proceed with printing when the "toner low" notification appears.  I'd rather have the printer recognize the toner as legitimate.  Is there a way to force this?  The authentication utility does not even load or says it can't connect to the internet (which is not true).

[Deep_World]

Hi  @UCG-Musician 
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

I appreciate the detailed information you've shared regarding your HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M476dw. I understand you'd like the printer to properly recognize all of the HP toner cartridges rather than bypassing the authentication message, Don't worry let me check and help you with this.  
 

To better understand the issue, could you kindly provide a few additional details?

• Which toner cartridges are not being recognized (Cyan, Magenta, or Yellow)?
• What exact error message is displayed on the printer control panel?
• Are the cartridges installed showing as "Non-HP Supply," "Supply Problem," or a different message?
• Did the cartridges come in sealed HP packaging?
• Have you tried removing and reinstalling the affected cartridges?

In the meantime, kindly try the below steps and confirm :  

1. Power off the printer and unplug the power cord for about 60 seconds.
2. Remove the affected toner cartridges and inspect them for any protective tape, debris, or damage to the chip/contact area.
3. Reinstall each cartridge firmly and ensure it is seated correctly in its designated slot.
4. Print a Supplies Status Page to verify which cartridges are being detected.
5. Check whether the printer firmware is current by visiting the HP Support website - https://support.hp.com/ .
6. If available, try installing one of the affected cartridges individually to determine if the issue follows a specific cartridge.

You may also find the following HP Community document helpful, as it covers a similar situation involving an authentic HP toner cartridge not being recognized: HP M252dw Not Recognizing New Authentic HP Toner Cartridge .

In many cases, when genuine HP cartridges are not recognized, the cause may be related to cartridge-chip communication, a manufacturing defect within the cartridge, contact issues between the cartridge and printer, or regional supply compatibility.

Although the packaging and labels indicate that the cartridges are genuine HP products, the printer still relies on the electronic chip on each cartridge to verify and communicate with the printer. If this communication does not occur correctly, the printer may display an authentication or supply-related message even when the cartridge itself appears genuine.

If the issue persists after the above steps, kindly share the below details via private message :

• A photo of the printer's error message.
• Photos of the toner cartridge labels showing the serial numbers 
  
  To access your private message, just click the little blue envelope icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile, next to your profile name. Alternatively, you can click on this link. 

You can use this link as well: 

Private Messages - HP Support Community

I hope this helps. 

 

[UCG-Musician]

Hello, Deep_World,

The printer does not recognize the yellow and cyan cartridges.  It does recognize the magenta cartridge.  All three were purchased at the same time from a reseller.  All three came in sealed HP packaging with the  hologram and serial numbers.

I powered the printer down and removed the power cord.  I removed all three color cartridges.  I installed the yellow cartridge, closed the door, connected the power cord and turned the printer on.  It did not recognize that cartridge.  I next installed the magenta cartridge and closed the door.  The printer shows that cartridge has 100% of its toner left. Then I installed the cyan cartridge, which it did not recognize.

I own two HP printers.  One is a monochrome  LaserJet Model M402dn.  It prints great from any application.  It is recognized on my system and I can run test prints, troubleshooting, etc.  However, On my HPSmart application, it is not listed and I cannot add it.  The application appears to have no way to do that, short of registering the unit.  When I click on Product Registration, it connects to the HP website.  When I sign in, under My Devices there are two printers registered.  One is an M404dn that I do NOT own.  The other is a M402dn, which appears to be the one I do own but I have not verified that it lists the actual serial number of my unit.  I am not able to delete the unit I do not own.  I have attempted to register the M476dw that I do own (on many occasions).  The serial number, taken directly from the unit itself (CNB7G8DJLJ) is rejected as invalid.  Thus, I cannot register the device that will not recognize the toner cartridges.

On my HPSmart application, the M476dw is listed FOUR times under "Known Printers."  Two of them are "X'd" out with the message "Device status cannot be determined."  The other two are the same unit and neither one recognizes the yellow and cyan toner cartridges.  I cannot add the M402dn to my HPSmart application.

This whole experience is very frustrating.  I have owned numerous HP printers and I like them.  They have performed well and lasted a long time.  I do not do enough printing to wear them out for quite a few years.  But the software interfaces, the HP website and the HP functions that detect printers and supply status are just not working for me.  I hope you can help.

For now, I have set my system to ignore low toner warnings and just print and everything (so far) prints fine.  The alerts do NOT say "Non-HP Supply." They just say something like "Low Yellow Toner" and "Low Cyan Toner."

Thank you for your assistance.

Randy

[Deep_World]

Hi @UCG-Musician,
 

I completely understand how this situation must be, based on what you described, the printer consistently recognizes the magenta cartridge but does not properly recognize the yellow and cyan cartridges, even though they were purchased together in sealed HP packaging. 

Since the printer continues to print and the message indicates low toner, this may be related to cartridge communication, toner status reporting, or a printer firmware/supplies issue.  

Additionally, it appears you are experiencing several HP Smart and HP Account issues, including:

• Unable to successfully register your Color LaserJet Pro MFP M476dw
• The printer appearing multiple times in HP Smart
• "Device status cannot be determined" messages
• An unexpected printer appearing in your HP account
• Inability to add your LaserJet Pro M402dn to HP Smart

For HP printers - 'Unable to register the printer to your account' error you can refer to the link here for a solution - click here 

With regards to  "Device status cannot be determined" messages - kindly confirm did you sign up for Instant Ink or HP+? If the answer is yes to either program, you need to ensure that the printer has a constant internet connection.

With regards to the printer appearing multiple times in HP Smart - kindly refer to this link - click here .  

And for the isse related to Inability to add your LaserJet Pro M402dn to HP Smart  kindly refer to this link which could be helpfull -  Click here 

I would also like to mention that HP has transitioned away from the HP Smart experience for some older printer models, and we recommend installing and using the newer HP App to help manage your HP devices and supplies. The HP App can provide improved device detection and management capabilities.
 

Regards

Deep_World 

[UCG-Musician]

The first link (for "unable to register the printer to your account") takes me to something in Portuguese!  The second link (for "the printer appearing multiple times in HP Smart") takes me to some poster's question that was not answered.  I do not see ant instructions on how to resolve the issue; it's just marked as an "accepted solution." For the third link ("add your LaserJet Pro M402dn to HP Smart"), the "solution" appears to apply to a cellphone, not a desktop PC.  All in all, no solutions were provided to any of the issues.

[Deep_World]

Hi @UCG-Musician,

Thank you for your response , and I am sorry about for the confusion caused by the previous links, you had to right link on the page to change the language to english for that link . 

let me try to help you individually on the concern you have stated : 

1. About the not registering to your HP account - I have highlighted in the link - click here

• Please ensure the printer is connected to the same network as your computer.
• Verify the printer's date, time, and network settings from the Embedded Web Server (EWS).
• If the serial number continues to be rejected during registration, this will require review by HP Support, as the serial number database is managed on the backend and cannot be corrected through Community support.

2. Multiple instances of the M476dw appearing in HP Smart - Link for download click here
(Regarding the HP Smart issues, I would recommend installing and using the newer HP App, as HP has transitioned away from the HP Smart experience for many older printer models.)

• Remove all existing entries from HP App .
• Sign out of  HP App) and sign back in.
• Restart the computer and printer.
• Re-add the printer using its IP address or automatic discovery.

3. "Device status cannot be determined"

• Confirm that the printer is powered on and connected to the network.
• Print a Network Configuration Page and verify that the printer has a valid IP address.
• If using HP Smart, try the newer HP App, as some older printer models communicate better through the updated application experience.
• You can also run HP Diagnose & Fix within the HP App to identify communication issues.

4. M402dn not appearing in HP Smart

• Confirm that the printer can be accessed through its Embedded Web Server by entering the printer IP address into a web browser.
• If printing works normally from Windows, the printer itself is functioning correctly even if HP Smart does not display it as expected.

5. Unexpected printer showing in your HP account

• If a device appears that you do not recognize, kindly contact HP Support directly so they can verify the account association and assist with removing the incorrect device from your profile.

6. Yellow and Cyan cartridges not reporting correctly

• Since the printer recognizes the magenta cartridge but not the yellow and cyan cartridges, and all cartridges were purchased together in sealed HP packaging, the cartridges themselves may need to be validated.
• Please remove and reinstall the yellow and cyan cartridges once more and ensure the electrical contacts are clean and free of debris.
• If the issue persists, HP Phone Support can verify cartridge authenticity and determine whether replacement cartridges are required.

Also I noted that because the printer continues to print successfully and is not reporting "Non-HP Supply", the issue appears to be related to toner status detection rather than the printer completely rejecting the cartridges.