printer stuck on ‘printer maintenance in progress. Do not interrupt.’

[2busybee]

How do i resolve the ‘printer maintenance in progress. Do not interrupt’ that’s been flashing on my office jet pro 9018 printer for about an hour now?

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @2busybee,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

I understand your HP OfficeJet Pro 9018 has been stuck on the message “Printer maintenance in progress. Do not interrupt” for an extended period. This can be concerning, especially when it does not clear on its own. Please follow the steps below:

Step 1: Perform a power reset (safe to do now)

1. Make sure the printer is ON 
2. Disconnect the power cord from the back of the printer 
3. Unplug from the wall outlet 
4. Wait for about 60 seconds 
5. Plug it back directly into a wall outlet and turn it ON 

This will safely stop the stuck maintenance process.

Step 2: Check if the printer returns to Ready

• Wait for the printer to fully start up 
• Check if the message is cleared 

If it returns to normal, try a test print.

Step 3: Update printer firmware

A stuck maintenance loop can sometimes be caused by firmware:

1. Open HP Smart 
2. Go to Printer Settings → Advanced Settings (EWS) 
3. Check for Firmware Update and install if available 

Step 4: Run maintenance manually once

After recovery:

1. In HP Smart, go to Print Quality Tools 
2. Run Clean Printhead (once only) 
3. Then run Align Printer

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!