I need help connecting my printer to my laptop wirelessly. Why will it only connect with USB?

[Ayrehmatt]

So I have the HP Envy Inspire 7200 series. For some reason, it will not appear in my list of devices I can print from on my laptop. I cannot find any settings that make sense, or Im just too tired that my brain will not function, lol. I opened my HP scan and clicked to scan a photo I put in my printer. However, the only way it will show up is if I plug in the printer manually with the USB. I do not want that when I am too far from my printer for the cable to reach. How can I get my laptop to see my printer?

[A_Gayathri]

Hi @Ayrehmatt,

Welcome to The HP Support Community.  

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

I understand your HP ENVY Inspire 7255e isn't connecting to your laptop over WiFi, and you want to avoid using a USB cable. Let's go through a few steps to help resolve this issue and get your printer connected wirelessly.
 

Steps to Connect Your HP ENVY Inspire 7255e to WiFi:

Ensure Your Printer is Connected to WiFi:

• On the printer's control panel, navigate to Settings (gear icon) and look for Network Setup or WiFi Setup.
• Select WiFi Setup Wizard, and your printer will search for available networks. Choose your network and enter the WiFi password.
• If the printer connects successfully, the WiFi icon on the control panel should display as connected.

Check Your Laptop's WiFi Connection:

• Make sure your laptop is connected to the same WiFi network as your printer. Sometimes, being on a different network (e.g., a 5GHz network when the printer is on 2.4GHz) can cause connectivity issues.

Reinstall the Printer Driver:

• Uninstall any previous installations of the printer driver to start fresh.
• Go to the HP website and download the latest printer driver or use the HP Smart app (if you haven’t already).
  • HP Envy Inspire 7255e Drivers
• Follow the on-screen instructions for a wireless setup using the app or driver.

Add the Printer Manually on Windows:

• Open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.
• Click Add a printer or scanner and let Windows search for the printer.
• If it doesn’t show up, click The printer that I want isn’t listed, and then select Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname.
  • You can find the printer’s IP address by printing a network configuration page from the printer’s control panel (usually under network settings).
• Follow the instructions to add the printer manually.

Ensure Printer is Online:

• After setup, go to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners on your laptop and make sure the printer status says Ready and not Offline.
• If it's offline, right-click the printer and ensure it's set to Use Printer Online.

Restart Printer and Router:

• If all else fails, try rebooting both your printer and router. This can sometimes clear out minor network connectivity issues.

Refer to this document:   HP ENVY Inspire 7255e All-in-One Printer User manual 

Troubleshoot a Wi-Fi connection to an HP printer
 

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.