// PRINTER TROUBLESHOOTING
Printer says the WiFi password is incorrect — but it's right
You've checked the router sticker, typed the password with painful care, and the printer still says it's wrong. In our experience the password usually is right — the printer is failing for another reason and blaming the password, because that's the only error message it has. Here's what's actually going on, from 2.4GHz-only radios to WPA3 and the UK's channel 13, and the fixes in the order we'd try them. Rated 4.9 on Google.
- ● No fix, no fee
- ● Rated 4.9 on Google
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/01 — START HERE
Yes — the password can be right and still get rejected
You've typed the WiFi password into the printer slowly, character by character, checked it against the sticker on the router — and the printer still insists it's incorrect. You know it isn't, and you're probably not wrong. On most printers, "incorrect password" is a catch-all error: the printer often can't tell the difference between a wrong password and a network it simply couldn't join, so it blames the password because that's the only message it has.
The real culprit is usually one of a handful of things: a 2.4GHz-only printer meeting a modern combined-band network, a security mode the printer doesn't speak, a UK WiFi channel its firmware can't even see, or stale settings left over from a previous router. Before anything else, it is worth one more careful retype — printer keypads make slips easy and WiFi passwords are case-sensitive — but once you've done that honestly, stop retyping and work through the causes below in order. One of them is almost certainly your problem.
At a glance
| Is the password really wrong? | Usually not — most printers use it as a catch-all error for any failure to join the network. |
|---|---|
| The usual real culprits | A 2.4GHz-only printer on a merged-band network, WPA3-only security, a UK router on channel 12 or 13, or stale settings saved from an old router. |
| DIY first step | Restart both printer and router, then retype the password once, slowly, minding upper and lower case. |
| The UK-specific catch | UK routers can auto-pick channel 12 or 13, which US-firmware printers can’t see — set the 2.4GHz channel to 11 or below. |
| Can it be fixed remotely? | Usually — call 01202 775566 (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm) and we can be looking at your screen within minutes; most problems on this page are fixed in one short remote session. |
| Cost if we can’t fix it | Nothing — printer support is no fix, no fee. |
// NEED THIS FIXED RIGHT NOW?
Skip the DIY — call 01202 775566 and we can be looking at your screen within minutes. You watch everything we do, and most problems on this page are fixed in one short remote session. (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm.)
/02 — THE BAND TRAP
Most printers only speak 2.4GHz — and modern routers hide it
Most home printers — especially budget and older models — only support 2.4GHz WiFi. Modern routers and mesh systems usually broadcast 2.4GHz and 5GHz under a single network name and quietly steer devices between the bands. That's great for phones and laptops, but a 2.4GHz-only printer can get caught in the middle of that negotiation, fail to join, and report the failure as a password error.
Two things help. First, check whether your router or mesh app lets you split the bands into two separately named networks, or offers a pairing mode that temporarily favours 2.4GHz for new devices — many do, though the setting's name and location vary by brand. Join the printer to the 2.4GHz name and it will usually stay put. If you're on a mesh system, our mesh WiFi setup guide covers band settings in more detail.
Second, position matters: 2.4GHz travels further than 5GHz, but a printer at the very edge of coverage can fail to authenticate at all. And if the printer connects fine but keeps dropping off afterwards, that's a different fault — see why your printer keeps disconnecting.
/03 — SECURITY & CHANNELS
WPA3-only networks, hidden names and the UK's channel 13
WPA3 is the newest WiFi security standard, and some routers now ship set to WPA3-only. Plenty of printers — including some only a few years old — only speak WPA2, and a WPA2 device knocking on a WPA3-only door gets rejected in a way many printers report as a bad password. The fix is transitional (mixed) mode, usually labelled something like WPA2/WPA3, which lets old and new devices coexist. Interfaces move around between routers and firmware versions, so look for the wireless security mode setting rather than a specific menu path.
Two more invisible walls. If you've hidden your network name, many printers handle that badly: you'd need to type the SSID manually, exactly, case-sensitive — or better, unhide it while you connect (hiding adds very little real security anyway). And here's a UK-specific one: routers here can legally use 2.4GHz channels 12 and 13, but printers with US-region firmware stop listening at channel 11. If your router has auto-picked channel 13, the printer can't see your network at all. Manually setting the 2.4GHz channel to 11 or below cures it. Our WiFi troubleshooting guide covers channels in more depth.
/04 — FIRMWARE QUIRKS
Passwords the printer can't digest — and memories it won't let go
Older printer firmware can be fussy about the password itself. Some models mishandle certain symbols — quotation marks, spaces, the £ sign — and some accept fewer characters than your router allows, silently truncating a long passphrase and then, of course, failing. If your password is long and symbol-heavy, that alone can be the whole problem.
The other quiet saboteur is memory. If you've replaced your router but kept the same network name — common when a provider sends a like-for-like swap — the printer may cling to saved settings from the old router: old password, old security type, sometimes an old band preference. It looks like it's trying to join your network; it's actually trying to rejoin a network that no longer exists. The cure is to clear the printer's stored network settings — the option is usually called something like restore network defaults, though names vary by maker — so it starts genuinely fresh, then set the connection up from scratch as if the printer were brand new.
/05 — THE FIX ORDER
Work through it in this order (and where WPS fits)
Here's the order we'd work in — cheapest effort first:
- Restart both the printer and the router, then retype the password once, slowly, watching upper and lower case.
- Get the printer onto 2.4GHz — split the bands or use your router's pairing mode.
- Set wireless security to WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode rather than WPA3-only.
- Fix the 2.4GHz channel to 11 or below.
- Unhide the network name, at least while you connect.
- Clear the printer's stored network settings and set it up from scratch.
If all of that fails and both your router and printer have a WPS button, push-button pairing is a legitimate last resort: press the router's button, then the printer's within a couple of minutes, and no password is typed at all. The honest caveat: WPS — particularly its PIN variant — has well-documented security weaknesses, so it's sensible to switch WPS off in your router's settings once the printer is connected, where your router allows it. We wouldn't leave it permanently enabled on a network we look after.
/06 — HONEST ADVICE
When it's not worth fighting — and what we'd do
Some fights aren't worth having, and we'll always tell you which. If your printer is old enough that it only supports WEP or the original WPA, don't downgrade your whole network's security to accommodate it — that protects one elderly printer by exposing every other device you own. Connect it by USB cable instead (or Ethernet, on models that have a port) and share it from a PC, or accept that its wireless days are over.
Similarly, if you've spent two evenings wrestling a printer that cost very little new, replacement is sometimes the genuinely cheaper answer — and we'd rather say that plainly than bill you for heroics.
If you'd like a hand either way, our printer support is remote-first: we connect to your computer, see exactly what your network and printer are doing, and if we can't fix it, you don't pay. Call 01202 775566 — no-fix-no-fee, and free local collection if any hardware ever needs to come to us.
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Why does my printer say the WiFi password is incorrect when I know it's right?
Because "incorrect password" is a catch-all error on most printers — it often means the printer couldn't join the network for any reason, not that the password was actually wrong. The usual real causes are a 2.4GHz-only printer meeting a network that combines 2.4GHz and 5GHz under one name, a router set to WPA3-only security that an older printer can't speak, a UK router using channel 12 or 13 that US-firmware printers can't see, or stale settings saved from a previous router. Work through those in order and the "password" error usually disappears.
How do I connect a printer that only supports 2.4GHz WiFi?
Give it a clear route onto the 2.4GHz band. Many routers and mesh apps let you split the two bands into separately named networks, or offer a pairing mode that temporarily favours 2.4GHz for new devices — the setting's name varies by brand, so look for anything mentioning bands, smart connect or band steering. Join the printer to the 2.4GHz name and it will normally stay put. Once connected, you can usually re-merge the bands without the printer dropping off, though behaviour varies between systems, so check the printer again afterwards.
Is it safe to use WPS to connect my printer?
Push-button WPS is an acceptable last resort, but don't leave it switched on for ever. Pressing the WPS button on the router and then on the printer pairs them without typing a password at all, which neatly sidesteps keypad slips and character problems. The catch is that WPS — especially its PIN variant — has well-documented security weaknesses. Our advice: use the button method to get connected, then disable WPS in your router's settings afterwards if your router allows it. If your router only offers PIN-based WPS, we'd skip it and fix the underlying cause instead.
Why won't my printer connect to my new router?
Usually because the printer is clinging to saved settings from your old router — especially if the new one uses the same network name. The printer tries the old password or old security type, fails, and blames the password. Clear the printer's stored network settings — the option is usually called something like "restore network defaults" — and set the connection up from scratch. If it still refuses, check the new router isn't set to WPA3-only security, and that its 2.4GHz band is available and using channel 11 or below.
Can special characters in my WiFi password stop a printer connecting?
Yes, on some older printers. Ageing firmware can mishandle symbols such as quotation marks, spaces or the £ sign, and some printers accept fewer password characters than your router allows, silently cutting the end off a long passphrase. If your password is long and symbol-heavy, that alone can cause a permanent "incorrect password" loop. Changing your WiFi password to something simpler would fix it, but every other device in the house would then need reconnecting — so treat that as a last resort, or use push-button WPS instead where it's available.
Still being told your password is wrong?
We'll connect remotely, see what your network and printer are actually doing, and sort it — no fix, no fee. Call 01202 775566.
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