
In some cases, an HP service error 79 may occur on your printer. This is a service error that can indicate that a print job has become defective. The occurrence of this error can also mean that your HP printer firmware has not been updated. The HP printer spooler may then fail to communicate with your machine.
In this article, we will look at the cause of the error 79 services on HP printers and how to fix it.
Table of Contents
Causes Of Service Error 79 On HP Printers
There can be multiple reasons which can cause 79 error on your HP printer, but they can be placed into four categories.
- Firmware failure: In some cases, this problem can occur if the firmware you have on your printer fails and refuses to accept new print jobs.
- Printer Queue Failure: If the HP printer is connected to a Windows 10 computer, this error may be due to a printer queue failure.
- Basic hardware problem: In some circumstances, this problem may be caused by a hardware problem that cannot be solved by a layperson.
- Outdated printer firmware: It turns out that this problem can also occur if your printer is waiting to install an important firmware update before it can resume active print jobs.
Steps to Fix HP Printer Error 79? (Service Error)
There are two solutions that can be followed to fix HP printer error 79. These solutions should be followed in the order they have been mentioned below.
Solution 1: Power Cycle your Printer and Clear Print Queue
The simplest solution for the HP 79 error is to power cycle your printer and simultaneously clear its print queue. Follow the steps given below to complete these tasks.
- Press the ‘Power’ button on your printer’s control panel to switch off your HP printer.

- Pull out the power plug of your printer from the wall socket.

- Unplug all the cables connected to your printer, like the USB cable, Ethernet cable, etc., then move to the next step.
- In the Windows taskbar search box, type ‘printers’ and from the search results choose ‘Printers & scanners’ option.

- In the Printers and scanners page, locate and click on your HP printer.

- Click on the ‘Print queue’ button associated with your HP printer.

- If you want to delete one specific document from the print queue, then in the print queue window, right-click the document which you want to delete, then select the ‘Cancel’ option.

- Click on the ‘Yes’ button to confirm the canceling of the print job.

- If you want to cancel all the print jobs, then in the print queue window, right-click anywhere and choose the ‘Cancel All Documents’ option.

- Click on the ‘Yes’ button to confirm the cancellation of all the documents in the print queue.
- Once the print queue is cleared, click on the ‘Close’ button at the top.
- Reconnect all the cables to your printer which you unplugged in the Step 3.
- Re-plug the printer power plug into the wall socket.

- Press the ‘Power’ button to restart your printer.
That’s it, you have power-cycle your printer and cleared its print queue. Now, try to print documents with your printer and if you are still witnessing HP printer error 79, then follow the next solution.
Solution 2: Update Printer Firmware
When the error 79 in HP printer is caused due to faulty firmware, then the best solution is to update your printer’s firmware. Follow the steps given below to do the same.
- Open your web browser and type ‘support.hp.com/drivers’ in the address bar, then press the ‘Enter’ key on your keyboard. In the driver support page, click on the ‘Printer’ option.

- In the search box, type the name of your printer and select your printer from the suggested results.

- In the driver download page of your printer, locate the ‘Firmware’ field and click on its ‘Plus’ sign to expand its option, then click on the ‘Download’ link associated with your printer’s firmware.
- Click on the ‘Save File’ button to begin the download of your printer firmware update utility.

- Run the newly downloaded HP firmware update utility and click on the ‘Yes’ button to proceed.
- Click on the ‘Down’ button to view the list of supported printers, then choose your printer from that list.
- Click on the ‘Send Firmware’ button to begin the firmware update.
- Wait for the utility to update the firmware of your HP printer.
- Click on the’ Exit’ button to close the firmware update utility.
That’s it, you have successfully updated the firmware of your printer with its latest version. Try to print with your HP printer and most probably your printer will start printing normally.
Conclusion
Although you have learned how to fix HP printer error 79, there can be some users for whom these solutions didn’t work successfully. Maybe, all such users are encountering this due to faulty printer hardware.