How to connect HP printer to WiFi: the app, WPS and the panel

The app route

HP’s Tech Takes setup guide, dated 17 October 2025, says to gather the printer, a power outlet, your Wi-Fi network name and password, a device already on the same network and the free HP app. It says the HP app has replaced HP Smart and that older guides may refer to HP Smart. The steps are to go to 123.hp.com and download the app, prepare the printer by removing all packaging, installing the starter cartridges, loading paper and powering on, then open the app and tap the plus sign or Set up a new printer. HP says the app will detect the new printer using Bluetooth or a temporary direct Wi-Fi connection and then transfer your Wi-Fi network details to the printer, and that you finish by registering and sending a test print.

A Microsoft Q&A answer from February 2026 describes the reconnect case: on the printer’s screen go to Wireless or Network settings and run the Wi-Fi setup to connect it to your current network, then open the HP Smart app and click Add printer; if it does not show up, restart the printer and the router and try again. HP’s own support page that appears in the results is a form that asks for your printer model and gives no steps.

WPS and the control panel

If the app installation fails or you are switching to a different network, HP’s setup guide gives two manual methods. For WPS, which needs a router and a printer that both support it, press and hold the WPS button on your router until its light begins blinking, then within two minutes press and hold the Wi-Fi button on your printer; the connection is established when the printer’s Wi-Fi light is solid blue. For a printer with a touchscreen, select Setup or Settings on the control panel, go to Network or Wireless Settings, launch the Wireless Setup Wizard, select your network name from the list and enter the password on the on-screen keypad.

HP lists other ways: connect a USB cable and install through the app or the operating system prompts, later converting the USB setup to wireless in the app under Printer Settings, or plug an Ethernet cable into the router or a switch on supported models. On Windows, HP suggests running HP Print and Scan Doctor if the system cannot find the printer or jobs fail. For printers on guest networks or VLANs, HP says to allow mDNS or Bonjour discovery across segments or add the printer by IP address.

Smart Tank: setup mode, reset and changing the network

HP’s Smart Tank guide, dated 3 May 2026, gives the button sequences. To put the printer in Wi-Fi setup mode, press the wireless and cancel buttons together for three seconds, until the Wi-Fi icon starts cycling and the blue light blinks, then open the HP Smart app, which detects the printer and guides you through choosing the network and entering the password. As a password-free option it says to press and hold the wireless button for three seconds until it blinks and then press the WPS button on the router. To reset the Wi-Fi it says to hold the wireless and cancel buttons together for about five seconds until the wireless light begins to blink; to change the network, reset the wireless settings first, which puts the printer back into setup mode, then pick the new network in the app, enter the password and confirm the connection. If the blue light keeps blinking, HP says it could indicate a connection issue and that restarting the printer and the router usually resolves it.

Where HP’s own pages differ, and what to check when it fails

HP’s pages do not agree with each other. The guide of 17 October 2025 uses the name HP app, and says it replaced HP Smart; the guide of 3 May 2026 uses HP Smart app throughout and never the HP app, and the Microsoft answer of 2026 also says HP Smart. The WPS order differs: the general guide starts at the router and gives the printer two minutes, while the Smart Tank guide starts with the printer’s wireless button held for three seconds and then the router. The Smart Tank page gives three seconds for setup mode and about five for the reset, and the general guide gives no times. These pages are written for different models, which may explain some of it; we did not test them on a printer.

For a printer that will not connect, HP’s setup guide lists four checks: keep the printer within range of the router, make sure it connects to the 2.4 GHz band if your model requires it, restart the router, the printer and the connected device, and verify the Wi-Fi password. If the app cannot locate the printer, it says to make sure the device and the printer are on the same network, restart them, temporarily disable a VPN and check that the firewall allows the app on private networks. For a connected printer that will not print, see fixing a printer that shows offline, and to add one without HP’s app, adding a printer.