Brother Printer Stuck on "Receiving Data"? Why It Happens and How to Fix It
Last Updated:Quick answer: "Receiving Data" means your Brother printer is taking in or processing a print job. If it never finishes, the job is stuck. Cancel it on the printer (press Cancel or Stop/Exit), clear the print queue on your computer, then turn the printer off for 60 seconds and resend. If it keeps happening, the usual culprits are a driver mismatch (switch to the full Brother driver or a different emulation), a WSD network port (use a Standard TCP/IP port instead), a very large or complex file, or outdated firmware. A printer that hangs on every job from every computer may have a main-board fault.
Updated November 6, 2026 · By Lauren Elward, Castle Ink
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Key Takeaways
- "Receiving Data" is normal for a few seconds; it's a problem only when it never ends or nothing prints.
- Brother says if the Ready LED blinks for a minute without printing, the printer switches to "Data Remaining": part of a job is stuck in memory.
- Cancel the job on the printer and the computer, then power-cycle. This clears most one-off hangs.
- Repeated hangs usually trace to the driver, the network port type, or the file.
- If it fails on every job from every device even after a firmware update and reset, it's likely a hardware (main board) problem.
What Does "Receiving Data" Mean on a Brother Printer?
It means the printer is receiving a job from your computer or processing data already in its memory. Brother's own status list describes it that way, and notes that if the Ready LED blinks for one minute without printing, the machine changes to "Data Remaining" with the Ready LED lit.
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving Data (briefly) | Job arriving or processing | Wait |
| Receiving Data (minutes, nothing prints) | Job stalled mid-transfer or can't be processed | Cancel, clear queue, resend |
| Data Remaining | Leftover print data in memory | Press the Go/OK button to print it, or cancel and resend |
| Cancel Printing | The printer is cancelling the job | Wait for it to finish |
How Do I Fix a Brother Printer Stuck on Receiving Data?
Clear the stuck job from both ends, restart, and resend. Then work down the list only if it comes back.
1. Cancel the job on the printer
Press Cancel, Stop/Exit or the X on the touchscreen. On models with a Go button, holding Go for a few seconds cancels the current job; check your model's manual for the exact hold time.
2. Clear the queue on your computer
On Windows, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, pick the Brother, choose Open print queue, and cancel every job. On a Mac, open System Settings > Printers & Scanners, select the printer, open the queue and delete the jobs. If jobs won't delete, restart the print spooler or see how to cancel a print job.
3. Power-cycle everything
Turn the printer off, unplug it for 60 seconds, and restart the computer. Plug the printer directly into a wall outlet, turn it on, and print a one-page test from Notepad or TextEdit.
4. Try a simple file and another device
If a plain-text page prints but your PDF doesn't, the file is the problem: large scanned PDFs and image-heavy pages can overwhelm a basic laser printer's memory. Print fewer pages at a time, lower the resolution, or use Print as image in Adobe Acrobat's Advanced print options. If a phone or another computer prints fine, the problem is the first computer's driver or port.
5. Switch to the right Brother driver
Windows' built-in or "universal" driver can send data the printer handles poorly. Install the Full Driver & Software Package for your exact model from Brother's support site, and on models that offer it, try the alternate driver (for example a PCL or BR-Script driver instead of the default). See how to install or update a printer driver.
6. Use a Standard TCP/IP port instead of WSD
Network printers added automatically often use a WSD port, which can drop connections mid-job. In Windows, open Printer properties > Ports, add a Standard TCP/IP Port using the printer's IP address, and select it. Give the printer a reserved IP address in your router so it doesn't change. Find the address with how to find your printer's IP address.
7. Update the printer firmware
Download the firmware update tool for your model from Brother's support site and run it over USB or the network. Firmware fixes processing bugs that can cause hangs.
8. Reset the network or factory settings
A network reset clears corrupted wireless settings; a factory reset returns everything to default. Reconnect to Wi-Fi afterward: how to connect a Brother printer to Wi-Fi.
What If It's Stuck on Receiving Data for Every Job?
If every job hangs, from every computer and phone, after a firmware update and factory reset, suspect hardware. Technicians in a Brother MFC-L2740DW thread pointed to the main logic board after the owner had already tried factory and network resets and firmware updates over USB, Ethernet and Wi-Fi. A clue: if the printer's own self-test page and copying still work but nothing sent from a computer prints, the data path on the board is the likely failure. At that point, compare repair cost with a new printer; our top-rated laser printers can help.
Can Toner or a Drum Cause "Receiving Data" to Hang?
Not directly. Supply problems produce their own messages such as Replace Toner, Toner Low, Drum End Soon or Replace Drum, and the job waits on those rather than on data. If you see one, see how to reset a Brother toner cartridge or how to replace and reset a Brother drum.
| Message | Data or supply? | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving Data / Data Remaining | Data | This article |
| Replace Toner / Toner Low | Supply | Toner reset |
| Drum End Soon / Replace Drum | Supply | Drum reset |
| Offline / Paused | Connection | Offline fixes |
| Not printing at all | Varies | Brother printer not printing |
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should "Receiving Data" take?
Usually a few seconds, and up to a minute for large or image-heavy jobs. If nothing prints after that, the job is stuck.
What does "Data Remaining" mean on a Brother printer?
Part of a print job is still in the printer's memory. Press the Go or OK button to print what's there, or cancel and resend the job.
Why does only one PDF get stuck?
Complex or very large PDFs can exceed what a basic printer can process. Print fewer pages at a time or use Print as image in Acrobat.
Does Wi-Fi cause the Receiving Data problem?
It can. A weak or dropping connection interrupts the job mid-transfer. Test with a USB cable; if USB works, improve the Wi-Fi signal or switch to a TCP/IP port.
Will a factory reset delete my settings?
Yes. It clears network settings and preferences, so you'll need to reconnect the printer to Wi-Fi afterward.
Which Brother models get stuck on Receiving Data?
Owners report it on popular monochrome lasers such as the MFC-L2740DW and HL-L2380DW, but any Brother model can show it when a job stalls.
Is it worth repairing a Brother printer with a board fault?
For an inexpensive home laser, usually not; a new printer often costs about the same as a main board replacement plus labor. Business models are more often worth repairing.
Keep Your Brother Printing
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