How to Install and Update Brother Printer Drivers Complete Guide

If you’re the owner of a Brother printer, you’ve probably had to install or update a Brother printer drivers at one time or another. But what are printer drivers and why are they important?

A printer driver is a small piece of software used by your computer to communicate with your printer. Without a printer driver, your computer won’t know how to get the right print commands through which may lead to printing errors, slow drink performance or no printer working at all.

Brother printers are recognized around the world for mail quality printing, reliability and affordability for the home or office. However, like other devices, Brother printers require the correct driver to run well. The user often suffers problems when trying to install Brother printer driver files, particularly if the user is jumping from Windows to Mac to Linux or if a system update has taken place.

In this guide, we have described in detail how to easily download, install and update your Brother printer drivers, without the need for technical expertise. Whether you are fixing an error or setting up the printer for the first time, this blog will take you through everything step by step.

How to Download Brother Printer Drivers

Downloading the correct driver for your Brother printer is the first and most important step to getting your device working properly. Whether you’re setting up a new printer or fixing a driver issue, it’s always best to download the latest version from the official Brother website.

Official Sources to Download Drivers

The safest and most reliable place to get your Brother printer driver download is directly from Brother’s official support site. Using official sources helps you avoid outdated drivers, malware, or compatibility issues.

Step-by-Step: Downloading Brother Printer Driver

1. Go to the Brother support website:
2.  brother.com And Direct Contact This Number: +1 (888) 768-3855
3. If it is prompted, choose your country and language.
4. Type in your printer model in the search box and click on the appropriate printer model from the list.
5. Take note of your Operating System (Windows 10, macOS, etc…).
6. Scroll down to the Drivers & Downloads section.
7. Click “Download” next to the recommended full driver package.

Once downloaded, you can run the installer to set up your driver quickly.

Model-Specific Driver Downloads

If you’re looking for a specific Brother printer model, here are direct instructions to help you get the exact driver you need:

Brother HL-2270DW Driver 

• go to Brother HL-2270DW Support page
• type HL-2270DW in the search box and follow the instructions above 
• select your OS and download the driver package 

Brother MFC-7860DW Driver 

• go to the same support site and search for MFC-7860DW 
• select your OS and download the full driver and software package
• The full driver and software package will include the scanning, printing and the device management tools 

Brother Printer 2820 Driver Download 

• Search for Brother MFC-2820 or FAX-2820 for your exact model. 
• Make sure to select WINDOWS 10 if that is what you are using 
• Download the driver for the printer driver as specified.

How to Install Brother Printer Drivers

Now that you have acquired the correct driver, the next step is to install the driver. The process of installing the driver connects your computer to the printer, allowing them to talk to one another without issue.

The following are step by step instructions for installing a Brother printer driver onto a Windows, Mac and Linux computer.

For Windows Users

You can install your Brother printer driver with these simple steps when using Windows (including Windows 10) – if you’re confused follow the steps below: 

STEP-BY-STEP: INSTALL BROTHER PRINTER DRIVER FOR WINDOWS 10

• Find the downloaded file
  You will normally find this in your “Downloads” folder.
  
• Double-click the file to run the installer.
  The file will normally have a name that looks like this:
  
• Follow the on-screen instructions
  You will select your language and accept the license agreement.
  
• Select connection type
  You will be prompted to select USB, Wi-Fi or Wired Network as your connection type.
  
• Complete installation
  It will automatically find your printer and complete installation.
  
• Print a test page
  Once installation is complete try printing a test page to make sure it works. 

Tip: Restart your computer after installing for best results.

For Macs

The steps for downloading the Brother printer driver for Mac is also very simple. The macOS generally comes pre-loaded with the Brother printer’s basic drivers. Of course, if you want the full functionality of printing (i.e., scanning, double sided printing, etc.), then you will want to download and install the full Brother driver.

Step by Step: Install Brother Printer Driver for Mac

• Open the Brother support web link and download the Mac driver.
• Find the file you’ve downloaded, it will be a .dmg file, Double-click the .dmf file to open it and access the installer.
• There will be a folder that contains the installer package (the package will end in .pkg). Execute the installer package.

Follow the steps to install the software.

• Add your printer
• Select System Preferences > Printers & Scanners. 
• Press the + sign, and follow the dropdown menu-click your Brother printer.

Test your printer

• Try printing a page (or documentation) to be sure the printer is working.

Tip: If your printer does not show up, be sure you’ve powered on the printer, and your printer is connected to the same wi-fi network.

3.3 For Linux Users

Installing Brother printer drivers on Linux can be a bit trickier, but Brother does provide .deb and .rpm packages for many models.

Tips for Installing Linux Brother Printer Driver

1. Go to the Brother Linux support page
   • Visit: https://support.brother.com
   • Search your model and select the Linux OS.
2. Download both LPR and CUPS wrapper drivers
   • These two packages are needed for most Linux setups.
3. Open your terminal and use commands to install the drivers:
   Example for Ubuntu/Debian:
   
4. Add the printer manually
   • Go to Printers settings in your desktop environment and add the printer via USB or IP address.
5. Test with a sample print
   • Confirm everything is working.

How to Update Brother Printer Drivers

Updating your Brother printer driver helps fix bugs, improves performance, and ensures it works with the latest version of your operating system.

Manual Update Method

1. Go to Brother’s support website.
2. Search for your printer model.
3. Select your operating system.
4. Download the latest driver.
5. Run the installer and follow the instructions.

Direct Contact: +1 (888) 768-3855 

Automatic Update Method

For Windows

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Find your printer under “Printers”.
3. Right-click > Update driver.
4. Select Search automatically for updated driver software.

For Mac

• Go to System Settings > Software Update.
• macOS checks and installs printer updates automatically.

For Linux

• Use your package manager or download updates from Brother’s Linux support page.

Fixing Common Driver Errors

Brother Printer Driver is Unavailable Error

Users of Brother printers have a common problem with one error—the “Brother printer driver is unavailable.” This specifically means that your computer can’t find or leverage the right driver to engage with your printer. In most cases, this happens after a system upgrade or if driver files became corrupted or accidentally disappeared, the driver cannot be installed again.

In Windows, the error will typically happen in the Device Manager or when you go to print, and nothing happens. In Mac, the message may state that the driver is unavailable or incompatible.

How to fix this on Windows:

1. Open Device Manager by typing it in the Start menu search bar.
2. Find your Brother printer under Printers or Print queues.
3. Right-click your printer and select Uninstall device to remove the current driver.
4. Restart your computer to clear any leftover driver files.
5. Visit the official Brother support site, search for your printer model, and download the latest Brother printer driver compatible with your Windows version.
6. Run the downloaded file and follow the installation steps carefully.
7. After installation, try printing a test page to check if the issue is resolved.

How to fix this on Mac:

1. Open System Preferences and go to Printers & Scanners.
2. Select your Brother printer from the list and click the minus (-) button to remove it.
3. Download the latest Brother printer driver for Mac from the official Brother website, matching your macOS version.
4. Install the driver following the on-screen instructions.
5. Return to Printers & Scanners, click the plus (+) button, and add your printer again.
6. Print a test document to ensure the driver is now available and working.

Other Driver Installation or Compatibility Issues

There are instances when you’ll deal with downloading the correct driver, the driver does not seem to install correctly and or your printer goes completely numb and does not respond at all.

Here are some possible solutions to deal with these situations:

• Confirm Compatibility: Ensure that you are downloading the driver that is specifically made for your printer model and what version of operating system your computer is running. Installing the wrong driver is one of the main causes of this sort of issue.
• Temporarily Disable your Antivirus: Some protection software will block driver installation. For the sake of completeness, during the driver install, temporarily disable your antivirus software, and restart your antivirus afterwards.
• Restart Your Computer: Sometimes a restart is all it takes to fix small temporary issues causing your drivers not to work as intended.
• Try a Universal Driver: If your model driver’s installation fails, Brother has a universal print driver suitable for many of their models. This driver will work as a back-up driver option, and for many, it can be a solution to fix some compatibility issues. You can download the universal driver from Brother’s support site under the “Universal Driver” downloads.

Using the Brother Universal Print Driver

If you’ve got more than one Brother printer or are having problems with your specific printer driver, the Brother universal print driver can be ideal. But what is a universal printer driver and when would you use it? 

The universal Brother printer driver is a single driver that will work with multiple Brother printer models. Instead of needing to download and install a separate driver for each model, you have the capability to use this one driver for printing from different Brother printers. This is beneficial when at the office or anywhere in which you are using multiple Brother printers.

How to Install the Brother Universal Print Driver

1. Visit the official Brother support website and search for the Brother universal print driver.
2. Download the correct version for your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux).
3. Open the downloaded file and run the installer.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
5. When adding a printer, choose the option to use the universal driver.
6. Connect your printer via USB, network, or Wi-Fi, and the driver will work with most Brother printers automatically.

Pros and Cons of Using the Universal Brother Printer Driver

Pros:

• Compatible with many Brother printer models, which saves time and storage space.
• Easier to manage in a set-up with multiple Brother printers.
• Decreased driver conflicts and compatibility issues.

Cons:

• May not support all advanced features specific to some Brother models.
• May sometimes miss out on custom settings that are available in model-specific drivers.
• Likely will not work perfectly with very old or very new models.

Conclusion

In order to maintain your Brother printer in a healthy state you must do the following: Download → Install → Update → Resolve.

First you need to download the correct Brother printer driver. Then install the driver correctly depending on the operating system you are using. After the driver is installed you want to keep the driver(s) properly over time to avoid inconsistent errors and if errors do surface there will be troubleshooting steps you can follow if or when needed. The Brother universal print driver can be downloaded and installed as well if drivers become problematic. 

You always want to use official sources so you are assured you are downloading safe and reliable software. Using official software also assures your device is fully compatible with drivers offered by Brother.

If you found this article interesting, you may want to bookmark. You can return here at any time when you are having printer driver issues in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions