Have you ever encountered a situation where the Brother printer says no toner after replacing toner cartridge? If so, you have come to the right place. This blog will introduce you in detail the reasons for the "no toner" error and how to deal with it. Please look down patiently.
Why Brother Printer Says No Toner after replacing toner?
Usually, no toner error in Brother printer is mainly caused by four reasons. Before we explain why, we have to mention the changes to Brother toner cartridges. If you are a loyal Brother printer user, you must know that Brother toner cartridges have no chips before 2017. And this does not affect the normal use of the toner cartridges.
In 2017, Brother released the first series of laser toner cartridges with IC chips. They are Brother TN-730, Brother TN-760 and Brother TN-770 toner cartridges. One year later, Brother released the second series of chipped toner cartridges -Brother TN223 and Brother TN227 toner cartridges. That is, from then on, a new error message “No Toner” began to appear on client's printers. And it is those small toner chips that cause the no toner error in Brother printers.
For Brother toner cartridge with a chip, the chip has become the key for Brother printer to recognize the toner cartridge. Like a lock, you need a key to open it. If your printer can not detect the chip, your printer will not recognize the toner cartridge. Even if your toner cartridge is full, it will not work. That's why Brother printer says no toner but there is a new toner just installed. Now let’s explain how no toner error occur.
Four Reasons May Cause No Toner Error in Brother Printer.
1. Printer structure.
When the printer is running and printing, the toner cartridge driven by the supply roller might lead to the separation of the chip and the printer probe. Then the printer can not detect the chip, which causes no toner error.
2. No chip or incompatible chip.
When the toner cartridge comes with no chip or an incompatible chip, your printer will not recognize it and display no toner error. An incompatible chip may be due to the wrong chip installed, a damaged chip, or a printer firmware upgrade.
3. Poor chip contact.
When there are stains, oxidation, gum or other foreign objects on the surface of the chip, the printer probe and the chip may have poor contact, causing the printer to fail to recognize the toner cartridge and display no toner error.
4. Deformed or damaged printer probe.
When the printer probe is deformed or damaged, the printer will not detect the chip even if everything is good. So the new toner can not be recognized. And the printer gives a no toner message.
Brother Printer No Toner Override
For above four reasons, you can carry out the following three steps for Brother printer no toner override error and get your printer back to normal.
Step One: Operate with special movements.
1. Open the printer cover → Close the printer cover → Wait few seconds till the printer finishes running and check whether the printer is back to normal.
2. Open the printer cover → Remove the toner cartridge with drum unit → Reinstall them back to the printer → Close the printer front cover → Check whether the printer returns to normal.
3. Press and hold the “Power” button to turn off the printer power → Wait 3 to 4 seconds → Turn on the printer again → Observe whether the printer returns to normal.
Step Two: Confirm whether the toner cartridge has a compatible chip installed and check whether there are stains or other foreign objects on the chip surface.
1. Open the printer cover and check whether the chip coding model is consistent with the machine. (This action is only recommended for distributors with professional printing knowledge.)2. Remove the toner cartridge with drum unit from the Brother printer.
3. Check whether the chip surface is covered with stains or other foreign objects.
4. If there are stains or other foreign objects, you can use industrial alcohol and non-woven fabric to clean them. If you don't have industrial alcohol or non-woven fabric, try wiping with a soft tissue. If the foreign objects cannot be cleaned, the chip or complete toner need to be replaced.
5. A clean chip should like the one in picture ⑤ below.
6. Reinstall the Brother toner with drum to the printer.
7. Close the printer cover.
8. Wait few seconds and check whether the printer returns to normal.


Step Three: Check whether the printer probe is deformed or damaged.
1. Lift up the printer cover.
2. Remove the toner cartridge with Brother drum unit.
3. Mark the chip surface with a water-based pen.
4. Reinstall the toner cartridge and drum unit to the printer.
5. Close the printer cover to let the machine run for 4 to 5 seconds.
6. Reopen the printer cover.
7. Remove the toner cartridge with drum unit again.
8. Check whether the marked chip surface shows clear scratch marks. No scratch marks represents a poor contact between the chip and the probe and the probe may be deformed or damaged.
If you can clearly see four clear scratch marks (as shown on picture ⑧ below) on the chip surface, that means the chip and the printer probe are in normal contact.
No scratch marks represents a poor contact between the chip and the probe and the probe may be deformed or damaged. You need to replace the probe (replace it yourself or contact Brother or 3rd party printer maintenance service for help) and observe whether the printer returns to normal.

The above methods are summarized by our engineers after repeated verification. They can help most printer users who use original and third-party Brother ink cartridges and toner cartridges to fix the no toner error with a high probability. When your printer displays a “No Toner” error, you can try to fix it by yourself according to the above methods. If the error cannot be resolved in the end, you can contact your toner cartridge supplier for a refund or replacement. We believe that if you buy the cartridge from a reputable toner cartridge supplier, they will surely provide you with satisfactory service.
Additional information:
1. "No Toner" error is different from "Low Toner" message.
"No Toner" error is a chip related issue. While "Low Toner" message has nothing to do with the chip. This is because Brother toner chip does not have the function of counting toner level. It is only equipped to make your printer recognize the toner cartridge.
Sometimes Brother printer will still say "Low Toner", "Replace Toner" or "Toner Empty" after installing a new toner or drum unit. The possible reason is that the printer failed to reset the counting gear on the toner cartridge. You need to manually reset the toner cartridge in order to make it work as a full new toner. By the way, if you get the Replace Toner error message, you can check Brother Printer Replace Toner Override.
Steps to reset toner: Open the front cover of the printer → On the control panel, press and hold the "Return" and Cancel "X" buttons for 2 seconds → Press the "Return" button again to enter the reset menu → Scroll through the menu to select color toner you want to reset → Press “Yes" to confirm reset → The toner level should be reset. Check whether the "Low Toner", "Replace Toner" or "Toner Empty" message is disappeared.
Please note that the first letter "K" "C" "M" "Y" on the reset menu represent four toner colors, black cyan magenta yellow. The following three letters "TNR" represent toner cartridge. And the last two or three letters represent toner yield. "STD" represents standard capacity or standard yield. And "HC" stands for high capacity or high yield. For example, if you want to reset standard yield Brother TN-223BK black toner cartridge, you need to select "K. TNR-STD" (As shown in picture ④ below).
2. Brother drum unit does not have a chip. But it's not the reason for "No Toner" error.
Till now, Brother printer doesn't require a chip on drum unit. Brother drum unit is the key component for your printer to turn the toner powder to text or image. When the print text or image quality drops, you need to replace the drum unit or clean the corona wire to improve the print quality.
3. Brother MFC-L3770CDW no toner reset.
The printer shown in the pictures is Brother MFC-L3770CDW. It's the most popular Brother color laser printer in the market in 2022. So, we use it to show you how to remove "No Toner" error message in Brother printer. If you are using this printer, you can clear the no toner error message by following the steps in this blog completely. If you are using other Brother printers, you can also try the same methods. It's just that the specific operations may be slightly different because of the different printer control panels.
True Image Solutions for Brother Printer No Toner Error
As a reputable toner cartridge supplier, we have always adhered to the concept of customer first. Therefore, we insist on providing customers with cheap and high-quality toner cartridges, while also providing customers with the best guarantee and service.
Cheap and high-quality toner cartridges
True Image is proud to provide cheap and high-quality Brother toner cartridges with low no toner error rate. They are well-manufactured products coming with upgraded IC chips. Therefore, they are compatible with the latest Brother laser printers and printer firmware versions. This reduces the no toner error rate at the root.
Below True Image compatible toner cartridges are equipped with upgraded chips:
Type |
Product Name |
Also Known As |
Mono |
Brother TN-730 Toner Cartridge Replacement |
Brother HL-L2350DW Toner Replacement |
Color |
Brother TN-223 Toner Cartridge Replacement |
Brother HL-L3230CDW Toner Replacement |
The price of above premium toner cartridges is as low as $16.99 ea. And you can get extra discount during promotion seasons. They are exactly the best alternatives to the expensive genuine Brother toner cartridges.
Best guarantee and service
We provide the best guarantee and service to ensure that you can use our toner cartridges with peace of mind. If your Brother printer says no toner but cartridge full during using our products, you can try to fix it yourself by following the methods mentioned in this blog. Or you can get in touch with our customer service directly, we provide online technical support, free replacement and direct refund options to ensure your 100% satisfaction.
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14 comments
Jared
NB- your comment is the fix! So glad I found this.
True Image
Deal All,
Thanks for your comments.
Exactly, the on-chip battery may also be the cause of Brother “No Toner” error. When the chip’s battery fails to provide power, the printer cannot recognize the chip and therefore cannot detect the toner cartridge. Because the battery is part of the chip, we consider this situation to be a defective chip. Under normal circumstances, we do not recommend that users replace the chip or battery by themselves, because the toner cartridge supplier may refuse to provide warranty because the toner cartridge has been repaired by the user. We recommend that you contact your supplier first to request a free replacement. If your supplier cannot provide a replacement, then consider replacing the chip battery yourself. This youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzYKPnTWkPA&t=44s may help you, Alkaline Button Cell Batteries (1.55V) can be purchased at Walmart, Best Buy, Home Depot or your nearest convenience store.
Best regards,
True Image Team
BillyJoe JimBob
I just went through this several times. And the error persisted. The I did it one more time and pushed on the back of the piece with the chip and it worked. Annoying.
Alex
It might be the battery or even the full chip to replace!
Cees de Laat
I get ‘no toner’ message. Unfortunately it does not say which of the four. Is there a way to find out?
JV
Darko – How did you get the battery out to replace it?
Elizabeth Ashby
I had “no toner” message on PC despite the black toner cartridge being new, and so no printing could happen – jobs were just being put in the queue. I removed the new cartridge, turned the printer off and then on again with the cartridge out, and then replaced the cartridge. Magic. It worked. A complex “turn it off and on again” solution.
Darko
Did you notice the battery on the chip? Mine battery was empty (0.7V) and when I replaced it with the new, everything was OK.
Jeff Marble
#1. This direction: Steps to reset toner: Open the front cover of the printer → DO NOT OPEN THE FRONT COVER, THAT IS MANUA FEED OPENING, OPEN THE “PRINT COVER”, WHERE THE CARTRIGES ARE STORED.
#2. “NO TONER” MESSAGE X/“RETURN” FOR 2 SECONDS WILL NOT PRODUCE THE RESET MENU.
Jim K
I’ve tried everything suggested to fix the “no toner” message. And tried it several times. No luck.
Jim (Certified Computer Professional)
NB
Even easier solution,
1) pull the power cord on the printer
2)open the lid and remove the toner/ drum that’s not recconized.
3) power on the printer again with the toner/ drum out
4) install the same drum and toner – works now!
Enjoy!
Immanuel Henne
actually this didn’t fix the issue. I still get – No Toner and I tried on two brother printers.
Larissa L Jones
I’ve tried all these steps and still nothing. mine gave me this error randomly, i did not make any changes or replace a cartridge. It was printing fine yesterday, today i cam in and have this no toner message. I do not know which toner is the one that it has an issue with.
ive reset them individually, I’ve tried checking the printer probes…I’ve checked each individual case thing(drum?) is the next step to buy new toner cartridges? maybe one of my chips got messed up? but the machine sees all of them and told me they were all full. I did reset them anyway…
Im going ahead and getting another setr from you, but any ideas what else i can try in the meantime?
Greg
Best guide to fix Brother printer no toner error. Just realized that the causes of “no toner” message and “low toner” message were different. No wonder I tried to reset toner but the error sill appeared on my printer screen. I removed and reinstalled the toner, then the “No Toner” error disappeared.