Can you keep using it?
Can you keep using it?
Contact customer support if any of these apply
- !The message remains after a clean USB-based retry.
- !The printer cannot leave update recovery state at all.
What to check first
Step-by-step checks
- 1
Safe first step
Connect the printer to a computer by USB.
Start with the official recovery step before moving on to parts or deeper servicing.
- 2
Safe first step
Retry the firmware update using Brother's official update tool.
- 3
Safe first step
Do not interrupt the update once recovery has started.
Background
What this message usually means
Brother shows Retry Updating by USB when a firmware update does not complete successfully. It is an update-recovery message rather than a normal print error and usually needs a clean USB-based retry before anything else.
Before the message
What users usually notice first
Messages like this often appear after the printer fails one of its normal startup, supply, or paper-path checks and cannot return to ready state cleanly.
Diagnosis
Likely causes
A firmware update was interrupted.
The machine lost communication during the update.
The printer entered update recovery and cannot return to normal operation yet.
Service
When service or replacement is more likely
- -Treat this as an update-recovery condition, not a normal consumables or jam message.
Avoid wrong turns
Common misreads of this message
- -Treating the message like a confirmed failed part instead of a support clue about which system has stopped the printer.
- -Assuming no physical path issue exists just because no full sheet is visible at first glance.
Explore more
More Brother printer families
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When a printer says paper jam but there isn't one
What a false paper-jam warning usually points to, from hidden scraps and tray issues to faults that are no longer simple jams.
Guide
Common Brother printer messages that usually mean stop and check support
The Brother messages that usually mean it is time to stop retrying and treat the fault more seriously.
Guide
How to tell if a printer fault is a cartridge issue or a service issue
How to separate ordinary cartridge or toner trouble from the kind of printer fault that usually points to real service.
Boundary
When to stop troubleshooting and move to support
If the same message returns immediately after one careful recovery attempt or the printer cannot reach ready state, stop there and use the family-specific support path.
Keep browsing
Where to go next
Source notes
Brother's HL-L5210DN error-message list includes Retry Updating by USB as a startup recovery message after failed firmware updates.
Built around Brother HL-L5210DN-class official error-message guidance. Exact wording can vary by regional firmware and closely related office-laser variants.
Printer error codes can vary a little by firmware, region, and exact model variant. Use this guide as a family-level starting point and stop if the next step would require disassembly or service-mode changes.
Known family variants: HL-L5210DN, HL-L5210DW
Last reviewed: 2026-04-12
Reference: Open reference