Resolving the “Replace Brother Drum” message
This ” replace drum ” message is a problem that we get asked about frequently. So if this has happened to you, please be assured that you’re not alone! Fixing or replacing your Brother drum is a simple process that anyone can do.
Here’s exactly what you can learn from this page to help you to replace or resolve your Brother drum message:
- What does the ‘Replace Drum’ message mean?
- How to find, remove and replace the Brother drum
- How to reset the drum and clear the ‘Replace Drum’ message.
- Where to buy a new Brother Drum Unit.
What does replace drum mean?
A drum unit is a maintenance item for your Brother printer (or other manufacturer Laser printer) that will sometimes need to be replaced but not as often as a Brother toner cartridge.
A drum unit is a green metal cylinder or tube that carries a static electrical charge that attracts the toner powder from the toner cartridge and applies it to the paper as it passes through the printer. Therefore, you will always find that the drum unit is located very close to or even attached to the toner cartridge.
How to find, remove and replace the Brother drum unit
For Brother printers, the drum unit is usually connected to the toner cartridge.
1. To find it, simply open the front flap of your laser printer and find the toner cartridge(s) to which the drum unit will be attached or beneath.
2. Pull any green toner locking levers down to release the cartridge and then slowly pull the cartridge towards yourself and out of the machine. Place the toners on a flat protected surface.
3. On the toner cartridge(s) there will be a green lever that can be pressed to lift the toner off the drum unit.
4. The drum unit can then be replaced and the toner locked back into place on top of the new drum.
5. Re-insert both toner and drum back into your printer.
Clearing the ‘Replace Drum’ message / resetting the counter
If you’ve just replaced the drum unit of your Brother printer, are you now seeing the message “Replace Drum”?
The cause
Ink and toner cartridges, as well as the drum units of some other manufacturers, have chips on them. Basically, these chips are a way for the cartridges and drum units to identify themselves with the printer after you’ve installed them.
However, some original and compatible Brother drum units don’t have these, and this is the case with the drum unit. Without a chip, your drum unit has no way of being able to associate itself with your Brother printer. As a result, you will get the “Replace Drum” message because your printer thinks that you’ve not installed a drum unit.
The solution
Don’t panic. There’s no need to ring up your supplier for a replacement. There’s one really simple task that you can do to reset your printer and get it up and running again.
If you’ve got a Brother MFC-7360N, MFC-7460N, MFC-7460DN or MFC-7860DW
On your printer:
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Press ‘Clear’
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Press the number 1
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Ensure that you now see the “Accepted” message on your display
If you’ve got a Brother DCP-7055, DCP-7055W, DCP-7060D, DCP-7065DN or DCP-7070DW
On your printer:
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Press ‘Clear’
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Press the up arrow
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Ensure that you now see the “Accepted” message on your display
And that should sort it out!
This guidance works for almost all of our customers who ring us concerned after they’ve just bought their new DR2200 unit or any other drum unit. We hope that it’s now worked for you, too.
Buying a new Brother Drum Unit
If you’re looking to purchase a brand new brother drum unit to replace your current one. We sell a full range of Brother drums and toners at TonerGiant.co.uk. Simply visit the Brother toner page, navigate to your printer model using the wizard and the correct Brother drum will be listed on the resulting page.
Did it work? What other problems have you experienced like this? We’d love to hear from you! Leave us a comment below or tweet us @tonergiant.
Updated 10/01/2017 to improve the information and provide additional help
This didn’t work for me followed the instructions
still says replace toner
Hi there, was the toner correctly placed back in to the drum unit?
In a brother printer the toner and drum unit connect to each other and then get placed into the printer together. The replace toner message can only appear if the toner is missing from the printer.
Stu
Thanks, but what you have omitted to say is that the front cover should be open when you carry out this procedure to reset the drum unit counter.
it won’t let me CLEAR when the front cover is open on my MFC-7860
Hi there, once the drum has been replaced (ant toner) the front cover should be closed.
Thanks! Having the front cover open was the missing piece of information!
Thank you for this additional step 🙂
Thank you very much.
Hi. I replaced my imaging drum with a new one after I noticed some patches and spots on my printouts. However the printouts are now faded and almost nothing is seen on the paper. When I insert the old drum inside, it comes out clearer even though there are visible patches. What is the cause? Or should I take the drum back for a replacement?
It sounds like a drum or fuser issue but the quickest and cheapest thing is to replace the drum again and see if it corrects the problem.
i have replace the drum unit on brother DCP-9015cdw and it still says replace drum
Hi there Louise,
did you try the instructions on this page? The internal memory needs to be reset.
Stu
The drum is the main part of the printer. you can easily change your drum by reading this post.
I have done all of the above and it still says replace drum. I have a MFC-7360N
Hi there, did the printer display the ‘accepted’ message or another error message? It could be the memory needs a reset and the best way to do that is to remove the drum and toner cartridges, power off the printer, unplug at the wall for 10 minutes, plug back in and switch on and reinstall toner and drum at the same time.
Do I really need to replace the drum if I get the message? My message started in May, it is now nearly Dec and the printer finally completely stopped and insists I replace the drum. However, the print quality has not yet declined. Can I reset the drum count and keep using the same drum until the print quality is actually becomes bad?
Hi, as far as I’m aware there isn’t a way to reset the drum counter so if the printer is refusing to print, it will need to be replaced.
How do you clear drum end soon on MFC9130?
Hi there, you would need to replace the drum with a new unit and then unplug the printer from the wall for 10 minutes and reboot.
I have a Brother HL-L2380DW printer. It said to replace the Drum, so I did – it does not have a chip on it (per Brother’s website some manufacturer’s don’t have a chip and the Brother unit is looking to confirm that it is compatible – their instructions do not work). So I tried yours and it does not work either. Brother says:Press X=cancel/Press Settings/Press All Settings/ Press Machine Info/Press Parts Life…..I am good until then, then they say: Press and hold # (pound) on the touchpanel until the message on the display changes. Then Press Drum on the Touchscreen then Press Yes then press home on the touchpanel. I do not have that. Front door open or closed no difference to me. What I have aftger pressing Parts Life, is “Drum 0%” does that mean it has reset itself?
This sounds like the printer thinks the drum is at it’s end of life. Normally removing the toner and drum and unplugging the printer for 10 minutes and then turning back on and reinstalling the drum and toner resets the printer memory and would get you up and running but it sounds like there could be more of a technical issue going on. The only other thing you can try is to download and install the latest drivers and see if it fixes the issue. You can find the drivers for the Brother HL-L2380DW here.
I have the MFC-7860DW, new drum, says “Replace Drum”, when I press Clear, then “1”, as instructed above, it says “Restricted”. Please help!
The ‘Restricted’ message is to do with a setting that prevents you from sending faxes to the wrong number. You can find more info on that here. The only thing you can try is either turn off the restriction and then try again or try the method to take out all cartridges and switch the printer off and pull socket out of the wall for 10 minutes, then reinstall everything.
I have replaced the toner drum in a HL-L2360DW. I keep getting a replace toner message. I replaced the toner drum from the supplier and still get the message. I have tried unplugging and turning off and the counter reset to factory settings. I still get the message.
Hi Ron, do you mean you’ve replaced both the toner and drum (toners and drums are 2 separate replacement parts that sit together in the printer but are bought separately)? Is the toner definitely installed?
I have replaced my drum and the message replace drum is still on. I have tried everything I can think of. I have a Brother printer DCP-L2550DW.
have a look at the following instructions from Brother on how to reset the counter: https://download.brother.com/welcome/doc100760/cv_hll2310d_us_eur_drum_insertion.pdf
I am trying to reset the drum on my Brother DCP-L2520DW as I keep getting the Replace Drum message. A new drum cost more than a printer. I’ve tried following these instructions, but I cannot get to ‘Accepted.’ Can you kindly advise me? My model is different from the ones you discuss. Thank you, Jill
Hi Jill, I believe that you need to reset the drum counter.
I have replaced the drum unit on our Brother HL-L8350CDW, the drum counter is reset, but when you print, the colors are not good and there is sometimes big blue and pink wide “stripes” on the page. Any suggestions?
Hi Vickie, I just read this on the Brother manual: The arrow on the tab must be aligned with the arrow on the drum unit. If it is not, printed pages may have a vertical stripe. In other words where you’ve connected tthe toner and drum together, there should be a lever or tab with arrows on it to lock them in place.
Hi Stuart,
I have a Brother MFC-9130CW. I have changed the drums but the counter still shows 0% and the “change drum” message keeps popping up. My printer does not have the keypad shown on some diagrams. How do I reset the counter?
Thanks!!
Hi Michael, follow these instructions for each drum unit colour:
Hi Stuart, I have a Brother HL-3150CDW printer. The print quality is faint when I print certain documents. Does this have anything to do with me using non-branded drum units?
Hi Grace, it would normally be the drums at fault when you see faint print. Your printer has 4 drums so it’s possible that the fault might only be with one of the drums which is why you don’t always get faint print. Try printing each of the 4 colours separately and see if the faint print only occurs on one colour. That will let you know which one is causing the issue.
Hello Stuart. I have a MCF-
91320CW printer.
I followed your instructions to Michael from a few weeks ago. When I got to the part where you said to touch the dial pad area to light up the LED’s that is where the issues began. Only one LED light will light up at a time and they all say 0%. Then you say touch the # until the touch screen message changes. I do not have a # on my printer so the message does not change. What do you suggest?
Hi John,
I got the instructions from the printer manual. I’m unsure why you don’t have the hash key if your model is the same model but the best thing you can do is have a look in the manual and follow the specific instructions for your printer. Manuals lib have a very good website and have most printer manuals if you no longer have it.
I have a MFC-L27000W That says it needs a new drum. But I don’t see any reference to my model number. Is there a drum available for my unit and do you know the cost?
I believe the drum unit you need is the DR2300. If you’re in the UK, we sell it here: https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/product/Brother-DR2300-Drum-Unit-DR2300-85926/
You saved my bacon, printing order labels on Easter Sunday. Could have been a ball ache. Thanks so much.
Hi! I researched drum units and found the following for my MFC-9130CW: (a) Brother only sells drum units in packs of 4 (BL,Y,M,C), one for each color; (b) some firms sell “:compatible” drum units in packs of 4 as well, (c) some firms sell individual drum units and say that the drum may be used for any of the 4 colors.
Should I replace all 4 drum units at the same time? Is it possible or recommended to replace drum units one at a time. THANKS
You won’t need to replace them all at the same time, just the ones that the printer indicates need to be replaced though I’m sure it wouldn’t be much time difference between when they will eventually need to be replaced.
I have a Brother HL2040. I have replaced the drum and am still getting this message. This unit doesn’t have a digital display, so how am I supposed to reset the counter?
lift the front cover of your printer and hold the ‘go’ button down until all leds light up and then release the Go button.
Hi, I have Brother MFC-L2700DW that was showing replace drum. I have replaced the drum twice but it’s still showing replace drum. Today, I followed the steps you gave to reset the printer but it’s still showing replaced drum.
Is there anything I can do to resolve this problem?
Thanks.
If the resetting of the drum counter doesn’t work, it could be a faulty drum.
Hi, I have the Brother HL-2220. I bought a new drum and it still says replace drum. I tried unplugging and replugging the printer, tried holding down GO for couple of seconds both when the cover was open and closed, and nothing helped. This printer doesn’t have a digital screen.
Any suggestions?
Hi Judy, here is the instructions on how to reset the drum in your Brother HL-2220 manual: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1164002/Brother-Hl-2220.html?page=75#manual (also check changing the drum unit on the page before where it explains resetting the memory). If this doesn’t work, its possibly a faulty drum unit.
I have a HL-L2370DW and cannot seem to get this message off. Do you know how I address the problem with this unit (I too have a Mac if that matters). Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
Hi Jane, here’s a link to your printer manual on the page that mentions issues with the drum replacement message not disappearing, hopefully it will help: Brother HL-L2370DW Manual
How to get rid of the ‘replace drum’ message on Brother HL-L2360D? I installed the new drum properly according to instructions. Thank you!
Hi, you may need to clear down the memory. Take the toner and drum back out and power down the printer / unplug from the socket for 10 – 15 minutes. Power back on and re install everything. Alternatively follow the part of the following instructions that let you know how to reset the counter: https://download.brother.com/welcome/doc100077/cv_hll2300d_us_eur_drum_insertion_ljb051001-03_d.pdf
Hi! How do I change the drum unit for a Brother MFC-9330CDW? Thanks!
Hi, you can find instructions here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/569117/Brother-Mfc-9330cdw.html?page=93#manual
Hi Stuart,
I have a Brother MFC- 9340- CDW. I just finished replacing all of my drum units and now continue to get an error message to prevent me from using the machine. Might you have any recommendations that would help me?
Hi Craig, reading up on the user manual the drum counter needs to be reset and the manual says there should have been instructions in the box with the new drum unit on how to do that. It’s likely the=at there is a menu option on the printer, unfortunately the user guide doesn’t give the instructions.
I have a Brother 5470DW. I received a message that my toner was low, and I replaced the toner. However, the print is faint and is just like it would be if the toner was low. I thought that it might be a defective toner cartridge, so I got another one. The same thing. There are no lines on the paper that would suggest a drum issue. I looked at the drum counter that says 25,000+, but I think that I didn’t reset it when I last replaced the drum. And I’m not sure that this would be a drum issue anyway. Any thoughts?
Drums can cause faint print with no lines on the page so it could still be a drum issue. Possibly also a fuser issue. All you can do is trial and error replace the drum first / make sure everything is clean inside the printer and if that doesn’t work it may be the fuser unit.
for mfc-7360N leave the lid open like if your going to replace the toner/drum
then follow instructions
Press ‘Clear’
Press the number 1
Ensure that you now see the “Accepted” message on your display
I have a MFC8690DW printer and replaced the drum today. I can not get the replace parts (drum) to go off. I did replace the toner back in Sept and the drum just came on replaced it with a brother drum, the print is not sharp either. I have to always try to make the print darker to get a good copy. Is it time to buy a new one or can I get this fixed without buying a new toner to see if that works, they are expensive as you know.
This can happen when the printer hasn’t reset its memory. There may be a setting in the printer menu where you can reset the drum (if it does, your manual should explain how to do that) or alternatively take toners and drum out then switch the printer off and unplug at the wall for 10 minutes. Plug back in and re-install the toners / drums.
Hi I have a brother DCP-L2540DW. I replaced the drum after getting msg that I needed to do so. Now printer is printing light on left side. Noticed that toner is low at 25%, but no msg. Should I replace toner or just buy a new printer?
Hi Angela, I don’t think its an issue with the printer but the best thing to do is trial and error. First, replace the toner, if that doesn’t fix the issue then it’s possible the new drum is faulty.
I have replaced the drum unit and the toner cartridge on my MFC 8480-DN and now it is printing too light. I checked the setting on my computer/printer and the toner saver box is NOT checked. Can you tell me if there is a setting to make the print darker? It is so light now where it was not before I replaced everything.
Hi there, I would try to take the toner and drum back out and try to re-install everything first. If Toner Save mode isn’t switched on, it makes me wonder if there is another issue. Also you can check for toner save option through either the PC or the printer menu, check that both have toner save mode switched off. Click here are some more instructions on going in via the menu or PC.
Hi, Stuart.
Using a 2535dw here with compatible drum+original starter toner cartridge.
After a firmware update, the unit prompts me “no toner cartridge”.
Menu tells me drum 100% but *does not detect my cartridge.
I’ve reset my drum cartridge through menu but message persists.
Should I get a new original Drum to test? Drums are costly!!
It does sound like that might be the issue (firmware updates often render compatible parts useless) but have you tried a new toner first to see if you get the same message?
I have a printer brother DCP L 2540DW, it says it needs a new toner , but having recently changed the toner , I’m not sure , ……………..I was told by a friend it needs a drum unit. ………….is this the case w most brother DCP L 2540DW s?
When you change a cartridge sometimes the printer memory needs to be reset as well. Take the toner back out and unplug the printer for 10 minutes and then reinstall the toner and try again. Sometimes also there is a menu option to reset the toner.
I Have a printer Brother hl-l2365dw,it says slide the green tab drum error, and I have replaced new drum unit & toner, and reset the printer ” its accepted” message displayed, After taking 10-15 paper print again its shows same Drum error ( slide the green tab)
Hi, try the advice on the following video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiWAuuNWJNM
We have a Brother HL-L8260CDW. Today it started displaying Error: Replace drum, and we can’t print.
Is there a way to get more printing from this unit before replacing the drum?
Hi there, unfortunately once the drum no longer has life, it will need to be replaced.
I have replaced all of the individual drums and cartridges on brother mfc-9430cdw. The printing is still very light, the background is streaky and the color is horrible. And the B&W is barely readable, too. What did I miss”
Hi, were the replacements original or remanufactured cartridges? That sort of issue is normally caused by faulty products.
OUR MODEL IS MFC-L-3750CDW… PROBLEM TO FIX ” DRUM STOPPED”
I HAVE FOLLOWED THE TROUBLE SHOOTING PROCESS TO THE POINT WHERE I AM TOLD TO NOW PRESS “YES”. NO YES KEY VISIBLE. CAN YOU HELP
I believe on your printer model you need to hold down your finger on the icon to the bottom right of the screen that shows the colour that is left (looks like colour bars) then click the drum option and click each colour in turn and select reset drum.
Hi Stuart,
Hope you are well.
I have this around 40 printers of Brother M7535. I constantly get ” no toner message/Low toner message ” from one or other mostly, after we replace old toner with new one and sometimes these errors pops up in middle of printing. Usually, low toner messages go away by resetting toner counter on printer but NO toner message persists and on few occasions we had to replace printers even with HP ones. I have tried every combo- original toner, compatible toner, original drum, compatible drum but i am at mercy of printer, who on its own decide whether to accept new toner or not.
Can you share any insights here ? someone told that there are some gear settings in toner, we did that also, but again sometimes it worked but mostly not.
I think this is caused by either the printer metal contacts not connecting properly inside the printer (between toners and printer) or by printer updates causing the software to go out of date.
do you recycle brother compatible drum units
We don’t actually recycle ourselves but have a guide to where you can recycle here: https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/recycling/
My Brother HL-L2380DW printer is currently in need of a drum replacement, but it is still printing. I was wondering if the slow printing padce was due to the damaged drum having an impact on print speed.
Hi, its possible as the drum turns to collect the beam from the laser / deliver the toner to the page.
I have a Brother MFC-L3770CDW. Drum error came up on all four, so, after cleaning the corona wire didn’t work and even though life of each said 55%, I replaced all four. I installed them per the instructions (cleaned the corona wire and reset the life, which was accepted) but the error is still coming up on all four. Three of my (brother) toner cartridges are brand new and the other one still has life left, so what else could be wrong?
It sounds like there may be an error on the micro chips found on the drums. This will be that they either are damaged / dirty, and update has rendered the chips out of date or the contacts inside the printer aren’t connecting with the chips correctly. As you’ve replaced all 4, its sounds more like an issue with the chips / contacts connecting properly. Of course there could be a more technical issue going on. I would try to see where the chips would connect inside the printer and make sure the contacts are ok, or not squashed. If that’s not the case, you may need a technician to look at the printer.