Mac: how to set up and fix printing
Most modern printers work with a Mac without any extra software. If yours will not print, these steps usually sort it out.
Check the printer first
- Is it switched on, with paper and ink, and showing no error lights?
- Is it on the same Wi-Fi as your Mac, or plugged in with a USB cable?
- Try switching it off and on again.
Add a printer
- Open System Settings, then Printers & Scanners. On older versions this is System Preferences, then Printers & Scanners.
- Click Add Printer, Scanner or Fax (or the plus button).
- Pick your printer from the list. If it appears with the word AirPrint, that is ideal.
- Click Add. If asked, allow your Mac to download software.
If a print job is stuck
- Open Printers & Scanners and click your printer.
- Open the print queue (it may be called Open Print Queue).
- If there is a job stuck in the list, select it and click the cross to cancel it.
- If the printer says it is paused, click Resume.
If the printer is missing or offline
- Restart the printer, the router and the Mac.
- Remove the printer by selecting it and clicking the minus button, then add it again.
- Make sure your Mac is on the same Wi-Fi network as the printer, not a guest network.
Update
Open System Settings, General, then Software Update. Printer support is updated through macOS.
Be careful with downloads
Only download printer software from the printer maker's own website. Do not trust a search result that promises a free printer fix.
When to get more help
Contact us if your printer is not found at all, if it prints blank or faint pages after checking ink, if it only works on one computer, or if you are not sure which software to use for an older printer.
Did this help? If you are still stuck, email Vision Tech and tell us what you can see on the screen. Menus and button names can differ slightly between versions and makes. If something does not match, stop and ask rather than guess.