There was a time when a printer was the most common accessory you could connect to a Mac. However, these days, few of us print very much, if at all. There are still things that we need to print, though, whether it's address labels, invoices, photographs, or even a letter to send to friends or family. Before you can print anything from your Mac, you first need to connect a printer to print from. You might connect it via USB or Wi-Fi, over a network, and even by Bluetooth. However you need to connect, we'll show you how to add a printer to your Mac.

Before you start

You should update macOS before you try to add a printer to your Mac. That way, you can be sure you have the latest drivers and bug fixes. Here's a quick reminder on how to do it:

  1. Click on the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
  2. Select General > Software Update.
  3. Wait for your Mac to check for updates.
  4. If there is one available, click Update Now and follow the instructions on the screen to install it.
macOS Software Update

How to add a printer on a Mac via Wi-Fi

Many wireless printers support AirPrint, which means that as long as they are on the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac, they will appear in the Print dialog in any application. First, though, you have to connect them to your Wi-Fi network.

  1. Plug the printer into the mains and switch it on.
  2. If it has a WPS button, press it and then press the WPS button on your router.
  3. If it doesn't have a WPS button, follow the instructions in the printer's manual to add it to your network. This will normally mean navigating the settings on the printer to go to the network settings, selecting your Wi-Fi network, and then entering the password.

If the printer supports AirPrint, you don't need to do anything else to add it. If it doesn't, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
  2. Select the printer if it's there. If not, click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax, wait for it to appear, select it, and click Add.
How to add a printer on a Mac via Wi-Fi

If a printer is misbehaving


Sometimes, adding a printer to your Mac is not as easy as it should be. There are lots of possible reasons for this, and one way to eliminate them is to carry out maintenance on your Mac. Maintenance tasks include running macOS maintenance tasks, managing login items and background processes, and clearing the DNS cache.

Carrying out all of these tasks manually is time-consuming and laborious, but you don’t have to — CleanMyMac’s Performance feature can run all of them with a couple of clicks. It can also repair disk permissions, reindex Spotlight, and thin out Time Machine snapshots. You can test CleanMyMac for 7 days — get your free trial here.

  1. Open CleanMyMac.
  2. Click Performance in the sidebar.
  3. Click View All Tasks.
  4. Select the tasks you want to run and click Run.

How to connect printer to MacBook by Bluetooth

Some printers — usually small photo printers or label printers — use Bluetooth to connect to your Mac. To add them, you need to pair them with your Mac:

  1. Follow the instructions in the printer's manual to put it into pairing mode.
  2. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
  3. Click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax. Your printer should appear in the list. Select it and click Add.
  4. The printer, when it has successfully connected, should appear in the print dialog in any app, and you can select it from there.

How to set up a printer on Mac by USB

You can also connect a printer to your Mac via USB cable:

  1. Once your Mac is updated, plug in the printer, connect the USB cable to the printer, and switch it on.
  2. Connect the other end of the USB cable to your Mac. If you have a Mac with USB-C sockets, you will need to use a hub or dock if the printer is not USB-C.
  3. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
  4. If the printer is there, select it. If not, click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax. Wait for the printer to appear, select it, and click Add.
  5. There may be a delay while your Mac downloads and installs drivers if it doesn't already have them installed.
  6. To set the printer as your default, go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners and select it from the "Default printer" pop-up menu.

How to add a printer using its IP address

Sometimes, you will need to connect to a printer on a network, and your Mac won't discover it automatically, so you'll have to add it using its IP address. Here's how:

  1. Acquire the IP address of the printer. You may be able to get this from your network administrator. Or if you're at home, you can do it by logging into your router's admin page and looking at the IP addresses of connected devices.
  2. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners and click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.
  3. Click the IP button at the top of the window and type the IP address of the printer into the Address box.
  4. Choose a protocol — AirPrint if it's an AirPrint printer; otherwise, choose the appropriate protocol for your printer (such as Internet Printing Protocol, Line Printer Daemon, or HP Jetdirect – Socket).
  5. Wait for the printer to appear, click the Use menu, and choose a driver.
  6. Click Add.
How to add a printer using its IP address

How to connect a printer to a MacBook using a direct wireless connection

If none of the methods we've described so far works, there is one more option. Some printers allow you to connect to them directly over Wi-Fi. That requires setting up a wireless hotspot on your printer; to do that, follow the instructions in the printer's manual. Once you've done that, click on the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar and choose the printer if it's there. If it's not, choose Other Networks and type in the name of the printer.

As you can see, there are several different options for adding a printer to your Mac. Wi-Fi is the easiest and most convenient, especially if you're using a MacBook. However, if the printer doesn't support Wi-Fi or the Wi-Fi connection isn't working, you can try one of the other methods above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my Mac to recognize my printer?

Try these fixes one by one: Check that the printer and Mac are on the same Wi-Fi network; restart both devices; remove and re-add the printer in System Settings > Printers & Scanners; check for macOS software updates; reset the printing system (right-click in the Printers & Scanners list > Reset printing system) as a last resort.

Why can't I add a printer to my MacBook Air (or MacBook Pro), and how do I fix it?

It usually happens because the printer driver is not installed or is outdated, your printer is not on the same network as your Mac, there is a USB cable or hub compatibility issue (USB-C adapters), or Bluetooth is not in pairing mode. To fix it, download drivers manually from the manufacturer's site, verify the network, use a certified USB-C hub, and re-pair Bluetooth. If you run macOS Sonoma/Sequoia, they sometimes require re-adding previously paired printers after an OS update.

How do I set a default printer on Mac?

Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners > select the printer > click "Set as Default." Also, there is the "Last Printer Used" automatic default option in the same settings panel — use it if you switch between printers frequently.