The fastest way: use AirPrint if your printer supports it

If your printer is made in the last ten years and cost more than $100, it almost certainly supports AirPrint — Apple's wireless printing standard. This is the easiest route: your Mac finds the printer automatically, no driver installation needed.

Turn on your printer and make sure it's connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac. Open System Settings (the gear icon in your dock), click Printers & Scanners on the left sidebar, then click the plus sign to add a printer. Your Mac will show a list of printers on the network. Select yours and click Add. That's it — you're done in under a minute.

If your printer doesn't appear in that list, it's either not on Wi-Fi, not on the same network as your Mac, or doesn't support AirPrint. Move to the next section.

Key Takeaways

  • AirPrint printers appear automatically in System Settings > Printers & Scanners and require no driver installation.
  • Older or budget printers need a driver downloaded from the manufacturer's website, installed, then added through System Settings.
  • USB printers plug directly into your Mac and usually install automatically without any extra steps.
  • If a printer won't appear after installation, restart your Mac and check that the printer is powered on and connected to the network.

For older printers: download and install the manufacturer's driver

Printers made before 2010, or budget models under $100, often don't support AirPrint. These need a driver — software that tells your Mac how to talk to that specific printer model.

Go to the manufacturer's website (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, Xerox, etc.) and find the Support or Downloads section. Type in your exact printer model — you'll find it on a sticker on the printer itself or in the manual. Download the driver for macOS (not Windows). Open the downloaded file and follow the installer's instructions. When it finishes, restart your Mac.

After restart, go back to System Settings > Printers & Scanners and click the plus sign. Your printer should now appear in the list. Select it and click Add. If it still doesn't show up, make sure your printer is powered on and connected to your network (or plugged in via USB if it's a wired printer).

USB printers: plug in and let your Mac handle it

If your printer connects with a USB cable, plug it directly into your Mac's USB port (or a USB hub connected to your Mac). Power on the printer. In most cases, your Mac recognizes it immediately and installs the driver automatically — you'll see a notification that the printer is ready.

Open System Settings > Printers & Scanners to confirm it appears in the list. If it does, you're finished. If not, wait 30 seconds and refresh the list by clicking the plus sign again. Some older USB printers need the manufacturer's driver installed first (follow the steps in the previous section), but modern ones usually work without it.

Troubleshooting: printer won't appear or won't print

If your printer doesn't show up in System Settings after you've added it, restart your Mac first — this fixes most connection problems. Then power off the printer completely, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners and click the plus sign again.

For Wi-Fi printers, check that your printer and Mac are on the same network. Open your printer's settings menu (usually a button on the printer itself) and look for the network name (SSID) it's connected to. Compare it to the Wi-Fi network your Mac is using — they must match. If they don't, disconnect the printer from its network and reconnect it to the correct one using the printer's menu.

If the printer appears in System Settings but won't actually print, try removing and re-adding it. Click the printer name in System Settings > Printers & Scanners, click the minus sign, then add it again using the plus sign. This clears out any corrupted settings.

Printing from your Mac once the printer is added

Once your printer is in System Settings, printing is straightforward. Open any document or webpage, press Command+P (or go to File > Print), and a print dialog appears. Select your printer from the dropdown menu at the top. Choose how many copies, which pages, and any other settings, then click Print.

Your Mac remembers the printer you used last, so the next time you print, it will default to that printer. You can change it anytime by opening the printer dropdown in the print dialog.

When to use a different printer for different tasks

If you have multiple printers, you can set a default printer that your Mac uses unless you choose otherwise. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners, click the printer you want as default, and look for a dropdown menu that says "Default printer" or similar. Select your choice.

You can also set a default for printing to PDF (a digital file instead of paper). In the same print dialog where you select your printer, there's a dropdown that says "PDF" — this lets you save any document as a PDF file instead of printing it. This is useful for archiving documents or sending them by email.

Removing a printer you no longer use

If you want to delete a printer from your Mac's list, open System Settings > Printers & Scanners, select the printer, and click the minus sign. This doesn't affect the printer itself — it just removes it from your Mac. You can add it back anytime by clicking the plus sign.

Removing unused printers keeps your list clean and prevents your Mac from trying to connect to printers that are no longer available, which can slow down print dialogs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to install anything if my printer supports AirPrint?

No. AirPrint printers work without any driver installation. Your Mac finds them automatically on the network. Just make sure the printer is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac.

My printer is old and the manufacturer's website doesn't have a driver for macOS. What do I do?

Check if your printer model is listed on Apple's AirPrint-compatible printers page — some older printers were added to AirPrint support later. If not, contact the manufacturer's support line with your printer model and macOS version. They may have an older driver available, or they can tell you if the printer simply isn't compatible with your Mac.

Can I print wirelessly if my printer only has a USB cable?

Not directly from your Mac. USB printers must be plugged in. However, if you have a printer that supports both USB and Wi-Fi, you can set it up on Wi-Fi instead and leave the USB cable unplugged. Check your printer's manual to see which connection types it supports.

Why does my printer appear in System Settings but won't print?

The most common cause is a stalled printer queue. Restart your Mac, power off the printer for 10 seconds, then power it back on. If that doesn't work, remove the printer from System Settings and add it again. This clears out any stuck print jobs.

Can I print from my iPhone or iPad to the same printer?

Yes, if your printer supports AirPrint. iPhones and iPads find AirPrint printers the same way your Mac does — automatically on the same Wi-Fi network. Open any document, tap Share or Print, and select your printer. Older printers that need a driver won't work with iPhone or iPad.