The fastest way: use AirPrint if your printer supports it
If your printer is AirPrint-compatible, connecting to your Mac takes about two minutes and requires no software installation. AirPrint is Apple's wireless printing standard, and most printers made in the last ten years support it — check your printer's manual or the manufacturer's website to confirm.
Turn on your printer and make sure it is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac. Open any document or photo you want to print, click File, then Print. In the printer dropdown menu, select your printer by name. If it appears in the list, your Mac has already found it. Choose your settings — paper size, color, number of copies — and click Print. That is the entire process.
If your printer does not appear in the dropdown, restart both devices and try again. If it still does not show up after a restart, your printer either is not on the same network, is not turned on, or does not support AirPrint. Move to the next section.
Key Takeaways
- AirPrint printers connect wirelessly with no software needed — just select the printer from the Print menu if it is on your Wi-Fi network.
- Non-AirPrint printers require you to read the manufacturer's driver software from their support website and run the installer.
- USB-connected printers need a cable plugged directly into your Mac; macOS usually installs the driver automatically when you plug it in.
- If your printer does not appear after installation, restart your Mac and printer, then check System Settings to confirm the printer is listed.
Installing a driver for non-AirPrint printers
If your printer does not support AirPrint, you need to install the manufacturer's printer driver — software that tells your Mac how to communicate with that specific model. Go to the printer manufacturer's website (Canon, HP, Epson, Brother, Xerox, and others all have support pages) and search for your exact printer model.
read the driver for macOS — make sure you select the right version for your Mac's operating system. You can find your macOS version by clicking the Apple menu in the top-left corner, selecting About This Mac, and looking at the System Software section. read the driver file, open it, and follow the installer's instructions. The installer will ask you to restart your Mac when it finishes.
After the restart, turn on your printer and connect it to your Wi-Fi network (or plug it in via USB if it is a wired connection). Open System Settings, click Printers & Scanners on the left sidebar, and look for your printer in the list. If it does not appear, click the plus sign, wait for your Mac to search, and select your printer when it shows up.
Connecting a printer with a USB cable
USB printers plug directly into your Mac with a cable. Plug the USB end into your printer and the other end into a USB port on your Mac (or a USB hub if your Mac does not have a free port). Turn on the printer.
macOS usually detects the printer automatically and installs a basic driver without you doing anything. Open System Settings, click Printers & Scanners, and look for your printer in the list. If it appears, the connection is complete and you can print from any process.
If your printer does not appear after a minute or two, read the full driver from the manufacturer's website as described in the section above. The basic driver that macOS installs sometimes lacks features or has compatibility issues, so installing the full driver from the manufacturer is often worth doing even if the printer initially works.
Checking that your printer is set as the default
Your Mac can remember multiple printers. If you have more than one, you can choose which one prints by default when you do not specify. Open System Settings, click Printers & Scanners, and look at the list on the left. The printer with a checkmark next to its name is your default.
To change the default, click a different printer in the list. The checkmark moves to that printer. When you print without choosing a specific printer, your Mac will send the job to the default printer. You can always override this by selecting a different printer in the Print dialog when you print.
Troubleshooting: printer does not appear in the list
If you have installed the driver but your printer still does not show up in Printers & Scanners, restart both your Mac and your printer. Wait 30 seconds after each restart before turning the device back on. Restart your Wi-Fi router as well if you are using a wireless printer.
Check that your printer is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac. Some printers have their own network name separate from your home network — if that is the case, you may need to connect your Mac to the printer's network instead, or use the printer's own app to join your home network. Check your printer's manual for the exact steps.
If the printer still does not appear, open System Settings, click Printers & Scanners, click the plus sign, and wait while your Mac searches for available printers. This search can take up to a minute. If your printer appears in this list, click it and then click Add. If it does not appear after waiting, the printer may not be powered on, may not be on the network, or may need a driver update from the manufacturer.
Removing a printer you no longer use
Open System Settings and click Printers & Scanners. Click the printer you want to remove from the list on the left. Click the minus sign button below the list. The printer is removed from your Mac's memory, though the driver software remains installed. You can add the printer back later by clicking the plus sign and selecting it again.
If you want to completely remove the driver software as well, you will need to uninstall it manually. Some manufacturers provide an uninstaller process; check the manufacturer's support website. If no uninstaller is available, you can delete the printer driver files from your Mac's Library folder, though this is more technical and usually not necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to install software for every printer I connect?
No. AirPrint printers need no software at all. USB printers often work with macOS's built-in driver. Only non-AirPrint wireless printers and some older models require you to read and install a driver from the manufacturer.
Can I print from my iPhone or iPad to the same printer?
Yes, if the printer supports AirPrint. Open any document or photo on your iPhone or iPad, tap Share or Print, and select the printer. The process is identical to printing from a Mac. Non-AirPrint printers cannot print from iPhone or iPad without the manufacturer's own app.
What if my printer is not on Wi-Fi but I want to use it wirelessly?
Check your printer's manual to see if it has Wi-Fi capability. If it does, use the printer's control panel or the manufacturer's app to connect it to your Wi-Fi network. If your printer has no Wi-Fi option, you must use a USB cable or buy a newer printer that supports wireless printing.
Why does my printer print slowly or with poor quality after I connect it?
read and install the full driver from the manufacturer's website. macOS's built-in driver is basic and may not include all settings for color, resolution, or speed. The manufacturer's driver gives you access to all the printer's features and usually improves performance.
Can I connect the same printer to multiple Macs?
Yes. Each Mac needs the driver installed and needs to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the printer (or connected via USB). Once both are set up, both Macs can print to the same printer. The printer remembers nothing about which Mac is using it — it just receives print jobs from whatever device sends them.