Printer not working on Mac: how to get macOS printing again

A printer not working on Mac is usually a problem on the Mac side rather than a fault inside the printer. macOS may have paused the queue after an error, the Mac may be on a different network from the printer, or the printer entry may still be using an old driver from before a system update. The steps below go from quick checks to the full reset, so you only clear out your printer settings if the simpler fixes fail.

If the printer shows as offline on every computer, not just the Mac, start with our printer offline fix. For other symptoms, the printer troubleshooting guide lists every problem we cover by symptom.

Step 1: Rule out the printer itself

Before changing anything on the Mac, look at the printer.

• Read the display or status lights. A jam, open cover, empty tray or cartridge warning stops jobs from any device. If the printer reports a general error with no clear cause, our guide to a printer in error state covers that.
• Wake it. Press a button. Some printers sleep so deeply that a Mac cannot find them until they wake.
• Print a network configuration page from the printer’s control panel (usually under Settings, Network or Reports). It shows the network name and IP address the printer is using.

For a USB printer, plug the cable straight into the Mac rather than into a hub or a display, and try another cable or adapter if you have one. To check that the Mac sees the printer at all, hold the Option key, open the Apple menu, choose System Information and look under USB.

Step 2: Make sure the Mac and printer share a network

AirPrint, the system macOS uses to find and print to most printers, only works when both devices are on the same local network. Compare the network name on the configuration page with the Wi-Fi network shown in the Mac’s menu bar. Common mismatches:

• The Mac is on a guest network, which usually blocks devices from seeing each other.
• The router offers separate names for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz and each device joined a different one. On many routers this still works, but on some it does not.
• The Mac is connected to a VPN that sends local traffic elsewhere. Disconnect the VPN as a test.

If the printer keeps dropping off Wi-Fi, see printer won’t stay connected to Wi-Fi. If you print to a printer shared from another Mac, that Mac must be awake with printer sharing turned on.

Step 3: Resume a paused queue

macOS pauses a printer when a job fails, and it stays paused until you resume it. This is the single most common reason a Mac seems to ignore a working printer.

1. Open the queue. On recent macOS versions, click Print Center or the printer icon in the Dock while a job is waiting. You can also open System Settings > Printers & Scanners, select the printer and open its queue from there.
2. If a Resume button appears in the toolbar, the printer is paused. Click it.
3. If one job shows an error and the rest are waiting behind it, select that job and click Delete Job.
4. If a single job is paused, select it and click Resume Job.

If your document is not in the queue at all, it probably went to a different printer. Check the printer selected at the top of the print dialog.

Step 4: Test with another app

Open TextEdit, type a line and choose File > Print. If TextEdit prints but one app does not, the problem is that app or that document, not the printer setup. PDFs are a frequent example; our guide to a printer that won’t print a PDF covers file-specific causes. If text comes out as random characters, the Mac is using the wrong driver, which is covered in printer printing gibberish.

Step 5: Turn off the printer’s extra dialog features

Some manufacturer drivers add their own panels to the print dialog. If those are faulty, printing can freeze or fail. In Printers & Scanners, select the printer, click Options & Supplies, tick Use Generic Printer Features and click OK. Try printing again. If it works, the manufacturer software is the problem, and the next step will help.

Step 6: Remove the printer and add it back

A fresh printer entry clears old addresses, broken presets and mismatched drivers.

1. Open Apple menu > System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
2. Select the printer and remove it (use the remove option or the minus button, depending on your macOS version).
3. Restart the Mac and turn the printer off and on.
4. Back in Printers & Scanners, click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.
5. Select the printer and look at the Use menu before clicking Add. If AirPrint or Secure AirPrint is listed, choose it.

If the printer does not appear in the list, click the IP button and type the IP address from the configuration page. Apple notes that a newly added printer can take a minute or two to show up, so give it time before trying again.

AirPrint or a manufacturer driver?

macOS connects with AirPrint by default when the printer supports it, and AirPrint needs no extra software. It is the safest choice after a macOS update, because there is no third-party driver that can fall out of date. Choose a manufacturer driver only if your printer does not support AirPrint, or if you need features AirPrint does not expose on your model, such as certain finishing or tray options. In that case, download the current macOS software from the printer manufacturer’s site and check that it lists your macOS version. You can see which driver version a printer uses by selecting it in Printers & Scanners.

If the printer shows “driver unavailable” style errors on a Windows PC as well, that is a separate issue covered in printer driver is unavailable.

Step 7: Update macOS

Printing fixes often arrive in system updates. Open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update and install anything pending. Then check whether the printer has a firmware update; many printers can check for one from their control panel or built-in web page. Do not turn the printer off during a firmware update.

Step 8: Reset the printing system

This is the last step because it clears everything. Reset Printing System removes all printers, scanners and fax entries, printer presets and the list of completed jobs.

1. Open System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
2. Control-click (or right-click) in the list of printers.
3. Choose Reset Printing System and confirm.
4. Add your printers again with Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.

Prints, but at the wrong size

Sometimes the problem on a Mac is not that nothing prints, but that the page comes out shrunk, enlarged or cut off. In the print dialog, choose Show Details and check three things: the Paper Size matches the paper in the tray (A4 or US Letter), Scale is 100%, and in Preview Scale to Fit is set the way you want. Apps such as Preview and browsers have their own scaling options that override the printer. If you use a saved preset, a wrong scale may be stored in it; switch to Default Settings and test again. Printer printing too small covers the same settings for Windows and for copies made on the printer.

Quick reference

What you see	Likely cause	Try first
Jobs wait in the queue and nothing prints	Paused printer	Click Resume in the queue
Printer missing from the Add list	Different network or VPN	Join the same network, add by IP
Stopped after a macOS update	Old driver	Remove and re-add with AirPrint
Only one app fails	App or document problem	Print from TextEdit to compare
Print dialog freezes	Faulty driver add-ons	Use Generic Printer Features

If the printer still will not print from a Mac after a reset, but prints from a phone or another computer, the Mac’s network settings or security software deserve a closer look. If it fails from every device, the printer itself needs attention, and the support resources for your specific model are the next place to check.