How to add a printer to a Mac

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The idea of ​​setting up a printer scares most people. But once you know the steps, it’s very easy to do. Whether you just need to add a printer to your home computer or multiple printers to a commercial network, here’s how to add a printer to a Mac desktop or laptop.

How to connect a wireless printer to a Mac

You can connect your printer wirelessly via a secure Wi-Fi (WPS) installation or Bluetooth connection. Depending on how you want to connect your printer, follow the steps below.

How to add a printer to a Mac via WPS

Connecting via WPS usually requires you to press the “Wireless” or “Wi-Fi” button on your printer and then the WPS button on the router. However, the steps vary depending on which printer and router you have, so check the printer and router user manuals for specific instructions. Once you have installed WPS, you can proceed to the following steps.

  1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen.
  2. Go to System Preferences.
    The advantages of the Apple menu system
  3. Click printers and scanners. On older Mac models, this appears as Print and Scan under the hardware.
    The Mac system gives preference to printers and scanners
  4. Click the + sign below the list of printers. For older Mac models, you need to click the Add Printer or Scanner button after clicking the + icon. You can also see the printers that are provided by your Mac under the nearby Printers in the Add Printer or Scanner submenu.
    How to add a printer to a system of printer and scanner preferences

    Note: If you cannot click the + sign, you may need to click the Lock icon at the bottom of the window. Enter your password to make changes in the Print & Scan menu.

  5. Select the printer you want to add. In the Default tab, your Mac displays a list of printers that can be found on the network.
    Add a printer and use the drivers
  6. In the Use field, select the software or printer driver. You can choose from the following options:
    • AirPrint, Apple’s original printing technology, allows you to print from AirPrint-compatible printers via Wi-Fi on Airprint-compatible printers. However, if your printer is not compatible with AirPrint, you will need to install the driver from Apple’s servers or the manufacturer’s website.
    • Your personal printer driver, if you have it installed
    • Automatic selection if you do not have a printer driver, but want your computer to download the correct driver when updating
  7. Finally, click Add. A new printer will be added to the list of printers. You can see this on the left side of the Print and Scan window.
How to add a printer to a Mac

How to add a printer to a Mac via USB

Printers that do not have network capability can only be added via a USB or cable connection. Some printers, although capable of printing wirelessly, need to be connected to USB as part of the installation process. Here’s how to add a printer via USB.

  1. Connect your USB printer to your laptop or Mac desktop.

    Note: Your Mac will automatically detect the printers connected via USB and download the necessary software. If it does not detect automatically, go to the next step.

  2. Click the Apple icon.
  3. Go to System Preferences.
  4. Click Printers and Scanners. On older Mac models, this appears as Print and Scan under the hardware.
  5. Click the + sign below the list of printers.
  6. Select a printer to add. In the Default tab, your Mac will automatically populate the list of network printers. Search for the printer name by USB under the Kind column.
  7. Click Add. The printer is added to the list of printers. You will see this on the left side of the Print and Scan window.

How to add a printer via IP address

If you add a printer using this step, you need to know the IP address of your printer. This is how you can find the IP address of your printer. Once you know this information, you just need to go to System Settings and add the printer from the Printers and Scanners menu. Here’s how you can do it step by step.

  1. Click the Apple icon.
  2. Open to system preferences.
  3. Click printers and scanners.
  4. Then click the + sign below the list of printers.
  5. Click on the IP icon. This will look like the image of a blue globe.
  6. In the Address field, enter the IP address of your printer. Your Mac is trying to gather information about the printer.
    Mac Add the IP address of the printer

    If you do not know the IP address of your printer, check out our previous article about it how to find the IP address of your printer.

  7. Change the printer if you wish.
  8. In the Use field, select the drive driver you want to use.
  9. Click Add.
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