How to Set Up Printer on Macbook

The thought of setting up a printer intimidates most people. But once you lot know the steps, it’s fairly easy to do. Whether you but demand to add together one printer to your home computer, or lots of printers to a business network, hither’south how to add a printer to a Mac desktop or laptop.

How to Connect a Wireless Printer to Mac

You tin connect your printer wirelessly through a Wi-Fi Protected Set-up (WPS) or a Bluetooth connexion. Follow the steps beneath depending on how you desire to connect your printer.

How to Add a Printer to a Mac via WPS

Connecting via WPS would normally require you to press the “Wireless” or ‘Wi-Fi” button on your printer, followed by the WPS button on your router. Withal, steps volition vary depending on which printer and router you have, so check your printer and router user guides for specific instructions. One time you lot’ve fix WPS, yous tin can proceed to the steps below.

1. Click the Apple icon in the meridian-left corner your screen.
2. Go to System Preferences.
   
   
   
   
3. Click on Printers and Scanners. On older Mac models, this will appear as Print & Scan under Hardware.
   
   
   
   
4. Click the + sign beneath the list of printers. For older Mac models, you might have to click Add Printer or Scanner afterwards you click on the + sign. You might likewise run into printers detected by your Mac nether Nearby Printers in the Add Printer or Scanner submenu.
   
   
   
   

   Note: If y’all cannot click on the + sign, you might have to click the Lock icon at the bottom of the window. Blazon on your countersign to make changes in the Print & Scan menu.

5. Select the printer you would like to add. In the Default tab, your Mac displays a listing of discoverable printers on the network.
   
   
   
   
6. Choose the printer’s software or commuter in the Use field. You can choose from the post-obit:
   • AirPrint, Apple’due south native printing technology which lets y’all print from AirPrint-compatible printers via Wi-Fi on Airprint-uniform printers. However, if your printer is not AirPrint-uniform, yous would need to install the driver from Apple’s servers or the manufacturer’southward website.
   • Your printer’s own impress commuter, if you have that installed
   • Motorcar Select if you don’t accept the print commuter but you want your computer to download the right ane when it updates
7. Finally, click Add. The new printer will exist added to the list of printers. You will exist able to see this on the left-manus side of the Print & Scan window.

How to Add a Printer to Mac via USB

Printers that exercise not have networking capabilities can simply be added through a USB or wired connection. Some printers, though capable of wireless printing, still need to exist continued to USB as part of the set-upwards procedure. Here’s how to add together a printer via USB.

1. Plug your printer’s USB into your Mac laptop or desktop.

   Annotation: Your Mac volition automatically detect printers continued by USB and download the required software. If it does not auto-detect, go on to the next step.

2. Click the Apple icon.
3. Go to System Preferences.
4. Click Printers and Scanners. On older Mac models, this volition appear as Impress & Scan nether Hardware.
5. Click the + sign below the list of printers.
6. Select a printer to add together. In the Default tab, your Mac will auto-populate a listing of printers on the network. Look for a printer name with USB listed nether the column for Kind.
7. Click Add. The printer will exist added to the list of printers. You will be able to run across this on the left-mitt side of the Print & Browse window.

How to Add a Printer via IP Address

If you add a printer using this step, you lot would demand to know your printer’south IP accost. Here’southward how you tin can find your printer’s IP address. Once you know this information, you would just accept to go to System Preferences then add the printer from the Printers & Scanners carte. Here’southward how you can do this stride by step.

1. Click the Apple icon.
2. Open to Organisation Preferences.
3. Click on Printers and Scanners.
4. So click on the + sign below the listing of printers.
5. Click on the IP icon. This will look like a blueish globe icon.
6. Type your printer’s IP address in the Accost field. Your Mac will attempt to gather information almost the printer.
   
   
   
   

   If you don’t know your printer’southward IP address, bank check out our previous article on
   how to discover your printer’due south IP address.

7. Rename the printer if you want to.
8. In the Use field, choose the print driver you would similar to use.
9. Click Add.