How to Add a Printer on Mac: AirPrint, IP and USB Steps

To add a printer on Mac, open System Settings, select Printers & Scanners, click Add Printer, Scanner or Fax, pick your printer from the list and click Add. If the printer supports AirPrint, which most network printers sold in recent years do, macOS needs no driver download at all. The steps below follow the current System Settings layout used since macOS Ventura; older versions call it System Preferences but the window is very similar.

First make sure the printer is connected to the same Wi-Fi or wired network as your Mac. If it is not, start with the wireless printer setup guide.

Step 1: open Printers & Scanners

1. Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Scroll the sidebar and click Printers & Scanners.

The right side shows a Default printer menu, a Default paper size menu and a list of installed printers.

Step 2: add a printer found on the network

1. Click Add Printer, Scanner or Fax.
2. The add window opens on the Default tab (the icon of a printer), which lists printers that announce themselves on the network using Bonjour.
3. Click your printer. The Name and Location fields fill in automatically.
4. Check the Use menu. For an AirPrint printer it should say AirPrint. If you installed the maker’s driver package, you can choose it here instead.
5. Click Add.

If the printer is an all-in-one, macOS adds the scanner at the same time. See our scanner setup guide for using it.

Step 3: add a printer by IP address

When the printer does not appear on the Default tab, add it by address:

1. In the add window, click the IP tab (the globe icon).
2. In Address, type the printer’s IP address, for example 192.168.1.45. You can find it on the printer’s network configuration report.
3. Set Protocol to one of these:

Protocol	When to choose it
AirPrint	First choice for any modern network printer.
Internet Printing Protocol (IPP)	Printers that support IPP but not full AirPrint.
HP Jetdirect - Socket	Many office and laser printers, including non-HP models.
Line Printer Daemon (LPD)	Older network printers.

4. Leave Queue blank unless the printer’s manual specifies one.
5. Wait for macOS to query the printer and fill in the Use menu, then click Add.

If Use shows “Generic PostScript Printer” or “Generic PCL Printer”, printing will work for plain documents but you may lose options such as duplex or tray selection. Installing the maker’s macOS driver and selecting it in Use fixes that.

Adding a USB printer

Connect the printer to the Mac with its USB cable (many current Macs need a USB-C adapter) and switch it on. macOS normally adds it automatically within a few seconds. If it does not, open Printers & Scanners, click Add Printer, Scanner or Fax, and the USB printer will appear on the Default tab with “USB” as its kind. USB-only models such as the Canon PIXMA MG2522 are set up this way.

Step 4: set the default printer and paper size

Back in Printers & Scanners:

• Default printer: pick a specific printer, or Last Printer Used to let macOS follow your most recent choice.
• Default paper size: set A4 or US Letter to match the paper you load. A mismatch here is a common reason pages print with odd margins.

Click a printer in the list to see its Options & Supplies, where you can rename it and, for some printers, view ink levels.

What differs on older macOS versions

Macs running macOS Monterey or earlier use System Preferences rather than System Settings, and the layout is a little different, although the add window itself is almost identical:

Task	macOS Ventura and later	macOS Monterey and earlier
Open printer settings	Apple menu, System Settings, Printers & Scanners	Apple menu, System Preferences, Printers & Scanners
Start adding a printer	Add Printer, Scanner or Fax button	Plus (+) button below the printer list
Remove a printer	Control-click the printer, Remove Printer	Select it, then the minus (-) button
Set the default	Default printer menu at the top	Default printer menu below the list

The Default, IP and Windows tabs in the add window work the same on every version covered here, so the steps above apply once the window is open. Very old printers may only have drivers for older macOS releases; if the maker no longer offers a current macOS package, try the IP tab with AirPrint or IPP first, because a driverless connection often works where the old driver will not install. If you are not sure which version you have, choose Apple menu, then About This Mac.

The Windows tab is worth knowing about too: it lists printers shared from a Windows PC on the same network, which is how a Mac reaches a USB printer plugged into a Windows computer.

Sharing the printer from your Mac

If the printer is USB-only and other computers need it, turn on Printer Sharing in System Settings, General, Sharing. Our guide to sharing a printer on your network covers the full setup for Mac and Windows.

If the printer still will not add

• Make sure the Mac is on the same network name as the printer, not a guest network or a VPN.
• Restart the printer so it announces itself again.
• Try the IP tab with AirPrint as described above; it bypasses network discovery entirely.
• Remove any older copy of the same printer from the list before adding it again.

Printing from an iPhone or iPad works the same way through AirPrint; see print from iPhone. Setting up the same printer on other computers in the house? See add a printer in Windows 11, add a printer on a Chromebook or add a printer on Ubuntu Linux, which uses the same CUPS printing system as macOS.