Bonjour Print Services for Windows: Add AirPrint Printers

Bonjour Print Services for Windows is a small, free tool from Apple that lets a Windows PC find printers that announce themselves on the network with Bonjour, Apple’s name for multicast DNS discovery. It is the classic answer to two questions: “how do I add an AirPrint printer to Windows?” and “how do I print from Windows to a printer shared from my Mac?” This guide explains what the tool does, when a modern Windows 11 PC does not need it at all, and how to set it up when it does help.

This is an independent guide. We are not affiliated with Apple, Microsoft or any printer maker.

What Bonjour Print Services does

According to Apple’s download page, the current version is 2.0.2 (about 5 MB). It lets you find and set up Bonjour-enabled printers from Windows using the Bonjour Printer Wizard, which it installs into a “Bonjour Print Services” folder under Program Files with a shortcut on the desktop.

Apple lists what it can reach:

• Network printers connected by Wi-Fi or Ethernet that advertise themselves with Bonjour (most AirPrint printers do).
• USB printers, but only when they are shared through a Mac or an AirPort base station.

Bonjour discovery uses UDP port 5353. Apple notes that the installer configures the Windows firewall on supported systems, but if you use a separate firewall or security suite you must open UDP 5353 yourself. Our printer network ports guide explains what each printing port does.

One caution: Apple’s page lists Windows XP SP2 or later as supported and recommends XP SP3, Vista SP2 or Windows 7. Windows 10 and 11 are not mentioned. Many people still use it on newer Windows, but treat it as a fallback rather than the first thing to install.

Do you need it on Windows 11?

Often you do not. Windows 11 can discover and add most network printers by itself and print to them with its built-in IPP support, which Microsoft describes under Windows Ready Print. Try this first:

1. Open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners.
2. Select Add device and wait for the search to finish.
3. If your printer appears, select Add device next to it and print a test page.

If the printer is not listed, select Add manually and add it by its IP address instead. Our guides to adding a printer in Windows 11 and finding a printer’s IP address walk through both routes.

Bonjour Print Services is worth trying when:

• The printer is a USB printer shared from a Mac, which Windows does not reliably find on its own.
• Windows’ own search keeps missing a printer that your iPhone or Mac can see.
• You are on an older Windows PC without good IPP driver support.

Step 1: share the printer from the Mac (USB printers only)

Skip this step if your printer is on the network by Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Apple’s Mac User Guide notes that network and AirPrint printers do not need sharing, because other devices can already reach them.

For a printer plugged into a Mac by USB:

1. Make sure the printer works on the Mac. See add a printer on Mac.
2. Choose Apple menu, System Settings, then General in the sidebar and Sharing.
3. Turn on Printer Sharing, then select the info button beside it.
4. Tick the printer you want to share. By default everyone on the network can print; you can limit this to named users.

The Mac now acts as a small print server. It must be switched on and awake whenever the Windows PC prints, so check its energy settings if it sleeps quickly. Our share a printer on a network guide compares this with other ways of sharing.

Step 2: install Bonjour Print Services

1. On the Windows PC, open Apple’s support page for Bonjour Print Services for Windows (linked in the sources below) and download the installer. Avoid third-party download sites.
2. Run the installer and accept the licence if you agree to it.
3. If you use a third-party firewall, allow UDP port 5353 on your home network.

Step 3: add the printer with the Bonjour Printer Wizard

1. Open Bonjour Printer Wizard from the desktop shortcut.
2. Wait for the list to fill. Printers shared from a Mac usually show with the Mac’s name in the entry.
3. Select the printer and select Next.
4. Choose a driver. If Windows lists your printer’s make and model, pick it. If not, a generic PostScript driver is a common choice for printers shared from a Mac; if the test page comes out garbled, go back and try another driver.
5. Finish the wizard. The printer now appears in Printers & scanners like any other.
6. Print a test page to confirm that text and images come out correctly.

If the wizard shows no printers

Bonjour discovery only works on one local network segment. RFC 6762, the standard behind it, describes .local names as link-local: they are meaningful only on the link where they originate. So check these in order:

• Same network. The PC and the printer (or the sharing Mac) must be on the same Wi-Fi or wired network. A guest network usually keeps them apart; see printing on a guest Wi-Fi network.
• Different subnets or VLANs. If your home has a second router, an extender in router mode or a separate network for smart devices, discovery will not cross it. Our guide to a printer on a different subnet or VLAN explains the options.
• Firewall. Allow UDP 5353 in any security suite, and make sure the network is set to Private in Windows rather than Public.
• The Mac. Check that it is awake, that Printer Sharing is on and that the printer is ticked.
• The printer. Some printers let you switch Bonjour or mDNS off in their web settings page. Make sure it is on.

If discovery still fails, add the printer by IP address in Windows instead. You lose nothing: discovery only finds the printer, and printing works the same way once it is added.

Bonjour Print Services or add by IP?

Situation	Best route
Modern network printer, Windows 11	Built-in Add device, or add by IP address
USB printer attached to a Mac	Mac Printer Sharing plus Bonjour Printer Wizard
Printer found by iPhone but not by Windows	Add by IP first; Bonjour Printer Wizard if that fails
Printer on another subnet	Add by IP, or set up mDNS reflection on the router

Removing it later

If you no longer need it, uninstall Bonjour Print Services from Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Printers you added stay installed until you remove them; see how to remove a printer in Windows 11.