Print from a Virtual Machine: Parallels, Hyper-V, VirtualBox

Running Windows on a Mac, a Linux desktop inside Windows or an older operating system for one stubborn app is easy until you press Print. If you want to print from a virtual machine, there are three different ways to get the job to the printer, and the right one depends on how the printer is connected and which virtualisation software you use. This guide explains each method, with steps for Parallels Desktop, Hyper-V and VirtualBox, and the limits to watch for.

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

The three methods at a glance

Method	How it works	Best for
Network printing	The VM talks to the printer over the network like any other computer	Wi-Fi and Ethernet printers
Host printer sharing	The VM hands jobs to the host, and the host prints	Any printer already working on the host
USB passthrough	The VM takes over the USB printer directly	USB-only printers that need their own software in the VM

Before you start, print a test page from the host. If the host cannot print, fix that first; nothing inside the VM will work better.

Method 1: print over the network from inside the VM

If your printer is on Wi-Fi or Ethernet, the VM can print to it directly. How easy that is depends on the VM’s network mode.

• Bridged networking. Oracle’s VirtualBox manual describes bridged mode as connecting to one of the host’s network cards and exchanging packets directly. The VM becomes another device on your home network, gets its own address from the router and can usually discover the printer automatically.
• NAT networking (the default in many VM apps). The VM sits on a private network behind the host. The VirtualBox manual shows that a NAT guest can reach other machines on the LAN, but LAN machines cannot reach it without port forwarding. Printing still works because the VM makes the connection, but automatic discovery usually fails, because discovery messages stay on one network segment.

So the reliable recipe is:

1. Find the printer’s IP address. Our guide to finding a printer’s IP address shows several ways.
2. Inside the VM, add the printer manually by that address. On a Windows guest follow add a printer in Windows 11 and choose Add manually; on a Linux guest see add a printer from the Linux command line.
3. Reserve the printer’s address in your router so it does not change.

Most modern printers support driverless IPP, so the VM often needs no extra driver. If the guest is Windows on Arm (common on Apple silicon Macs), see our notes on printing from Windows 11 on Arm for driver limits.

Method 2: share the host’s printers with the VM

Here the VM sends jobs to the host, and the host prints with its own driver. It works for USB printers and network printers alike, as long as the host can print.

Parallels Desktop (Mac)

Parallels’ user guide gives these steps:

1. Click the Parallels Desktop icon in the menu bar and choose Configure, or choose Actions, Configure.
2. Select Hardware, then Shared Printers.
3. Select Share Mac printers with Windows.

By default Windows uses the same default printer as the Mac. To choose a different one in Windows, deselect Synchronize default printer. Parallels’ knowledge base adds three practical points:

• Parallels Tools must be installed and up to date in the VM.
• From Parallels Desktop 16, Windows uses the same printer driver as macOS, with large paper sizes and two-sided printing. Version 15 and earlier used a generic driver with standard sizes only and no two-sided option.
• Printer changes on the Mac, such as a new default, reach Windows after Windows restarts.

The guide also notes that the same sharing works for Linux guests with Parallels Tools installed.

Hyper-V (Windows)

Hyper-V’s Virtual Machine Connection (VMConnect) can redirect the host’s printers in an enhanced session. Microsoft’s documentation lists the requirements: enhanced session mode turned on in the Hyper-V host settings, and both the host and the VM running at least Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016, with Remote Desktop Services enabled in the VM.

1. Open VMConnect and select the VM.
2. Select Show options, then the Local resources tab.
3. Make sure Printers is ticked. Do not assume it is on by default; check it each time you change settings.
4. Optionally tick Save my settings for future connections to this virtual machine, then select Connect.

Redirected printers work like Remote Desktop printer redirection, which our Remote Desktop printer guide explains in detail.

VMware Workstation

VMware’s release notes for Workstation Pro 17.5 state that the virtual printer feature reached end of life and was removed. On current versions, use network printing (Method 1) or USB passthrough (Method 3).

VirtualBox and other apps

VirtualBox has no host printer sharing feature in its manual, so use Method 1 or Method 3. The same applies to many other VM apps: when in doubt, network printing by IP address is the method that works almost everywhere.

Method 3: pass the USB printer through to the VM

USB passthrough gives the VM direct control of the printer, as if you had plugged it into a physical PC. It is useful when you need the maker’s own software inside the VM, for example for scanning.

In VirtualBox:

1. Shut down the VM and open its Settings, USB.
2. Choose the USB controller. Oracle’s manual notes that USB 2.0 (EHCI) and USB 3.0 (xHCI) support come from a separately installed extension pack.
3. Add a USB device filter for the printer so it attaches to the VM automatically.
4. Start the VM and install the printer inside it, as on a normal PC. Our guide to connecting a printer by USB covers the guest side.

Keep in mind the manual’s warning: once the guest uses a USB device, the host can no longer use it. If both the host and the VM need the printer, sharing or network printing is a better fit.

Which method should you choose?

• Printer on Wi-Fi or Ethernet: network printing by IP address. It is the most predictable and survives VM software updates.
• USB printer, Parallels or Hyper-V: host printer sharing.
• USB printer, VirtualBox or VMware: USB passthrough, or turn the printer into a network printer; see change a printer from USB to wireless.

Troubleshooting

• Nothing prints, no error. Check the queue on the host as well as in the VM. With host sharing, a paused or offline host queue blocks the VM too.
• Garbled output. The VM is using the wrong driver. Remove the printer in the VM and add it again with the exact model or driverless IPP.
• Printer vanished after an update. Re-check the sharing option or the USB filter; updates can reset VM settings.
• Discovery never finds the printer. Add it by IP address. If the VM is on NAT, that is expected behaviour, not a fault.