Remove a Printer from a Mac and Add It Back Cleanly

There are good reasons to remove a printer from a Mac: you replaced the printer, the old one moved to a new network address, a duplicate keeps appearing in print dialogs, or a printer stopped working and you want to add it back fresh. macOS makes the first part quick. This guide covers removing one printer, cleaning up duplicates, the Reset Printing System option and adding the printer back so it stays reliable.

Remove one printer

Apple’s steps for current macOS:

1. Choose Apple menu, System Settings, then click Printers & Scanners in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
2. Control-click the printer in the Printers list.
3. Choose Remove Printer, then click Remove Printer again to confirm.

On older Macs with System Preferences (macOS Monterey and earlier), open Printers & Scanners, select the printer on the left and click the minus button.

Any jobs still waiting for that printer are cancelled, so let them finish first.

Clear out duplicates

The same printer often appears more than once: once added over USB and once over Wi-Fi, once as AirPrint and once with the maker’s driver, or with a “(2)” after the name. Each copy may point at a different connection or an old IP address, so jobs sent to the wrong one can sit in the queue forever.

Click each entry and look at its details (Kind and Location, or the connection shown in Options & Supplies). Keep the one you want, usually the AirPrint or network entry, and remove the rest. If you are changing a USB printer to Wi-Fi, our guide to changing a printer from USB to wireless covers the order.

Rename instead of removing

If the only problem is a confusing name, you do not need to remove anything. Apple’s guide says you can click the printer in the Printers list and type a new Name or Location, for example “Upstairs Laser”. That information also appears to others on your network.

Reset Printing System: the last resort

Apple’s troubleshooting guide offers one more drastic step for when nothing else works. It warns that this deletes all printers, completed print jobs and printer presets, and that you will need to add your printers again afterwards.

1. Open System Settings, then Printers & Scanners.
2. Control-click anywhere in the Printers list. If the list is empty, Control-click the empty area.
3. Choose Reset Printing System and confirm.
4. Add your printers again.

Write down any custom presets first (for example a saved two-sided or photo preset in the Print dialog), because they are deleted too.

Maker software and drivers

Removing a printer in System Settings does not uninstall drivers or apps. Many current printers do not need any: Apple says AirPrint printers work without installing additional drivers. If you installed a maker’s full software package and no longer use it, download the uninstaller from the maker’s support page or use the uninstaller in the maker’s folder in Applications. Do not delete system folders by hand.

Add the printer back

1. In Printers & Scanners, click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.
2. Select the printer from the list. If the Use menu offers AirPrint, choose it; it is usually the most reliable option and needs no driver.
3. Click Add.

If the printer is not listed, add it by IP address from the IP tab. Apple lists the supported protocols there: AirPrint, HP Jetdirect (Socket), LPD and IPP. Newer macOS versions also include a Print Center app; Apple’s guide notes you can choose Printer and then Add Printer from its menu bar. Our Mac printer setup guide walks through each method, and our guide to finding a printer’s IP address helps if the printer has moved.

Before you reset: try these first

Apple’s troubleshooting guide lists gentler checks, and they fix most problems without wiping every printer:

• Is the printer on the same network? If it does not appear in the list of available printers, Apple notes it may be turned off or your Mac may now be on a different network. Check both are on the same Wi-Fi name.
• Is it a shared printer? If another Mac shares it, that Mac must be awake and still sharing. If you do not manage the printer, ask the person who does.
• Has its address changed? A printer added by IP address stops working if the router gives it a new one. Remove that entry and add the printer again, then reserve the address in the router; our printer on mesh Wi-Fi guide shows how on a typical mesh app.
• Is the queue paused? Open the printer’s queue from Printers & Scanners and resume it if it is paused.

Command line option

macOS uses the CUPS printing system, so the Terminal command lpadmin -x followed by the queue name also removes a printer, and lpstat -p lists queue names. Most people will not need this, but it helps when managing several Macs. Our Linux command line printer guide explains the CUPS commands.

Note your presets first

Apple warns that Reset Printing System deletes all printers and printer presets. Removing a single printer can also make presets saved for that printer disappear from the Presets menu. If you rely on presets for two-sided or black-and-white printing, write down their settings before you remove anything, then save them again afterwards. Our guide to saving print presets on a Mac shows how, and why a preset saved for All Printers survives a printer change better than one tied to a single printer.

When the printer reappears with a different name

After re-adding, macOS may show the printer under a slightly different name, for example with the model number or a suffix if an old entry still exists. That matters for presets and for apps that remember the last printer used. Remove leftovers first, then add the printer once, and rename it in Printers & Scanners if you want a friendlier name. If the printer moved to a new router or network in the meantime, our guides to connecting a printer to a new Wi-Fi network and printer WPA3 Wi-Fi setup cover the network side.

Set the default and test

Apple’s guide covers the default too: in Printers & Scanners, use the Default printer pop-up menu to choose a printer, or choose Last Printer Used. Then print a test page to confirm the new entry works.

Other devices

If you also use the printer from Windows or a phone, they may still point at the old address. See remove a printer in Windows 11 and print from iPhone. If the printer is on a new router, follow connect a printer to a new Wi-Fi network first, then add it back on every device.