Wi-Fi Direct Printing Setup: Print Without a Router

Wi-Fi Direct printing setup lets a phone, tablet or laptop print to a printer without any router in between. The printer creates its own small Wi-Fi network, usually named something starting with “DIRECT-”, your device joins it, and you print as normal. It is useful in a home with no Wi-Fi, in a holiday rental, for a visitor who should not join your main network, or simply as a backup when the home network is down.

For everyday printing from several devices, putting the printer on your home network is still the better choice; see the wireless printer setup guide. Wi-Fi Direct is the tool for everything else.

How Wi-Fi Direct differs from normal Wi-Fi printing

	Home Wi-Fi printing	Wi-Fi Direct
Needs a router	Yes	No
Device keeps internet access	Yes	Usually not, while connected to the printer
Number of devices	Any on the network	A few at once, depending on model
Range	Anywhere the Wi-Fi reaches	Close to the printer
Setup effort	Once, for the whole house	Each device joins the printer’s network

Step 1: switch on Wi-Fi Direct on the printer

• Printers with a screen: look for a Wi-Fi Direct icon on the home screen, or go to Settings, Network or Wireless, then Wi-Fi Direct. Switch it On.
• Printers without a screen: many have a Wi-Fi Direct button or a button combination that turns it on and prints an information page. The manual lists the exact steps.

Some printers offer a connection method setting: Automatic lets any device connect when it knows the password, Manual makes you confirm each new device on the printer’s panel. Manual is a little more secure.

Step 2: find the network name and password

The Wi-Fi Direct details are shown in the same menu (sometimes under Details or Show password), or printed on a Wi-Fi Direct or network information page. The network name often looks like DIRECT-xx-PrinterModel. Keep the password; you can change it in the same menu if you need to.

Step 3: connect your device

iPhone or iPad

1. Open Settings, Wi-Fi, and tap the DIRECT network.
2. Enter the password.
3. Open what you want to print, tap Share, Print, and choose the printer. AirPrint works over Wi-Fi Direct exactly as over home Wi-Fi; see print from iPhone.

Android

On most phones you do not need to join the network manually. Open the print preview, tap Select a printer, then All printers, and pick the printer listed with Wi-Fi Direct. Android connects for the print job. If it is not listed, join the DIRECT network in Wi-Fi settings first. More in our Android printing guide.

Windows 11

1. Join the DIRECT network from the Wi-Fi icon on the taskbar, entering the password.
2. Open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners and select Add device. The printer appears and installs with the built-in driver. Full details in add a printer in Windows 11.

Windows 11 may also list Wi-Fi Direct printers directly in Add device without joining the network first; in that case select it and follow the prompts.

Mac

1. Join the DIRECT network from the Wi-Fi menu in the menu bar.
2. Open System Settings, Printers & Scanners, Add Printer, Scanner or Fax, and select the printer. See add a printer on Mac.

Step 4: reconnect to your normal network afterwards

While a device is on the printer’s DIRECT network it usually has no internet access. When you finish printing, switch the phone or laptop back to your normal Wi-Fi. Phones often do this on their own once you move away from the printer.

Wi-Fi Direct as a stopgap after a router change

If a laptop needs to print and stay online at the same time, a phone hotspot can be the better stopgap; see how to connect a printer to a phone hotspot.

Wi-Fi Direct does not depend on your router, which makes it useful at an awkward moment: when you have replaced the router, changed the Wi-Fi password or moved house, and the printer has not been reconnected yet. The printer drops off the home network, but its DIRECT network keeps working, so you can still print something urgent from a phone or laptop.

On many models it can also help you finish the move:

1. Join the printer’s DIRECT network from a laptop or phone.
2. Find the printer’s Wi-Fi Direct IP address, shown in the Wi-Fi Direct menu or on the information page.
3. Type that address into a browser to open the printer’s built-in web page, and look for the wireless or network settings.
4. Choose the new home network and enter its password, then switch your device back to home Wi-Fi.

Not every printer offers wireless setup through its web page, and some ask for an admin password printed on a label or the information page. If yours does not, use the printer’s own menu, the maker’s app or WPS instead. Our guide to connecting a printer to a new Wi-Fi network covers each route, and once the printer is back on home Wi-Fi you can leave Wi-Fi Direct on as a backup or switch it off.

Common Wi-Fi Direct problems

• The DIRECT network does not appear. Wi-Fi Direct may have switched off after a timeout on some models; turn it on again. Stand closer to the printer.
• The password is rejected. Check whether the printer generated a new password after a reset, and look it up again.
• The phone keeps leaving the DIRECT network. Phones sometimes drop networks without internet. Confirm “stay connected” if the phone asks, or print immediately after connecting.
• Too many devices. Disconnect a device you no longer need, or move everyone onto home Wi-Fi.

Security tips

Treat the Wi-Fi Direct password like any Wi-Fi password. Switch Wi-Fi Direct off if you never use it, change its password if visitors have used it, and prefer the Manual connection method in shared spaces. If you would rather use a cable, Ethernet setup avoids wireless altogether.