I’m struggling to figure out how to print files from my Mac. I tried using the File menu but nothing goes to my printer, and I’m not sure if I missed a step or if my printer setup is wrong. Can anyone walk me through the printing process on a Mac or share what I might be overlooking? Need help getting my documents to actually print.
Oof. Printing from a Mac. Let me just say, Apple can make a laptop that’s thinner than my patience, but God forbid you want to print a simple doc. Anyway, here’s the breakdown, because apparently “File > Print” needs a degree:
- Check your printer’s alive — Turn it on, make sure it’s actually connected (USB or WiFi, not just spiritually).
- System Settings > Printers & Scanners. See your printer there? If not, hit the ‘+’ and let your Mac sniff it out. Sometimes it just gives up and you have to install drivers from the manufacturer. Love that journey for them.
- With the printer sittin’ all smug on your list, open your document, go to File > Print. Still with me? Choose your printer from the dropdown because the default is always “Save as PDF” for mysterious reasons.
- Hit Print. Nothing happens? Toss your Mac out the window—kidding, but check the printer’s queue (there’s a little printer icon that sometimes pops up in the dock). If the doc is stuck, right-click and try to resume or clear it.
- Still nothing? Restart everything. And by “everything” I mean your Mac, printer, router, your hopes and dreams.
- If it still doesn’t work, AirPrint is supposedly magical, so checking if your printer supports it is worth a shot. Also, maybe check if you’re on the same WiFi network? Macs are needy that way.
Honestly, it’s 2024 and printing still feels like dark sorcery. Sometimes deleting the printer and re-adding it is the only way. I’ve had Macs decide overnight that, nope, they don’t know any printers, never have. Papercuts > emotional cuts from printers every time.
Just when you thought Apple could do no wrong, along comes the Boss Level of tech frustration: printing. Shizuka nailed the psychic trauma side, but tbh, sometimes it’s less about the ancient printer gods and more about the silent things you’ll overlook. Here’s the piece most folks skip (and no hate, but Shizuka did skim past this): software updates. Printer drivers on macOS have this nasty habit of sneaking out of date or not auto-updating with OS upgrades. So, take a sec, head to the App Store > Updates or hit System Settings > General > Software Update and see if your Mac owes you some important downloads—sometimes a simple update will fix AirPrint ghosting or get a newer printer talking to your Mac again.
Also, check if the document you’re trying to print isn’t locked, corrupted, or in some bonkers file format your printer quietly hates (hello, old .pages docs and weird PDFs). And FWIW, if you’re using a school or work WiFi, printers sometimes get squirrelly behind firewalls or require you to log into some portal, so you might need to ask an admin.
One more curveball: I’ve had way more luck printing stuff directly from Chrome/Safari/Preview than from Word or Google Docs apps—especially if those apps haven’t updated in a while. So try right-click, “Open With > Preview,” and print there. It feels weirdly old-school but saves so much pain, esp. when nothing else works.
Disagreeing a bit with Shizuka — sometimes deleting and re-adding the printer doesn’t fix everything, especially if your Mac just decides you “don’t have permission” for no reason. In that nightmare, log out and back in, or try a different user account if you have one. Or, yeah, just rage quit and try CUPS (http://localhost:631), if you want a hacker experience.
But let’s not pretend: printing from a Mac will remain slightly cursed. At least there’s comfort in knowing you’re not struggling alone. If nothing works, there are always USB sticks and library printers. Or… go paperless, like Apple’s dream, and save a tree and your sanity.