Printing Troubleshooting

macOS Sierra: Printing troubleshooting

If you’re having trouble printing, first try these suggestions:

  • If your printer is connected to your Mac, make sure it’s firmly connected, plugged into an electrical outlet, and turned on.

  • If the printer is on the network, make sure your Mac and the printer are still on the same network, the printer is turned on, and the network isn’t experiencing problems. If the network has multiple printers, check which printer you chose—it may be different from the one you think you chose.

  • If you use a shared printer connected to another Mac, make sure the Mac has Mac OS X v10.5 or later, isn’t in sleep, and has sharing turned on. For more information, see Share your printer.

  • If your printer is connected to your computer’s USB port, open System Information, then click USB. If the printer’s name appears in the hardware list but the printer doesn’t work, review the printer’s documentation for further troubleshooting information or see Check your device’s USB connection.

If you still can’t print, see the additional troubleshooting information below.

Try to resume printing

Click the printer’s icon in the Dock to open the printer’s queue window.

  • If you see the Resume button in the toolbar, the printer is paused. Click the Resume button.

  • If another job is holding up the queue because of an error, select that job, then click the small Delete Job button on the right (marked with an X).

  • If an individual print job in the list is paused, select it, then click the Resume Job button on the right (marked with a curved arrow).

If you don’t see your print job in the printer’s queue, you may have printed to a different printer. Check the queue windows for other printers, or try printing again, making sure you choose the correct printer.

To check the print queue for other printers, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners. Select a printer in the list, then click Open Print Queue.

Try to print from another app

  • Try printing from another app, such as TextEdit. If the problem occurs only in one app, review that app’s documentation for further troubleshooting information.

Check the printer

Go to the printer and check the following:

  • It’s turned on and is displaying normal status lights.

  • It has paper, and the paper isn’t jammed.

  • It has enough ink or toner.

  • Its cables are properly connected.

Add the printer again to create a new printer queue

  • If the printer is on the network, open Printers & Scanners preferences (choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners). Then, add the printer again to create a new printer queue.

    If you can print to the newly added printer queue, delete the old printer queue.

If you can’t add the printer because it doesn’t appear in the list of available printers, it may be turned off, or your Mac may be on a different network now. If the printer was shared by another user, the user may have stopped sharing it, or the user’s Mac may be offline. If you don’t manage the printer, ask the person who does for help.

Check the network

Open Network Diagnostics, then follow the instructions to make sure you’re connected to the network.

  • If you’re using a Wi-Fi network and there are multiple Wi-Fi networks available, your Mac and the printer might be on different networks. Open the Wi-Fi menu in the menu bar, then try choosing a different network.

  • To see if the printer you want to use is on the same network as your Mac, open Printers & Scanners preferences (choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners), then click the Add button . If the printer doesn’t appear in the list of available printers, your Mac might be on a different network.

    If you know the printer’s IP address (for example, 192.168.1.100), you can try adding it as an IP printer. For more information, see Add or remove a printer.

  • If your printer is connected to an AirPort Time Capsule or AirPort base station, disconnect your printer from the AirPort Time Capsule or base station, then reconnect it.

Make sure you have the latest software

If your printer doesn’t support AirPrint, make sure you have the correct version of your printer’s software (also called its printer driver).

  • If you’re using a printer that another user is sharing, make sure you’re both using the same version of the printer software. To find out which version you’re using, open Printers & Scanners preferences (choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners). Select the printer in Printers & Scanners preferences, click Options & Supplies, then click General. Note the driver version.

  • If you’re using a network printer or a printer connected to your Mac, make sure you have the latest version of the software for the printer. If you still have problems, try different printer software for your printer.

If you’re using an AirPrint-enabled printer, you can check with the manufacturer to see if there’s a firmware update for your printer model.

Replace a corrupted printer queue window

R.W. Sanders