
Have you recently bought a new printer and now you cannot connect it to your MacBook? Worry no more; we have it sorted for you. There are a few steps that the user needs to follow this and that will allow the user to access their printer for their printing works.
Table of Contents
Method 1: Connect Printer to Macbook Using IP Address
- Click on the ‘Apple‘ logo and select ‘System Preferences‘. From there, choose the ‘Printers and Scanners’ tab. The Printers and Scanners dialog box will open.

- In the Printers and Scanners dialog box, you will see the printers that have already been added to your device. To add a new printer, click on the ‘+’ sign on the bottom left of the dialog box.

- On choosing the ‘Add printer‘ option, a dialog box will pop up.

- In the Add dialog box that has just popped up, you will notice there are three ways to add the printer: ‘Default‘, ‘IP‘, or ‘Windows‘. Make your choice depending on your printer.

- You can now select your printer in the list shown. The name of the printer will be automatically filled. Then choose the printer’s use from the drop-down list under the Use tab.
- You can select your printer driver if you have it, or you can simply click on ‘Auto Select‘. Your computer will download the drivers the next time you boot it up.
- Click on the ‘Add‘ tab. Your printer will then be added to your MacBook. You are all set to print.
Method 2: Connect a Printer to a Macbook via Wi-Fi
If you have a wireless printer, try connecting it via Wi-Fi. In setting up the wireless printer on Mac, the most difficult thing is to connect your printer to Wi-Fi. Sometimes, you can do it by pressing only two buttons. The other times, it requires a bit more effort — it all depends on the type of printer and router you use. Here’s the easy way:
- Press a “Wi-Fi” button on your printer.
- Press a WPS button on your router.
- If that didn’t work, refer to the printer’s and router’s documentation for instructions.
Make sure you connect your printer to the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac. Once they are both connected, install printer on Mac
- Open System Preferences > Printers & Scanners .
- Click on the plus button to add your printer.
- Select the printer from the list.
- If you see AirPrint next to Use, it means your printer is AirPrint-enabled so you can connect it right away by clicking on Add.
- If your printer doesn’t support AirPrint, select your printer > Add > download printer drivers from Apple servers. The drivers should be downloaded automatically.

Method 3: Connect a Bluetooth printer to Macbook
If you have a Bluetooth-enabled printer, you can pair it with your Mac and start printing (just as you do with wireless headphones). Before you pair your printer, add it to your printer list:
- Make sure your Mac is running the latest macOS version (System Preferences > Software Update)
- Turn on your printer (refer to the documentation if you don’t know how to do it)
- Open System Preferences > Printers & Scanners.
- Click on the plus button and select your printer from the list > Add.
When you need to print something, click on the Bluetooth icon on Mac > Bluetooth Preferences and pair your printer. So, with the guides provided above, you can connect them with your Macbook without dropping a sweat.