Printer Not Working on Mac? Add It, Update It, or Reset the Print System

Your printer won’t print from your Mac, prints blank pages, or doesn’t show up in the printer list at all.

Why: On a Mac, printing problems usually come down to one of three things — the printer isn’t added (or fell off the list), the print driver/software is out of date, or the printing system itself is in a stuck state. Work them in that order.

Fix 1: Make sure the printer is added and on the same network

1. Power the printer on and confirm it’s connected — on the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac, or plugged in by USB.
2. Apple menu > System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
3. If your printer isn’t listed, click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax….
4. Wait a minute for the printer to appear in the dialog, select it, then click Add.

If it doesn’t appear, it’s likely turned off, asleep, or your Mac switched to a different network.

Fix 2: Clear stuck jobs and resume the queue

A single stuck job blocks everything behind it.

1. In Printers & Scanners, click your printer, then click Printer Queue… (or Open Print Queue).
2. Delete any stuck or errored jobs (click the X next to each).
3. If the printer shows Paused, click Resume.
4. Try printing a test page.

Fix 3: Update the printer software

An outdated or missing driver causes blank pages, garbled output, or “printer not responding.”

1. System Settings > General > Software Update — install any updates (Apple delivers many printer drivers this way).
2. If problems remain, check your printer manufacturer’s website for the latest macOS driver for your exact model and install it.

Fix 4: Reset the printing system (last resort)

When nothing else works, reset wipes the print configuration clean.

1. System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
2. Control-click (right-click) the printer in the Printers list on the right and choose Reset Printing System (if no printers are listed, Control-click the empty list).
3. Confirm. The printer list is now empty.
4. Re-add your printer using Fix 1.

FAQ

The printer used to work and now won’t appear. It’s probably off, asleep, or your Mac is on a different network — check Fix 1; if it still won’t show, reset the printing system (Fix 4) and re-add it.

It prints blank or garbled pages. That’s almost always the driver — do Fix 3 (update software).

Reset Printing System deleted all my printers — is that normal? Yes. A reset intentionally empties the list; just re-add each printer (Fix 1).

Sources: Apple Support — Solve printing problems on Mac, Apple Support — Reset the printing system on your Mac to solve a problem