Connect Any Printer to Your Mac in macOS Tahoe Without the Guesswork

Adding a printer to a Mac running macOS Tahoe takes about 90 seconds when everything cooperates. Open System Settings, click Printers & Scanners, and your AirPrint-compatible printer should appear automatically on the same Wi-Fi network. The complication is that macOS Tahoe introduced stricter Local Network privacy controls that silently block many printers from communicating with your Mac, and Apple’s own setup page does not mention this change. Knowing the basic steps is only half the equation. The other half is understanding which connection method actually fits your hardware and how to handle the privacy prompt that trips up most users after a Tahoe upgrade.

Which connection method matches your printer

macOS Tahoe supports four distinct paths to connect a printer: AirPrint over Wi-Fi, direct USB cable, manual IP address entry, and Bluetooth. The right choice depends on the printer sitting on your desk or across the room, not on personal preference. AirPrint is the default and the one Apple pushes hardest because it requires zero driver installation. When you add a printer through System Settings in macOS Tahoe, the operating system uses AirPrint to handle the connection automatically, pulling driver data from Apple’s servers rather than from a CD or manufacturer download. A wide range of brands support AirPrint natively, including Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, and Xerox.

USB remains the most reliable method when Wi-Fi is finicky or when your printer predates AirPrint. And IP address printing is the go-to for shared office or network printers that sit behind a static IP rather than broadcasting over Bonjour.

Set up an AirPrint printer over Wi-Fi

Make sure the printer is powered on, connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac, and not showing any error lights on its display panel. Open the System Settings app from the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen. Scroll down the left sidebar until you see Printers & Scanners and click it. If your printer supports AirPrint and sits on the same network, it will appear in the list automatically. Click the printer name, then click Add. macOS Tahoe handles the rest without asking you to download anything.

When the printer does not appear in the list, the problem is almost always network-related rather than software-related. Verify that both devices share the same Wi-Fi network, not just the same router. Dual-band routers often split 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz into separate networks, and many printers only connect to 2.4 GHz. Check your printer’s network settings screen or printed configuration page to confirm it landed on the right band.

Connect a USB printer when Wi-Fi is not an option

Plug the printer’s USB cable into your Mac and the printer should appear in System Settings under Printers & Scanners within a few seconds. Click Add to install it. On any Mac released after 2016, there is a physical gap to solve first: every port on the machine is USB-C or Thunderbolt, and the vast majority of consumer printers still ship with a USB Type-A cable. That flat, rectangular connector does not fit into the oval USB-C port.

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A USB-C hub with USB-A ports solves this mismatch permanently rather than requiring a single-purpose dongle that only handles one cable at a time. The Anker 547 USB-C Hub sits flush against the side of a MacBook, adding two USB-A data ports alongside HDMI, SD, microSD, and a pass-through USB-C charging port. The USB-A ports run at 5 Gbps, which is far more bandwidth than any printer needs. For a Mac Mini M4 workstation or a MacBook Air that serves as the house print server, the hub keeps the printer connection stable while freeing the remaining port for other peripherals. The build feels solid, and the hinge mechanism clicks into position without wobbling, though on certain MacBook models the hub lifts the chassis about a millimeter off the desk surface.

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Once the hub is connected and the printer cable is plugged into one of the USB-A ports, macOS Tahoe should detect the printer automatically. If it does not appear in Printers & Scanners, open the Add Printer dialog, click the Default tab, and wait ten seconds for discovery to complete. Older printers that lack AirPrint drivers may require you to select the correct driver manually from the Use dropdown. Choose your printer model from the list, or select Generic PostScript Printer as a last resort.

Add a network printer by IP address

Office printers and high-end laser printers often sit on a wired Ethernet connection with a static IP address rather than broadcasting over AirPrint. To add one in macOS Tahoe, open System Settings, go to Printers & Scanners, and click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax. In the dialog that appears, click the globe icon at the top to switch to the IP tab.

Enter the printer’s IP address in the Address field. For protocol, start with AirPrint if your printer supports it. If not, try IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) next. Leave the Queue field blank unless your IT department specifies otherwise. Give the printer a descriptive name so you can identify it in the print dialog, and click Add.

If you do not know the printer’s IP address, check the printer’s own display menu. Most network printers have a Network or TCP/IP settings page that shows the current address. You can also print a configuration page from the printer itself, which usually lists the IP near the top.

How each method stacks up at a glance

Here is a quick comparison of the four printer connection methods available in macOS Tahoe, ranked by ease of setup and reliability.

The macOS Tahoe privacy wall that blocks your printer

This is the step Apple does not flag during setup, and it catches more people than any cable mismatch. macOS Tahoe added a Local Network permission layer under System Settings that blocks apps and printer software from discovering devices on your network unless you explicitly allow it. When you upgrade from macOS Sequoia or earlier, those permissions are not carried forward. Your printer might be online, discoverable, and fully functional on every other device in the house, yet invisible to your Mac.

Open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, then scroll down to Local Network. Look for your printer’s companion app in the list. HP Smart, Canon PRINT Inkjet, Epson iPrint, and Brother iPrint&Scan are the most common. If the toggle next to the app is off, flip it on and restart the app. Your printer should reappear in the Printers & Scanners list within seconds.

If the companion app does not appear in the Local Network list at all, open the app once. macOS Tahoe generates the permission prompt the first time an app attempts to access the local network. Dismiss or accept the prompt, then go back to Privacy & Security to confirm the toggle is enabled.

Reset the printing system as a last resort

When nothing else works, macOS Tahoe lets you wipe the entire printer configuration and start fresh. Open System Settings, click Printers & Scanners, then Control-click (or right-click) anywhere in the printers list on the right side. Select Reset printing system from the context menu. This removes all configured printers, clears the print queue, and resets CUPS (the underlying print server macOS uses behind the scenes). After the reset, re-add your printer using whichever method applies.

A printing system reset also fixes ghost jobs stuck in the queue, printers that show as offline when they are clearly powered on, and the occasional driver conflict that surfaces after a Tahoe point update like macOS Tahoe 26.3. If your Mac is running slower than expected, a stuck print spooler is worth investigating before blaming the processor.

Accessibility and clarity for printer setup

The Printers & Scanners pane in macOS Tahoe System Settings works well with VoiceOver. Each printer in the list is announced by name and status, and the Add Printer dialog labels its tabs (Default, IP, Windows) with accessible names that VoiceOver reads correctly. The Add button and Use dropdown both respond to keyboard navigation, so the entire setup can be completed without a mouse or trackpad.

For users with motor limitations, the Wi-Fi and AirPrint path is the most accessible because it eliminates the physical act of connecting cables. USB setup requires handling a cable and potentially a hub, which involves fine motor coordination around small ports. The IP method requires manual text entry but supports paste, so you can type or dictate the address into Notes first and paste it into the Address field.

Instructions in this guide use spatial and textual descriptions rather than color references. When the guide says "click the globe icon at the top of the Add Printer dialog," it describes position and shape rather than relying on visual distinction alone. All printer status indicators in macOS Tahoe are accompanied by text labels (Idle, Printing, Offline) in addition to color dots, making the interface readable for users with color vision deficiency.

Quick-action checklist for adding any printer to your Mac

1. Confirm your Mac is running macOS Tahoe (Apple menu, then About This Mac)
2. Open System Settings from the Apple menu in the top-left corner
3. Click Printers & Scanners in the left sidebar
4. For Wi-Fi printers: verify both devices are on the same network, then click the printer name and click Add
5. For USB printers: connect a USB-C hub with USB-A ports, plug in the printer cable, wait for detection, then click Add
6. For IP printers: click Add Printer, click the globe icon (IP tab), enter the IP address, select AirPrint or IPP protocol, then click Add
7. If the printer does not appear: go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Local Network, and enable access for your printer app
8. If all else fails: Control-click in the Printers & Scanners list, select Reset printing system, then re-add the printer