Printer Not Showing Upon Mac: Here Some Troubleshooting Tips

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Last Updated - January 16, 2024

Printer Not Showing Upon Mac: Here Some Troubleshooting Tips

printer not showing up on mac

At certain times, you can face issues in printing when your Printer is connected to a Mac. There can be various reasons behind this trouble like the Printer cable is not accurate, network issues, the incompatible Mac version, sharing device problems, and many more. You have to figure out the problem relating to your concern for the Printer Not Showing Up On Mac. You will have to act accordingly to resolve it. Here we will be discussing various factors and their solutions leading to this problem.

How do I get my Mac to recognize my printer?

Cables Used for Connections

The main reason why your Printer Not Showing Up On Mac is the connection problem. You are not inserting the cables connecting your Mac Computer and the Printer properly into the slot. In this case, the Mac computer will not recognize the Printer, and it will not show up.

Connect the cables properly and tightly to both devices. You can also check it on your Mac system by troubleshooting whether the cable connections are there correspond to the ports or not.

After proper connection of the cables, there arises an issue that ‘Printer Not Showing Up On Mac’. Then you can change the port and try for the other ports.  Check if it shows a connection on different ports.

After changing the ports, the problem still arises when you have to check it by changing the cable. There may be a possibility that your wire is damaged. Now check if your Mac Computer recognizes the Printer or not.

Software related issue

You must ensure that you install the right Printer on your computer. For this, you have to do the troubleshooting to make sure that you are working with the correct Printer software. Different Printer uses different software, so it is necessary to select the right Printer software according to your Mac computer.

Issues related to Application or Driver

If you experience any issues, then there is a possibility that there is a problem with your drivers or applications. You have to update the software programs and the driver from time to time. If not, this could be the reason that the Printer Not Showing Up On Mac. So there is a need to update your software timely and periodically. You can check the latest version of your software online and update it accordingly. You must only follow the developer’s website for updating your software as it is malware-free and secure to use.

If there is any update appearing on the website, then you must apply the update as soon as possible. Updation will help overcome any problem so that there can be no reason for the Printer Not show up On Mac.

Related: Fix mac unable to communicate with printer

Problem-related to Network:

The communication is missing between the Mac Computer and the Printer if there is some network problem or low network. In this case, the system will not find the Printer and lead to “Printer Not Showing Up On Mac”.

Apart from this, you must enable web browsing and file sharing option, to efficiently work with the Printer. It leads to miscommunication between the Printer and the system.  The Apple Talk is in an active state for proper communication.

If you are communicating wirelessly, and still you are facing any problem in communication. Then you can try for the wired connection by connecting the Printer and the Mac Computer through a cable.

Checking for a Print Queue

There can be a chance that all the printing jobs are in a queue and there is a problem in printing a current task. Due to this, all the other printing task are at a halt until the current completes. Another situation is that the printing gets failed. And the user gives an anonymous request to the Printer even if the job is failing.  It is also a big reason that the Printer Not Showing Up On Mac.

To resolve this issue, the user has to print all the current printing jobs in the queue. Now after deleting all the printing jobs, if the problem still appears.  It can also be because of the ink level of the Printer. The ink level must be such that it can compensate for the printing task assign to it.

Another reason for this can be the bad paper quality you are using. There is a certain level to which you must specify the paper quality. Low paper quality will not allow printing.

The connection between the Printer and the Power Supply

There are times when the user forgets to switch ON the Printer and give the printing command. So if the Printer is not ON, then the computer will not be able to recognize it. It can be a reason that the Printer Not Showing Up On Mac. You can predict this with the LED light. If the LED light glows, then the Printer is ON. If the LED light does not blink, then the Printer is OFF. Also, check that the Printer must meet the minimum power supply for its running. Sometimes, there is not enough power supply that can meet the requirement of the computer. In this case, you have to check the power supply and try again to connect it with the accurate power supply.

Related: Fix brother scanner not connecting to computer

Using Shared Printer

Sometimes you are using a shared Printer that is connects corresponding to more than one Mac Computers. In this case, you must install macOS 0.5 or later on your computer. Also, make sure that your Mac system is not in sleep mode and also its sharing is turn ON. Sharing the Printer can lead to an overload of printing task and collision of a particular job, due to which the user can acknowledge the issue Printer Not Showing Up On Mac. We mainly prefer sharing while working in an office or home Printer where we are working locally. Try to connect the Printer only to one system and perform your printing task successfully without any overload on the Printer.

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Toby Shepard

Toby Shepard

Greetings, I am Toby, a DIY enthusiast, blogger, and a self-proclaimed printer geek! My love for printers has led me to offer readers the information they can use to fix any printing problems without having to make a call to a technician. Some would say my house is flooded with countless printer models as I spend most of my time comparing top printer brands and sharing my insights on them. When I am not tinkering with printers at my home, I like to travel and go on hikes.

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