Printer is one of the peripherals that allows you to print the documents on your Mac. If the printer is not connected mac, it makes you more stressed & uncomfortable. In such situations, try to find the reasons of the printer is not connected mac. There are a several reasons which involved in the printer & mac connecting issue. The main factors are you may connected with the wrong printer, pausing the printer, dumping old print jobs, out of ink, etc. Here are the top fixes to get rid of the printer not connected mac.
Without delay, jump into this article.
#Tip 1: Look At Print Dialog Box
Once your print job fails, open the print dialog box by clicking command + P simultaneously. In the printer category, you can see the name of your printer with the nearby exclamatory(!) sign. It also shows the reason for print failure and here are the steps to fix it.
Choose the Right Printer:
A common cause of printers not connected mac is by choosing printers that do not exist on your mac laptop. Always select the right printer for printing, and ignore all the previously connected printers on the mac. Before printing in the printer, make sure you connect the right one by checking the printer settings. Or else, click command + P (simultaneously) to prompt the print dialog box. In the box, you could choose the printer which you intended to print.
Resume the Printer:
Once you pause the printer, it restricts you from printing until you resume. Use the following simple steps to resume the printer.
- Open any file you want to print
- Press command + P
- It prompts the message that the printer pauses
- Click resume to print again
If it doesn’t work, go to the queue of print jobs and find an error that causes the printer not connected mac.
#Tip 2: Check Print Queue
When you’re feeding the file to the printer, then it shows a trouble indication badge. However, the file remains in the dock, you could select the badge icon to view the file in the queue. If the file is missing, try another option to open print queue by following the steps below
- Open the Apple menu in the top left corner of your mac
- Go to system preferences(defaults and features) at the top
- In the list, click print & scan
- Tap on your printer name from the list of printers
- Then, open the print queue
Conditions that Pauses Printer:
The paper jamming inside the printer automatically pauses it while printing. Apart from that, you can manually pause the printer to stop misfeed files or when the load tray is empty. Sometimes you can accidentally pause the printer and forget to resume until you remember. It is only seen when you’ve stuck with the printer not connected mac.
Clear Old files on Printer:
Delete the old files from the queue to fix the printer not connected mac. It is essential to cancel the file from the queue when it is no longer available in the system. After deleting all old files, the printer works properly on your Mac again. Press the “X” sign at the end of the progress bar to delete the respective file.
#Tip3: Check for Printer:
After trying all solutions on the Mac, still you have not getting the solution for printer not connected mac, concentrate on your printer.
See Load Tray
You could load paper through the tray, which either automatically or manually feeds the paper for printing. Find out that there is any paper jam inside the printer before assigning a new file to print.
Verify the Printer is Active:
Double-check the printer’s power cable, and fix the cable correctly to the printer if you find a loose connection. No power supply can cause the printer not connected mac. Also, review all the other cables and connections which are properly fixed on the printer.
Turn On and Off the Printer:
First, switch off the printer by unplugging it from the power socket and then turn it on again. It would help to sort out the printer not connected mac, if the problem is mainly with the communication.
Check Cartridges:
The printer refuses to print files when it runs out of ink or it becomes empty. In some printer models, whose cartridges turn half-empty showing trouble indication signs. If any of the colour drains empty, you should refill such colour to fix the printer. However, printing the file only needs black ink(full), but there is less other colour ink that could prevent printing.
Check the status of ink filled in the cartridges by viewing the print queue. From the mac, open the printer menu to view preferences. Open the settings to resolve the printer not connected mac by troubleshooting the printer.
#Tip4: Update Printer Software
In the list of mac OS X software updates, there is a printer software update that you can use. Update the printer software by doing the steps given
- Open Apple menu
- Select software update
- Check for printer software update
Once you find the update, download and install it from the system updates on your mac. Try downloading it from your printer brand website when it isn’t available on system updates.
When updating the printer software is unsuccessful in fixing the printer not connected mac, there might be a problem with the software. Trying the above method can increase the chances for resolving printer software errors.
#Tip5: Remove and Add the Printer
Refer to the steps as mentioned below to delete and add the printer
- Open Apple menu
- Go to system preferences
- Click print&scan
In the row of connected printers, select your printer and tap on the (-) sign below to delete the printer. Check whether the printer is removed from the mac printer’s list.
Next, click “add printer” to scan the connected printers or nearby mac. Once you find the printer intended for print jobs, select and add it. (click the “+” icon). Or else, you can add the printer head in the deleted printers under the nearby printer option.
Connect by IP Address:
Printers with a self network connectivity should take a few more steps to connect with the mac. Such steps are given below
- Click the (+) sign below printers
- Tap on “add printer”
- It prompts the add window
- Click IP(on the top)
- In the column, type printer’s network address
Ignore Printer Sharing:
If you buy the printer model with “@” sign after the name, it enables the sharing system feature where you can share files via wifi. For this model printer, choose a different method for connecting to your mac. Adding this printer through the regular method allows you to print manually from the mac rather than printer sharing.
#Tip6: Follow Error Logs
Still no results, even after trying all solutions to fix the printer is not connected mac. Go to the “Print queue” application and click “Printer” to open the error log. There lists the reason for your print attempt failure based on diagnosing regular printer problems. For example, if you’ve not installed the ink cartridge properly, it records the activity and keeps it as a suggestion to say. All you need to do is, try all the suggested methods displayed in the error log.
#Tip7: Reset Printer
If all your problems with the printer not connected mac are still not resolved, it is the final step to follow. For the last time, go to print & scan from the Apple menu, and right-click on your printer name to open its contextual options. Click the reset printing system in the row of options.
This method would delete all the printers, faxes, scanners, and old files in the queue. In other words, it turns into the condition where you open the printer for the first time. It might be a loss for you, but fixing your printer not connected Mac is more crucial than losing old data. Use this method as a last resource for your printer issue.
Conclusion
I hope you get the answer for “why is the printer not connected mac?” The easiest ideas delivered in this article can work effectively on the printer issue. Some of the problems, such as connecting the wrong printer , printer pauses, dumping old files etc, you should follow each topic to sort them out. Unless all the methods fail to work on the issue of the printer not connected mac, try to replace it with the new printer.