Print documents on your Mac
On your Mac, you can set up a printer and print from almost any app using a simple keyboard shortcut—Command + P. Your Mac also supports AirPrint, which lets you print wirelessly to compatible printers without installing any software. And even if you don’t have a printer, you can save a document as a PDF.
Tip: Before you start to print, you need to have a printer set up to work with your Mac. See Before you begin below for more information on how to set up a printer by connecting it with a cable, or how to print wirelessly with AirPrint.
Print a document Send any document to your printer from any app. | Save as PDF Save any document as a PDF — no printer needed. |
Before you begin
To print a document, you first need to set up your printer to work with your Mac. You may need to connect the printer to your Mac with a cable or you may be able to print wirelessly, if your printer supports AirPrint. When you set up your printer with your Mac, refer to the documentation that came with your printer.
If you have a printer that connects to your Mac:
Use a cable to connect the printer to your Mac. If your printer didn’t come with a cable, or you don’t have the cable the printer came with, refer to the documentation that came with your printer to understand what type of cable to use. You may also need an adapter to connect the cable to a port on your Mac. Typically, you connect a printer to a USB-A, USB-C, Thunderbolt, or Ethernet port on your Mac—depending on the printer, the cable, and the ports on your Mac. If you’re not sure what port to use on your Mac, or what ports you have, see the Apple Support article Identify the ports on your Mac.
You need to install the software—called the driver—that allows the printer to work with your Mac. Typically, you can find the driver on the printer manufacturer’s website. Sometimes you can also find the driver when you add the printer in System Settings.
If you have a printer that can work wirelessly with your Mac:
Set up your AirPrint printer on the same network as your Mac. Refer to the documentation that came with your printer to see how to add it to a network.
To see if your printer supports AirPrint, refer to the documentation that came with your printer or see the Apple Support article About AirPrint.
To learn more, see Add a printer.
Print a document
To print a document, open it in any app, then press Command + P. The Print dialog opens, where you can choose your printer, set the number of copies, and select which pages to print. Click Print when you’re ready.
You can make choices when printing, like adjusting paper size and orientation, choosing color or black and white (assuming your printer supports color), and if you want to print double-sided. See Choose print options.
After you click Print, you can check the status of the print job. Click the printer icon that appears in the Dock while printing. You can pause or cancel
print jobs from there.
Save as PDF
You can save any document as a PDF from any app that supports printing — no PDF software required. To save a document as a PDF, press Command + P to open the Print dialog, click the PDF button in the bottom-left corner, name the document, then click Save. (If you click the pop-up menu
next to PDF, choose Save as PDF, then name the document and click Save.)
PDFs saved this way look exactly as they would when printed. They can be shared, opened in Preview, and viewed on other devices, like an iPhone or iPad.
Want to learn more?
Preview a file Read, annotate, and sign PDFs in the Preview app. | Keyboard shortcuts Learn the shortcuts that speed up everyday tasks. | Organize your files Keep your documents organized in the Finder. |
Or if you’re ready for something new, learn how to share documents, customize the wallpaper on your desktop, or use the Notification Center.