Set up Your Laptop to Print Wirelessly

As more and more printers support network connections, printing wirelessly has become easier than ever. If you can connect the printer directly to your network, you'll be able to easily print to it from both Windows and Mac laptops. If you don't have a network printer, you can still install it on a computer and then share it with your laptop with relative ease.

Steps

Before You Start

  1. Check your printer. If you want to print wirelessly from your laptop, you have two basic options when it comes to installing a printer: You can either install a network printer that connects directly to your home network, or you can share a printer that is connected to another computer on your network. The option you choose will likely be dictated by the connections that your printer supports, as well as your home network setup.
    • Most modern printers will connect to your home's wireless network. Some network printers can only connect via Ethernet cable. Older printers or budget printers will likely need to be connected to a computer via USB and then shared on the network.
  2. Examine your network and needs. Printers that are connected directly to the network can typically be easily accessed by both Windows and Mac laptops. Printers that are connected to a computer and then shared on the network are easily accessed by computers running the same operating system family (Windows-to-Windows or Mac-to-Mac), but get a little trickier when sharing across operating systems. Since it requires fairly different steps, Install-a-Network-Printer.
    • Installing the printer directly to the network is almost always the better choice if possible. Not only does it allow for easier connectivity, but it also means that the printer is constantly available. If you are sharing a printer that's connected to another computer, that computer will need to be turned on in order to access the printer.

Printing to a Network Printer

  1. Connect your printer to your home network. The process for this will vary from printer to printer.
    • If you are connecting your printer via Ethernet, connect the Ethernet port on the printer to an open port on your router or network switch. This is typically all you'll need to do for an Ethernet printer.
    • If you are connecting a wireless printer, you'll need to use the printer's display screen to connect to your wireless network. You'll need to select your wireless SSID (network name) and enter the password if it is secured. The exact process will vary depending on the printer, so refer to your documentation for exact instructions.
  2. Connect to the network printer (Windows). Once the printer is installed on the network, you can connect to it from your laptop. These instructions work for all versions of Windows.
    • Open the Control Panel. You can access it from the Start menu. Windows 8 users can press the ⊞ Win key and type "control panel".
    • Select "Devices and Printers" or "View devices and printers".
    • Click Add a printer.
    • Select "Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer". Windows 8 users will not need to select anything.
    • Select your network printer from the list of available printers. Follow the prompts to install the drivers automatically. If Windows cannot find the correct drivers, you may need to download the from the printer manufacturer's support site.
  3. Connect to the network printer (Mac). Once the printer is installed on the network, you can connect to it from your laptop. These instructions work for all versions of OS X. Note that the network printer must support AirPrint or Bonjour (nearly all modern network printers do).
    • Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences".
    • Select the "Print & Scan" option from the System Preferences menu.
    • Click and hold the "+" button at the bottom of the list of installed printers.
    • Select your network printer from the list of nearby printers. If your printer isn't listed, you may need to download the software from the printer manufacturer's support site first.
    • Click the Download & Install button if it appears. While OS X comes with the software for most printers already installed, your printer may require additional software from Apple. If it does, you will be prompted to download it after adding the printer.
  4. Print to your newly-installed printer. Once the network printer has been added to your operating system, you can print to it just like you would if the printer was connected directly to the laptop. Open the "Print" dialog in any program and select the network printer from the list to print to it.

Sharing a Printer Between Windows Computers

  1. Install the printer on the computer that will be sharing it. Since the computer will need to be on whenever you want to print, you should install it on a desktop computer that is frequently turned on.
    • Most printers can be installed by simply plugging them in via USB. Refer to your printer's documentation if you are having difficulty installing the printer on the computer that will be sharing it.
  2. Create HomeGroup (Windows 7 and later). If all of the computers on your network are running Windows 7 or later, you can use the HomeGroup feature to quickly and easily share your printer. If you are using Windows Vista or XP, skip down to Step 5 of this section.
    • Create a HomeGroup on the computer sharing the printer. You can access the HomeGroup menu from the Control Panel. Click the Create a homegroup button to set up a new HomeGroup.
    • Follow the prompts to set up the HomeGroup. When asked what you want to share, make sure that "Printers & Devices" is set to "Shared".
    • Copy down the password that appears.
  3. Connect to the HomeGroup on your laptop. Now that the HomeGroup has been enabled, you can connect to it on your laptop.
    • Open the HomeGroup menu in the Control Panel on the laptop.
    • Click the Join now button and enter the password.
    • Follow the prompts to finish setting up the HomeGroup connection. You will be given the option to pick what you want to share, but this isn't necessary for connecting to the shared printer.
  4. Print to the shared printer. Now that your laptop is connected to the HomeGroup, you'll be able to select the shared printer as if it was connected directly to the laptop. Make sure that the computer sharing the printer is turned on.
    • Open the Print dialog in any program and select the shared printer from the list of available printers.
    • If you are using HomeGroups, this is all you need to do. The next steps are for users who can't use the HomeGroup feature.
  5. Enable File and Printer Sharing and then share the printer manually if you can't use HomeGroups. If either the laptop or the computer sharing the printer are running Vista or earlier, you'll have to share the printer manually.
    • Open the Control Panel and select "Network and Sharing Center" or "Network and Internet" on the computer sharing the printer.
    • Click the "Change advanced sharing settings" link and then expand the "Private" network settings.
    • Select the "Turn on file and printer sharing" option and select Save changes.
    • Return to the Control Panel and select "Devices and Printers" or "View devices and printers".
    • Right-click on the printer you are sharing and select "Printer properties".
    • Click the Sharing tab and check the "Share this printer" box.
  6. Install the shared printer on the laptop. Now that the printer has been shared, you'll need to install the printer on your laptop so that you can select it.
    • Open the Control Panel and select "Devices and Printers" or "View devices and printers".
    • Click Add a printer.
    • Select "Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer". Windows 8 users will not need to select anything.
    • Select your network printer from the list of available printers. Follow the prompts to install the drivers automatically. If Windows cannot find the correct drivers, you may need to download the from the printer manufacturer's support site.

Sharing a Printer Between Mac Computers

  1. Install the printer on the computer that will be sharing it. Since the computer will need to be turned on in order to access the printer, install the printer on a computer that spends a lot of time powered on.
    • When installing a printer on a Mac, you can usually just plug it in via USB and OS X will install everything automatically.
  2. Enable printer sharing on the Mac that the printer is installed on. Once the printer has been installed, you'll need to enable printer sharing so that your laptop can connect to it.
    • Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences".
    • Click the "Sharing" option.
    • Select the "Printer Sharing" option to enable printer sharing.
  3. Share the printer. Once you've enabled printer sharing, you'll want to share the printer from the same window. Check the box next to the installed printer to share it.
  4. Connect to the shared printer on your Mac laptop. Now that the printer has been shared, you can connect to it from your Mac laptop.
    • Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences".
    • Select the "Print & Scan" option.
    • Click and hold the "+" button and select your newly-shared printer.
    • Click the Download & Install button if it appears. While OS X comes with the software for most printers already installed, your printer may require additional software from Apple. If it does, you will be prompted to download it after adding the printer.
  5. Print to the shared printer. Once you've installed the shared printer on your laptop, you can print to it just as if it was connected directly to the laptop. Make sure that the computer that the printer is connected to is turned on.
    • Open the Print dialog in any program and select the shared printer from the list of available printers.

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