How to Find Your Printer’s IP Address on a Mac (Step by Step)

Eric DawsonByEric Dawson Computers & Software

A Mac printer’s IP address is easy to find without installing new software. Most printers display the number directly on their screen, refreshing it every minute or so. If the printer is already added to the Mac, System Settings, called System Preferences on older versions of macOS, may list the address in the printer’s Location field under Printers & Scanners. Terminal gives a faster answer for anyone comfortable typing a command: lpstat -t prints the connected printer’s address immediately. A network configuration page, printed from the printer’s own menu, works even when the printer has never been connected to the Mac at all. The router’s web interface and brand-specific tools fill in the rest.

Find Your Printer’s IP Address on Its Screen

Look for a home screen, a status bar, or a network icon that can be tapped or scrolled to reveal connection details.

On Canon touchscreen models, the path runs through the Setup menu to Wireless LAN, where the current IP number sits alongside the signal strength. Printers taped with a hostname label, common in offices, schools, and university labs, often store that same address on a small handwritten or printed tag near the screen.

Laser printers and multifunction models tend to keep the display visible even when idle, while some basic inkjet printers show it only while actively printing a job. Anyone standing at the printer should be able to read the number within a few seconds, no computer required.

How to Print a Network Configuration Page for the IP Address

Printing a network configuration page from the printer’s own menu gives the fullest picture of its network settings, including the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway. Open the printer’s Settings or Setup menu, look for Network, Wi-Fi, or Reports, and choose the option to print a configuration or network report.

The page comes out in under two minutes on most inkjet and laser models and lists every detail a Mac technician or IT department would need to add the printer manually. Multiline-screen printers and those with a dedicated network utility menu tend to offer this option somewhere under Device Info or Network Settings.

Finding the IP Address for a Brother Printer

Brother printers add a second option beyond the standard configuration report: the Printer Setting Tool, a small utility that displays the device’s current communication settings, including its IP address, directly on the Mac screen. Installing the tool from Brother’s support site and connecting to the printer over USB or the network brings up a settings window within a few seconds.

The traditional route still works too, printing a configuration report from the printer’s own menu the same way as most other brands. Brother’s support pages list the exact menu steps for each printer series, since button layouts differ between inkjet and laser models.

How to Find a Printer’s IP Address in Mac System Settings

Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings or System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners to see the full list of configured printers.

Check the Location Field for an Added Printer

Select the printer from the list on the left side of the Printers & Scanners window, then look at the Location field beneath its name. That field is a descriptive label, so it only shows the printer’s IP address if someone entered it there. Some networks label the location with a room name instead, in which case the next method works better.

Open the CUPS Print Queue Page

Click Open Print Queue with the printer selected, then choose Printer from the menu bar and select Print Test Page. A browser-based CUPS page opens with detailed device information, including a Device URI line such as ipp://192.168.1.24:631/ipp/print, which contains the printer’s IP address between the double slash and the colon. This page also lists the printer’s connection status, driver, and recent job history, useful when troubleshooting a connection that keeps dropping.

How to Find a Printer’s IP Address with Terminal

Terminal finds a printer’s IP address without needing System Settings at all, using two built-in commands. Open Terminal by pressing Command and Space together, typing Terminal into Spotlight, and pressing Return.

Use the Lpstat Command

Type lpstat -t and press Return to list every printer Mac OS currently recognizes, along with its status and connection details. The output includes a device line for each printer, and the IP address appears inside that line for network-connected models.

This command works whether or not the printer has been formally added through Printers & Scanners, which makes it useful for a printer that was set up briefly and then removed. Scrolling through a long list takes a moment on a Mac with many saved printers, so searching the output for the printer’s name first speeds things up.

Use the Nslookup Command

Running nslookup with the printer’s network name, such as nslookup libraryprinter.school.edu, resolves that name to an IP address in a second or two. This method requires knowing the printer’s hostname in advance, which many offices and universities post on a label attached to the device or share through an internal directory.

The command also returns the name of the DNS server that answered the request, useful for confirming which network segment the printer sits on. Network administrators favor this approach because it works the same way across every device on the network, not just printers.

How to Find a Printer’s IP Address Through Your Router

A router’s web interface lists every device connected to the network, including printers that were never added to the Mac at all. Log into the router using its local address, usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, printed on a label on the router itself or in the manual.

Look for a page called Connected Devices, Attached Devices, or DHCP Client List, then scan the results for the printer’s name or its MAC address, a separate hardware identifier printed on the printer’s underside or box. This method works no matter which computer or operating system is involved, since it reads directly from the router rather than the Mac.

Find the Router’s Address from the Mac’s Network Settings

The Mac’s own network settings point to the router before checking the router’s page directly. Open System Settings, click Wi-Fi, and select Details next to the connected network to see the Mac’s own IP address along with the router’s address, usually labeled Router or Gateway.

That same router address, typed into a browser’s address bar, opens the login page used in the steps above. Ethernet-connected Macs find the same information under the Network pane instead of Wi-Fi, listed next to Router in the same way.

Most home routers share one of two common address ranges, so a Mac that shows something else on a work or school network is a useful clue that the network was set up with custom addressing.

Which Method Should You Use

This comparison table lists every method by what it needs, how long it takes, and who it suits best.

Method Requirements Difficulty Speed Best For
Printer’s screen Printer must have a visible display Very easy Instant Printers with a built-in screen
Network configuration page Printer must support printing reports Easy 1-2 minutes Getting the full network picture
Mac System Settings Printer already added to the Mac Easy Instant Printers already configured
Terminal (lpstat) Access to the Terminal app Medium Instant Advanced users, command line fans
Terminal (nslookup) Printer’s network hostname Medium Instant Schools and offices with named devices
Router web interface Router login and access to its page Medium A few minutes Finding any device on the network
Printer Setting Tool Brand-specific software, such as Brother’s Medium 1-2 minutes Brand-specific setups

Most Mac users only need the printer’s screen or System Settings, since both methods take just a few seconds and neither requires typing a single command. Terminal and the router’s web interface work better for a printer that refuses to show its address anywhere else, or one nobody has added to the Mac yet.

Since 2020, my Brother HL-L2350DW mono laser has been in north Columbus, Ohio, a reminder that even monochrome hardware can create colorful levels of inconvenience. When a printer does not offer a clear screen readout, the network configuration page is the sensible next check: it takes longer than a few seconds, but the subnet mask and gateway can explain a connection problem that an address alone cannot.

What to Do if You Still Cannot Find the IP Address

If none of the methods above reveal an address, the printer is most likely not connected to the network at all, or the Mac and the printer are sitting on two different networks that cannot see each other. A short checklist usually finds the problem.

  1. Check the connection type: confirm the printer is on Wi-Fi or Ethernet rather than only paired over Bluetooth or USB, since neither of those shows a network IP address.
  2. Restart the printer: many printers only request a new address from the router after a full power cycle, which can take up to a minute to complete.
  3. Confirm the same network: check that the Mac and the printer are joined to the same Wi-Fi network name, not a guest network or a second band with a different name.
  4. Reset the printer’s network settings: as a last resort, use the printer’s menu to reset networking and run through Wi-Fi setup again, then repeat one of the methods above.

None of these steps requires a password or admin account on most home networks, though a workplace or school network may need the IT department to look up the address in the router logs instead. Writing the address down once it appears saves a repeat trip through these steps the next time the printer needs to be reinstalled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does My Printer Not Show an IP Address on Its Screen?

A printer without a screen, or one connected only through USB rather than Wi-Fi or Ethernet, has no reason to display a network address. Some budget inkjet models also hide the option inside a settings menu rather than showing it by default on the home screen. Printing a network configuration page, or checking System Settings once the printer is added to the Mac, works around this in either case.

Can I Find a Printer’s IP Address Without Adding It to My Mac?

Yes, several methods work before a printer has ever been added to the Mac. Terminal’s nslookup command, a printed network configuration page, and the router’s list of connected devices all show the address for a printer the Mac has never touched. Only the System Settings Location field and the CUPS print queue page require the printer to already be set up.

Does the Printer’s IP Address Change over Time?

It can, particularly on home networks where the router assigns addresses dynamically through DHCP. A printer that has been off for a while, or one that reconnects after a power outage, sometimes comes back with a different number than before. Setting a static or reserved address in the router’s settings keeps the printer’s IP address the same permanently, which avoids having to look it up again.

What Is the Difference Between System Preferences and Settings on a Mac?

System Preferences and System Settings are the same feature under two different names. Apple renamed System Preferences to System Settings starting with macOS Ventura in 2022, redesigning the layout in the process, though the Printers & Scanners pane and its Location field work the same way in both versions.

The renamed app organizes settings into a sidebar instead of separate icon-based panes, which can make the Printers & Scanners entry take an extra click to find at first. Anyone running an older Mac should look for System Preferences instead of System Settings in the Apple menu.

Is It Safe to Use the Router’s Web Interface to Find the Printer?

Yes, viewing the list of connected devices on a router does not change any settings and carries no real risk. Logging in only requires the router’s local address and its admin password, usually printed on a sticker on the device itself unless it has been changed. Avoid changing any other settings while there, since some options can disconnect every device on the network at once.

Do These Steps Work the Same Way on a Windows PC?

No, Windows relies on different tools, such as the Devices and Printers control panel or the printer’s own IP settings page. The screen method and the printed network configuration page still work the same way on any operating system, since both come from the printer itself rather than the computer. Windows users can also open Command Prompt and run a command such as ipconfig /all to see the computer’s network configuration, not the printer’s IP address.

Finding a Mac printer’s IP address rarely takes more than a minute once the right method matches the situation. Check the printer’s own screen or a printed network configuration page for the fastest answer, fall back to System Settings for a printer already added to the Mac, and use Terminal or the router when nothing else works.

References

Sources read in September 2026.

Eric Dawson

I'm Eric Dawson, and I write The Money Watch from north Columbus, Ohio. Most of what I cover comes from my own life: renting, a 2014 Honda Fit, parking, computers, food and the bills behind all of it. I spent four years in an apartment-property office and eleven on a distributor's operations desk, reading leases and invoices. Where you need real information, I research the maker's or agency's own page and independent sources and report what they publish. I don't give tax, investment, legal or medical advice.