How to Change Your Printer’s Default Settings on a Mac

AvatarByEric Dawson Computers & Software

To change your printer’s default settings on a Mac, open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, then select Printers & Scanners. Click the Default Printer pop-up menu and pick a specific printer, or choose Last Printer Used so macOS remembers whichever device you printed to most recently. macOS will not let you edit a printer driver’s built-in defaults directly, so you adjust paper size, quality, duplex printing, and other options inside the print dialog and save that combination as a preset. A preset resets after each print job unless you turn off that behavior in the Presets menu, and once you do, it behaves like your new default from then on.

How Do You Change Your Default Printer on a Mac

You change your default printer through the Printers & Scanners pane in System Settings, where one pop-up menu controls which device macOS treats as the default. Two configurations are available there: pick a specific printer by name to keep it fixed, or choose Last Printer Used so the choice follows your most recent print job instead.

Using System Settings

  1. Open System Settings: click the Apple menu, then choose System Settings, or System Preferences on older versions of macOS.
  2. Go to Printers & Scanners: select it from the sidebar on the left.
  3. Open the Default Printer menu: click the pop-up menu on the right side of the pane.
  4. Pick your option: choose a specific printer name, or select Last Printer Used.

Using the Printers List Shortcut

Control-click any printer in the Printers list and choose Set Default Printer from the shortcut menu instead. This shortcut skips the pop-up menu entirely, which saves a step when the Printers & Scanners pane is already open in front of you.

What Does Last Printer Used Mean for Your Default Printer

Last Printer Used tells macOS to remember whichever printer received your most recent print job at your current network location, rather than sticking with one fixed device. It suits anyone who moves between a home printer and an office printer, since the default switches on its own instead of requiring a manual change every time you sit down at a different desk.

I would choose a specific printer as the default when reliable output matters more than convenience. Last Printer Used is useful when you regularly move between printers, but it can also carry yesterday’s choice into the next job. A fixed default makes the starting point predictable every time the print dialog opens. I would switch to Last Printer Used only if changing locations and printers is a normal part of my routine, because its automatic behavior then saves more effort than it creates.

Why Can’t macOS Change a Printer’s Driver Defaults Permanently

macOS treats a printer driver’s factory defaults as fixed, so no menu lets you overwrite those settings permanently on a feature by feature basis. Apple’s own support pages, together with Canon’s and Brother’s documentation, agree that the workaround is saving your preferred combination of settings as a preset rather than editing the driver itself. Every source consulted for this guide confirms the same limitation, and none of them describe a way around it.

How Do You Create and Save a Print Preset on Mac

You create a print preset by adjusting your settings inside the print dialog, then saving that exact combination under a name you choose. Open File, then Print, in whichever application you are using, click Show Details if the dialog looks collapsed, and set paper size, quality, duplex, and any other options the way you want them saved.

  1. Open the print dialog: click Show Details to reveal the full set of options.
  2. Adjust your settings: set paper size, orientation, quality, duplex, and anything else you want the preset to remember.
  3. Open the Presets menu: click the Presets pop-up near the top of the dialog.
  4. Save and name it: choose Save Current Settings as Preset and type a name you will recognize later.

How Do You Make a Preset Stick Across Print Jobs

macOS resets the Presets menu to Default Settings after every print job by default, so a saved preset will not carry over automatically. Open Presets, choose Show Presets from the print screen, and uncheck Reset Presets Menu to Default Settings After Printing, then click OK. With that box unchecked, your chosen preset stays active until you pick a different one yourself.

How Do You Share a Preset Across Multiple Printers

A preset applies to one printer only, unless you tell macOS otherwise while naming it. Choose All Printers instead of a specific printer name in the save dialog, and the preset becomes available no matter which device you select for that job.

What Settings Can You Configure in the Print Dialog

The print dialog gives you control over paper size, paper feed, scaling, orientation, print quality, duplex printing, and several media options, all reachable after clicking Show Details from File, then Print. Exactly which options appear depends on your printer model and the driver it uses.

Choosing a Settings Panel from the Print Options Menu

Once Show Details is open, a print options pop-up menu near the middle of the dialog switches between separate settings panels, such as Media & Quality, Layout, and Paper Handling, instead of cramming every option onto one screen. Each panel remembers its own settings for the current print job, so it is worth checking more than one panel before you save anything as a preset. Printers with fewer built-in features may show only one or two panels, while a full featured inkjet or laser printer can offer several.

Setting Purpose Typical Options
Paper Size Specify document page dimensions Letter, A4, Legal, custom sizes
Paper Feed/Source Select paper tray or manual feed Automatic, Manual Feed, Tray 1-N
Orientation Document printing direction Portrait, Landscape
Scale Enlarge or reduce output 25 to 400 percent, or Fit to Paper
Media Type Paper material type (Brother) Plain Paper, Envelopes, Labels, Recycled
Print Quality Output resolution 300 dpi to HQ 1200 dpi or equivalent
Duplex Two-sided printing Automatic, Manual, Off
Toner Save Reduce consumable usage On, Off

Paper Size, Feed, and Scaling

Paper size comes from the Paper Size menu, with a Manage Custom Sizes option on printers that support nonstandard dimensions. The Feed From menu switches to Manual Feed for envelopes, labels, and other specialty stock, and the Scale box accepts a percentage between roughly 25 and 400 to enlarge or shrink your output, or you can pick Scale to Fit Paper Size in Paper Handling and let macOS resize the document for you.

Print Quality, Duplex, and Toner Save

Print quality ranges from lower resolutions meant for drafts up to a printer’s highest dots per inch setting, and higher quality usually means slower output. Duplex printing turns on automatically when your printer has a duplex unit installed, or you can flip pages manually between passes on printers without one. Some Brother laser printers add a Toner Save mode that trims consumable use, along with blank page skipping and password protected Secure Print for sensitive documents.

How Do You Set a Default Paper Size on Mac

You set a default paper size from the same Printers & Scanners pane used for the default printer, through a separate Default Paper Size pop-up menu. Go to the Apple menu, System Settings, then Printers & Scanners, and choose your preferred size there. New documents created in applications such as Pages pick up that default automatically, though some apps ignore the system setting and expect you to choose paper size again inside their own print or page setup dialog.

How Do You Configure Default Printer Options with CUPS

CUPS, the print system built into macOS, has its own web interface at http://localhost:631/printers where advanced users can set default options at the driver level. It suits anyone who wants one change to apply system-wide instead of saving separate presets for every application.

Enabling the CUPS Web Interface

If that address returns an access error the first time you try it, open Terminal and run cupsctl WebInterface=yes to turn the interface on, then reload the page in your browser.

Setting Default Options in CUPS

  1. Open the interface: go to http://localhost:631/printers once it is enabled.
  2. Find your printer: click the dropdown menu beside its name.
  3. Select the option: choose Set Default Options.
  4. Adjust the driver settings: open the Printer Settings tab, if your driver supports it, to disable dithering, adjust print rate and darkness, and set media size and graphics quality.
  5. Save and confirm: save your changes, then print a test page to check that they took effect.

Not every driver exposes a Printer Settings tab inside CUPS. When yours does not, installing an alternative driver for your printer model is usually the only way to reach those extra controls.

How Do You Configure Default Settings for Canon and Brother Printers

Canon

Canon printers follow the same rule as the rest of macOS: you cannot overwrite the driver’s permanent defaults, so you adjust settings in the print dialog and save them as a preset the same way you would for any other printer. Canon’s own documentation frames this as a limitation of macOS itself rather than something specific to its hardware, which matches what Apple and Brother both say about their own drivers.

Brother

Brother printers add a page setup step before printing. Open File, then Page Setup, to confirm the printer, paper size, orientation, and scale, then open File, then Print, to reach driver-specific panels covering media type, print quality from roughly 300 dots per inch up to HQ 1200, paper source, layout, duplex printing, toner save, density, and blank page skipping.

What to Do if Your Default Settings Do Not Stick

Start by reopening Presets and checking whether Reset Presets Menu to Default Settings After Printing is checked again, since some macOS updates and printer software reinstalls turn that option back on without asking.

  1. Recheck the preset toggle: open Presets, then Show Presets, and confirm the reset option is still unchecked.
  2. Confirm your selection: make sure you picked the saved preset itself, not Default Settings, from the Presets menu before printing.
  3. Remove and re-add the printer: delete it from Printers & Scanners and add it again if a driver update appears to have reset its options.
  4. Set the default through CUPS: if a system-wide default keeps reverting, set it again through Set Default Options at http://localhost:631/printers.
  5. Update the driver: check the manufacturer’s site for a newer macOS driver if presets still will not hold.

Most cases trace back to that single reset checkbox, so check it first before trying anything more involved. Work through the list in order rather than jumping straight to a driver reinstall, since the simplest fix, unchecking the reset option, resolves the majority of cases on its own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Set Different Default Settings for Each Printer?

Yes. Presets are tied to a specific printer unless you choose All Printers while saving one, so you can keep a photo quality preset on one device and a fast draft preset on another. Switch printers inside the print dialog and macOS offers only the presets relevant to that device, plus any you saved for all printers.

Does Changing the Default Printer Also Change the Default Paper Size?

No. The default printer and the default paper size come from two separate pop-up menus inside the same Printers & Scanners pane. Changing which printer is default does not alter your chosen paper size, and changing the paper size does not switch your default printer.

Why Did My Preset Disappear After a macOS Update?

Software updates occasionally reset print system preferences, including custom presets and the toggle inside the Presets menu. Recreate the preset and uncheck Reset Presets Menu to Default Settings After Printing again if this happens to you.

Is the CUPS Web Interface Safe to Use?

Yes. CUPS is the print system Apple already builds into macOS, and its web interface only runs locally at http://localhost:631, not over the open internet. Stick to the Set Default Options screen unless you are comfortable adjusting the rest of its settings.

What Happens if Your Printer Has No Duplex Unit?

Automatic two-sided printing only appears as an option when your printer has a duplex unit installed. Without one, you can still print both sides by hand: print the odd pages, flip the stack over, then print the even pages, following whatever order your printer’s manual recommends.

Most default printer questions on a Mac come down to two separate settings: which printer opens automatically, and which saved preset controls its options. Handle the first through the Default Printer pop-up menu, the second through presets, or through CUPS for system-wide control, and your Mac will print the way you expect every time.

What This Page Does Not Publish

  • I do not explain why macOS locks a printer driver’s built-in defaults.
  • I do not cover changes that may arrive in macOS versions after macOS 14.
  • I do not offer printer-specific system-wide defaults for media type or print quality.

References

Author Profile

Eric Dawson
Eric Dawson
I'm Eric Dawson, the writer behind The Money Watch. I live in the Columbus, Ohio area and I write about the ordinary questions that turn out to be complicated: computers, shopping, food, travel, parking, small businesses, fees, rules and products. Every article starts with the official page, the maker or the agency, then the sources that check it, and I say plainly where they disagree and what I would do. More about how I work is on the About page.