--- title: "Wi-Fi printer offline on Mac: IP address, re-add by IP, 2.4 GHz · Kilobat Guides" url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/printer-offline-mac" description: "The printer is on and connected to Wi-Fi, but the Mac says Offline or Printer not connected. Find the cause and re-add the printer so that it stays online." --- # Wi-Fi printer shows Offline on a Mac A Mac shows a printer as Offline when it cannot reach the printer at the address or name that it saved. The printer can be on Wi-Fi and still be unreachable from the Mac. **Fix this with your agent**Copies a prompt for Claude Code, Codex or any agent that can use Terminal. My Mac has this problem: Wi-Fi printer shows Offline on a Mac. Read https://kilobat.app/guides/printer-offline-mac.md and work through it with me. Install the Kilobat CLI if it’s missing: brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat. Run the guide’s Terminal and kilobat checks yourself and tell me what you find. List the steps only I can do. Ask before you change any setting. Applies to: macOS 14 Sonoma and later. Local Network privacy settings are in macOS 15 Sequoia and later. · Checked: 7 November 2026 ## Symptoms - The print queue says that the printer is offline, or that it is not connected. - The printer’s own screen shows a Wi-Fi connection. - Printing works for some days, then stops after a power cut or a router restart. - The printer went offline after a new router, a new mesh or a new provider. - The printer went offline after a macOS update, but other devices can still print. - The printer prints from a phone, but not from the Mac. ## Likely causes - **The printer has a new IP address.** The router gives the printer an address that can change. A printer added by IP address keeps the old address, so the Mac looks in the wrong place. - **The printer is on another network.** After a router change, the printer can stay on the old Wi-Fi name, the guest network or another subnet. - **The printer supports 2.4 GHz only.** Some printers work only on the 2.4 GHz band. The printer's manual or specifications say which bands it supports. - **The router blocks discovery.** Device isolation, guest networks and VLANs stop Bonjour. See [AirPlay or AirPrint stopped working after a new router or mesh](https://kilobat.app/guides/airplay-airprint-mesh-router). - **The vendor app lost Local Network access.** On macOS 15 and later, a printer app needs Local Network permission. See [An app cannot find devices on the local network](https://kilobat.app/guides/local-network-permission). - **The queue is paused or has an error.** A paused queue or a stuck job can make the printer look unavailable. ## How to check 1. On the printer, print a network configuration page. Note its IP address and Wi-Fi name. 2. Make sure that the Mac uses the same Wi-Fi name. Hold Option and click the Wi-Fi icon. 3. Show the address that the Mac saved for each printer. ``` lpstat -v ``` Output `ipp://`, `lpd://` or `socket://` with an IP address is a fixed address. `dnssd://` means that the Mac finds the printer by its Bonjour name. 4. If the saved address is not the printer’s current address, the printer moved. Re-add it. 5. Test the printer’s current address. Replace the example address. ``` ping -c 3 192.168.1.50 ``` 6. Look for printers that announce themselves on the network. ``` dns-sd -B _ipp._tcp ``` 7. Show whether each queue is enabled. ``` lpstat -p ``` ## How to fix it 1. Restart the printer. Then restart the router if the printer is still offline. 2. Open Print Center from the Dock. If the queue is paused, click the Resume button. 3. In your router, reserve the printer’s current IP address. This is also called a DHCP reservation. 4. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Printers & Scanners. 5. Control-click the offline printer. Choose Remove Printer, then confirm. 6. Click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax. Select the printer in the list, then click Add. 7. If the printer is not in the list, click the IP button. 8. Type the printer’s IP address. For Protocol, choose AirPrint if the printer supports it. 9. If AirPrint does not work, choose Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) or HP Jetdirect – Socket. 10. Apple says that printers added with generic protocols may have limited features. 11. Click Add. The printer can take a minute or two to appear. 12. For a 2.4 GHz-only printer, make sure that the router’s 2.4 GHz band is on. 13. If the router has a separate 2.4 GHz name, connect the printer to that name. 14. After a macOS update, turn on Local Network access for the printer app. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network. 15. If nothing works, reset the printing system. Apple says that this deletes all printers, jobs and presets. 16. To reset, Control-click in the Printers list. Choose Reset Printing System. Then add the printer again. The exact menus for your router, from FRITZ!Box and Xfinity to eero and Livebox: [router guides](https://kilobat.app/routers). ## With Kilobat 1. List the devices that the Mac has seen, with their IP and hardware addresses. Find the printer by its hardware address. ``` kilobat devices ``` 2. Browse for printers that announce IPP over Bonjour. ``` kilobat bonjour _ipp._tcp ``` 3. Check if casting and printing can work on this network. ``` kilobat local check ``` 4. Kilobat cannot set an address reservation in your router. Use the router’s app for that. ## Questions **Do I need the printer maker’s driver?** Not for an AirPrint printer. Apple says that AirPrint prints without extra drivers or software. Some features may need the maker’s software. **Why does the printer work from my iPhone but not from my Mac?** The Mac may have saved an old IP address. Check `lpstat -v` and re-add the printer. **Why does my printer go offline after every power cut?** The router can give the printer a new address after it restarts. Reserve the address in the router, or add the printer from the list by its Bonjour name. **Where do I find help for my printer brand?** See the [HP](https://kilobat.app/devices/hp-printer), [Canon](https://kilobat.app/devices/canon-printer), [Epson](https://kilobat.app/devices/epson-printer) and [Brother](https://kilobat.app/devices/brother-printer) printer guides, and the [AirPrint guide](https://kilobat.app/devices/airprint). ## Sources - [Apple Support: Add and manage printers on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/add-and-manage-printers-mh14004/mac) - [Apple Support: Solve printing problems on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mh14002/mac) - [Epson: I see the message Printer is Offline when I try to print with a wireless (Wi-Fi) connection on my Mac](https://epson.com/faq/SPT_C11CE21201~faq-275913) - lpstat(1), dns-sd(1) and ping(8), man pages installed with macOS 27.2 Checked on 7 November 2026. ## Related guides - [AirPlay or AirPrint stopped working after a new router or mesh](https://kilobat.app/guides/airplay-airprint-mesh-router): AirPlay and AirPrint find devices with Bonjour, which uses multicast on the local network. - [Chromecast, AirPlay TV or printer does not show up on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/casting-printer-not-showing-mac): Chromecast, AirPlay and AirPrint find devices with Bonjour messages on the local network. - [An app cannot find devices on the local network](https://kilobat.app/guides/local-network-permission): macOS 15 Sequoia and later ask before an app connects to devices on your local network. - [Find the devices on your local network from a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/find-devices-on-network): macOS has two built-in ways to see other devices: the ARP table and Bonjour. - [2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz Wi-Fi on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/wifi-bands-2-4-5-6-ghz): Wi-Fi uses three bands.