My iPad Won't Print or Can't Find My Printer

Check the AirPrint printer's connection, restart it, and run diagnostics

By
Daniel Nations
Daniel Nations
Daniel Nations
Writer
  • University of Texas at Arlington
Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, and other publications. He is a developer who has published apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play marketplace and Amazon Appstore; he also has worked as a data analyst and DB administrator.
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Updated on June 19, 2024
Reviewed by
Michael Barton Heine Jr
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Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr
    Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years' experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries.
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    With an AirPrint-enabled printer, printing on the iPad should be as easy as tapping the Share button, choosing Print, and selecting your printer. The iPad transmits the print job to the printer, and you should be good, but the process doesn't always go that smoothly.

    If you can't print or the iPad can't find your printer, try a few troubleshooting steps that resolve the most common problems.

    These troubleshooting tips work with iPadOS 14 and later and all currently supported versions of iOS.

    If the Printer Isn't Showing Up in the List on Your iPad

    The most common problem occurs when the iPad cannot find or recognize your printer. The root cause of this problem is that the iPad and printer are not communicating with each other correctly.

    Some printers, especially early AirPrint printers, are a little finicky and require special treatment from time to time.

    No AirPrint Printers Found message on an iPad.

    Try these troubleshooting steps, in order:

    1. Make sure your printer is turned on. Some printers automatically power off, so check the printer's status first.

    2. Verify that you are connected to the correct Wi-Fi network. AirPrint works over Wi-Fi, so if you are connected to the internet using 4G, you can't print to your network printer. You must connect through Wi-Fi, and it must be the same Wi-Fi network as your printer. Ensure both the iPad and printer are on the same network with the same frequency.

      Most homes only have one Wi-Fi network, but some routers broadcast on a 2.4 GHz network and a 5 GHz network. Large homes may have a Wi-Fi extender that broadcasts on a different network.

    3. Refresh the iPad's Wi-Fi connection. This procedure forces the iPad to look for the printer again. To refresh Wi-Fi, open the iPad's settings, tap Wi-Fi and move the green switch to turn Wi-Fi off. Leave it off for a moment and then turn it back on. After the iPad reconnects to the network, try printing again.

    4. Reboot the iPad. It's surprising how many random problems rebooting the iPad will solve. Hold down the Sleep/Wake button (also referred to as the top or power button) then move the power off slider. After the iPad powers down, press the top button again to restart it.

      Some iPads require you to hold down the top/power button and either of the volume buttons.

    5. Restart the printer. Instead of a problem with the iPad, it could be a problem with the printer. Powering down the printer and powering it back up again could correct problems on the printer side. Wait until the printer has reconnected to the Wi-Fi network before testing it again.

      Most AirPrint printers have a Wi-Fi light or icon on the display to show that it's connected properly.

    6. Verify it's an AirPrint printer. If this is a new printer, it should say that it's AirPrint compatible on the packaging. Some older printers use a specific app to print from the iPad, so refer to the owner's manual. You can see a list of AirPrint printers on Apple's website.

    If the Printer Appears in the List

    If you can see the printer on your iPad and send print jobs to the printer, it's probably not an iPad problem. The iPad should detect standard problems like the printer being out of paper or out of ink, but this capability relies on the printer to communicate back with the iPad. Troubleshoot your printer with these steps.

    1. Check ink levels and paper. You may see an error message indicating that the printer is out of ink. Even if you don't, rule out these issues by checking that the printer has enough ink and paper.

    2. Reboot the printer. Any number of things could have gone wrong on the printer's side, and rebooting it can cure these problems. Power off the printer and leave it off for a few seconds before powering it back on again. After it reboots, try printing again.

    3. Run diagnostics on the printer. Many printers report basic diagnostics. This procedure checks for ink levels, paper jams, and other common problems.

    4. Reboot the iPad. The problem shouldn't be with the iPad if the printer is showing up on it, but reboot the iPad anyway. Hold down the top button (and a volume button if necessary) to turn it off, and then hold down the top/power button again to restart it.

      If a reboot doesn't work, you may need to try some general iPad troubleshooting steps.

    5. Reboot the router. The problem might not be with the printer. If you checked everything on the printer, it could be the router causing the trouble. Turn the router off and wait at least one minute before booting it back up again to see if that fixes the glitch.

    6. Contact the printer's manufacturer. At this point, you've gone through the basic troubleshooting steps, including rebooting the iPad, printer, and router. To get more specific troubleshooting steps, contact the printer's manufacturer.

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