SOLVED: No AirPrint Printers Found

AirPrint is one of the coolest Apple features, in my opinion. Unfortunately, the appeal of this feature that means it really bugs me when I can't get AirPrint to work on my iPhone, iPad, or other compatible devices. Fortunately this problem is most commonly caused by something that can be easily fixed. Here's a step-by-step guide to fixing the "no AirPrint printers found" error.

Jump To:

• Try This First
• Connections & AirPrint Compatibility
• Other Things to Try

No AirPrinter Found? Try This First

There are a few things you can try that may fix your AirPrint issue in a matter of moments. 

Check the Settings on Your Apple Device

1. Airplane Mode should be turned off, and Wi-Fi must be turned on (you can do either of these in Settings or in your Control Center). Unfortunately, AirPrint is not currently supported on cellular data.
   
   
    
2. You may also want to check that your Apple software is up to date; often software updates come with fixes for known issues, and this may be one of them! 
3. Finally, try turning off Bluetooth on your iPhone or iPad, and then switching it back on. Now retry printing. Sometimes this fixes the issue right away.
   
   

Check the Settings on Your Printer

1. Check your printer for errors. Are you seeing any issues? Look for things like no paper, low ink, network errors, paper jam, or other flashing lights. Make sure you consult your printer's user manual or online guide from the manufacturer in order to fix anything more complicated or that you're unsure about.
2. Next, many people don't realize that their printer does not support AirPrint. It's a good idea to use Apple's guide to AirPrint to check that your printer is compatible with this feature. If it is and you're still experiencing issues, continue on to the steps below!

Connections & AirPrint Compatibility

If you still can't get AirPrint to work on your iPhone or iPad, you're likely experiencing an issue related to network or device connectivity. Don't worry, this is easier than it sounds and still a pretty quick fix. Take a look at the best ways to check why your iPhone or iPad won't connect with your printer to AirPrint.

Check Connections on Your Apple Device

1. Let's start by checking your Wi-Fi connection.
2. First, open Settings on your device, then tap on Wi-Fi. If the setting is turned on, make sure it's connected and on your regular private network. You'll need to know the specific name of your network later when we check your printer settings, so if you have several networks available, make sure you take note of the one your iPhone or iPad is connected to. Please note that AirPrint doesn't work on public Wi-Fi networks; it only operates on private networks because it requires security protection to be in place.

Check Connections on Your Printer

1. This step will vary based on which printer you have. If you haven't checked already, make sure you refer to Apple's AirPrint guide to verify that your printer is AirPrint compatible.
2. Next, check your printer's Wi-Fi connection, and ensure that your printer and your iPhone or iPad are connected to the same wireless network. This is a common issue, so don't skip this step!

Check Other Connections

1. Believe it or not, you may simply need to move your wireless router or modem closer to your printer. You can also try moving your Apple device closer to the printer to get your iPhone or iPad to recognize your printer.
2. Here's one that's a little more advanced: AirPrint won't work on your iPhone or iPad if the Apple device is connected to the printer's wireless network instead of to your primary Wi-Fi network. You can check this just by referring back to Settings in the Wi-Fi section.
   
   
    
3. You should see that the device is connected to your primary wireless network. If not, disconnect from any others and reconnect manually to your preferred network. At this point, it's worth it to go back and double-check that your printer is on the same network, as well.

Other Ways to Fix No AirPrinter Found

If you've made it to this section, it means you likely have a more advanced issue, but we still have more tricks to get your iPhone or iPad to find your printer!

When in Doubt, Power Cycle

For some reason (actually, several more complex reasons that we don't need to get into here), turning off your machines and devices and then turning them back on often helps if you're really stuck.

Shut Down Competing Devices

Sometimes other devices can cut in on this little AirPrint dance between your printer and your iPhone or iPad and cause an error. If you have a computer or another device connected by Ethernet cable, especially, you should try turning it off and leaving it off until you're done printing. If this works, you may need to reconfigure your setup for other times when you need to AirPrint, or at least remember to turn off the other device next time.

Still stuck? I recommend contacting your printer's support center or Apple Support in order to move forward. Sometimes the fix is obscure, but they'll likely have the answer if it wasn't fixed by something we tried.

Once you've got your printer working as intended, check out our article on how to print text messages right from your iPhone.