Printer Not Working on macOS Tahoe? How to Fix AirPrint

Your printer worked fine before you installed macOS Tahoe. Now it's either missing from System Settings entirely, stuck showing "Idle" while nothing prints, or the print job sits in the queue with no error message. This is a known issue with macOS 26, and it's not your printer's fault.

Why Did My Printer Stop Working After macOS Tahoe?

macOS Tahoe introduced a stricter Local Network Privacy check. It blocks your Mac from discovering printers on your Wi-Fi network when the permission is off. If it got turned off during the update, or a VPN is intercepting local traffic, your Mac won't see the printer even though it's powered on and connected.

This affects HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, and Xerox printers alike, on both Intel and Apple silicon Macs. It shows up in three ways:

• The printer vanishes from Printers & Scanners in System Settings
• The printer shows up but every print job says "Idle" and never leaves the queue
• AirPrint discovery times out when you try to add a printer clearly present on the network

Three things cause almost all of these cases: a blocked Local Network permission, an active VPN quietly filtering the mDNS traffic printers use to announce themselves, or a printer queue configuration corrupted during the upgrade. Work through the fixes below in order. The first two solve most reports on their own.

How Do I Fix the Local Network Privacy Setting for Printing?

Open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, then Local Network, and turn on the toggle for any app talking to your printer. This single setting is behind most "printer disappeared after Tahoe" reports.

1. Open System Settings
2. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar
3. Scroll down and click Local Network
4. Find your printer's app in the list. This might be HP Smart, Canon PRINT, Epson Smart Panel, Brother iPrint&Scan, or System Settings itself if you print through the built-in dialog
5. Turn the toggle on for every relevant entry
6. If no toggle shows for anything printer-related, open the manufacturer's app once so macOS prompts for permission, then approve it

After changing this, quit and reopen the app you print from (Preview, Word, Photos, whichever one showed the problem), then try printing again. Some users need to restart their Mac once for the permission change to reach the print spooler.

Does a VPN Break Printing on macOS Tahoe?

Yes. A VPN routes your network traffic through its own tunnel, which blocks the local mDNS and Bonjour broadcasts your printer uses to announce itself to your Mac. This applies to any full-tunnel VPN, regardless of provider.

To confirm this is your issue, disconnect from your VPN completely, then check whether the printer reappears in Printers & Scanners or a stuck job clears from the queue. If it does, you have two options going forward:

• Turn the VPN off whenever you need to print, then reconnect afterward
• Check your VPN app's settings for a "Local Network" or "Allow LAN traffic" exception, if your VPN client offers one (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark all added this option after Tahoe shipped)

If you don't run a VPN, skip ahead to the next fix.

How Do I Remove and Re-Add a Printer on macOS Tahoe?

Remove the printer from Printers & Scanners, then add it back using AirPrint instead of a manufacturer driver. This clears out any corrupted queue configuration left over from the Tahoe upgrade and lets macOS manage the printer directly.

1. Open System Settings, then Printers & Scanners
2. Click your printer in the list, then click the - (minus) button to remove it
3. Click the + (plus) button to add it back
4. Wait for your printer to appear under Nearby Printers, then click it
5. Before adding, check the Use dropdown. If it defaults to a manufacturer driver name (like "HP LaserJet Pro M428-M429 Series"), change it to AirPrint or Secure AirPrint instead
6. Click Add

If macOS prompts you to download and install software from the manufacturer, click Cancel. Sticking with AirPrint avoids the driver conflicts Tahoe's update is triggering with several printer brands right now. You lose access to some advanced features like ink-level monitoring through this path, but basic printing and scanning both work reliably.

How Do I Reset the Printing System on macOS Tahoe?

If the printer still won't print after fixing permissions and re-adding it, reset the entire printing system to wipe every saved printer and queue, then start fresh. This fixes deeper corruption a simple remove-and-re-add doesn't touch.

1. Open System Settings, then Printers & Scanners
2. Right-click (or Control-click) anywhere in the empty space of the printer list
3. Choose Reset printing system
4. Confirm when prompted. This removes every printer you've added, so set them up again afterward
5. Add your printer back following the AirPrint steps above

This is a last resort because it removes all your printers, not only the one giving you trouble. Use it only if the other fixes didn't work.

What If My Printer Is Connected by USB, Not Wi-Fi?

USB printers hit the same Local Network Privacy wall on macOS Tahoe because the print service still checks network permissions before loading the driver, even for a wired connection. Confirm the physical connection first, then work through the same permission and reset steps.

1. Unplug the USB cable from both the Mac and the printer, wait 10 seconds, then plug it back in directly (skip any USB hub for this test)
2. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Local Network, and confirm the toggle is on the same way as for a network printer
3. Open Printers & Scanners and check whether the printer shows up under USB in the Nearby Printers section
4. If it doesn't appear, remove any existing entry for it, then unplug and replug the cable so macOS re-detects it fresh
5. Choose AirPrint in the Use dropdown when adding it back, the same as with a network printer

A frayed or damaged USB cable causes the same symptoms as the Tahoe permission bug, so swap the cable once if none of the software fixes bring the printer back.

Should I Check for Firmware and Software Updates Too?

Yes, do this after the fixes above, not instead of them. Outdated printer firmware combined with macOS Tahoe's networking changes causes some of the same symptoms, and an update closes the gap.

• On your printer's touchscreen or control panel, check Settings, then Printer Maintenance or Tools, then look for Firmware Update
• On your Mac, open System Settings, then General, then Software Update, and install any pending macOS Tahoe point release (26.1 or later includes several printing-related fixes)
• If you use HP Smart, Canon PRINT, or a similar app, open it and check its own update option separately from the App Store

Manufacturers have shipped firmware updates specifically addressing Tahoe compatibility since the update's release, so this step catches printers the Local Network and AirPrint fixes above don't fully resolve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to reinstall my printer's manufacturer software?

No, and doing so often makes things worse on macOS Tahoe. Remove the printer entirely and re-add it using Apple's built-in AirPrint driver instead of the manufacturer's software. If you already installed HP Smart, Canon PRINT, or a similar app, keep it for scanning, but let macOS handle the print queue through AirPrint.

Why did this only start after I updated to macOS Tahoe?

macOS Tahoe added a stricter Local Network Privacy check. It blocks apps and print services from finding devices on your Wi-Fi network until you approve them. Previous macOS versions asked once and mostly left it alone. Tahoe re-checks this permission more aggressively, and if it silently defaults to off during the upgrade, your printer becomes invisible to your Mac even though it's still on the network.