How to Find Your Printer’s IP Address

You know how they say that printers can smell when you’re in a hurry, and when it does, you can be certain that there’d be a printer problem in your hands? Well, that’s just a joke, but it certainly seems true at times, especially with wireless printers.
What’s worse is that wireless printers aren’t easy to troubleshoot. If a basic printer fails to connect, you can be sure it has to do with the wires. With a wireless printer, you have to check the network itself.

The first step to wireless printer troubleshooting is finding your printer’s IP address. Read this guide to find out how to do that, so next time you run into printer issues, you can go straight to fixing the problem.

» Also See: How to find your computer’s IP address

What You Can Do With Your Printer’s IP Address

A printer’s IP address is commonly used to troubleshoot connection issues or pair the printer to a new device. Those are pretty much the only reasons you’d need your printer’s IP address – but believe us, connection issues happen frequently enough that you’d want to remember how to find your printer’s IP address.

» Further reading: What someone can do with your IP address

Fix Connection Issues

This is a little more complicated than replacing a bad printer wire on old and basic printers. If you can’t connect to your printer wirelessly, there’s a good chance that’s because your printer’s IP address has changed.

Your printer’s private IP address – the one your computer uses to connect to the printer – is assigned by your router. Typically, routers assign dynamic IP addresses. A device with a dynamic IP address changes IP addresses when:

• The device is reconnected after a period of inactivity
• The router is reboot
• The IP address lease expires

When the printer’s IP address changes, your computer will no longer find it in the old address it remembers. To fix that, first change the IP address of your printer from dynamic to static. A static IP address will be your printer’s permanent IP address within your network, so that no matter what happens, your computer will be able to find your printer.

How to change your printer’s IP address from a Windows computer:

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Click Devices and Printers.
3. Select Print Server Properties.
4. Select the Ports tab in the pop-up menu.
5. Select Add Port.
6. Select Standard TCP/IP Port.
7. Select New Port.
8. Enter a new IP address and a port name for the desired device.
9. Click Apply.

How to change your printer’s IP address from a Mac computer:

1. Navigate to System Settings.
2. Click on Printers & Scanners.
3. Click on the > to the right of the printer in question.
4. Click Options and Supplies.
5. In the box next to Location, you should be able to change your printer’s IP address.
6. Click OK.6

Connect New Devices to Your Printer

You’ll need to know your printer’s IP address in order to connect new devices to it. Here’s how to connect those new devices, depending on what kind of computer you own.

How to connect a Windows device to your printer:

1. Click Start.
2. Type Printers in the search bar.
3. Click on Printers & Scanners.
4. Choose Add Printer or Scanner.
5. Select The Printer I Want Isn’t Listed.
6. Select Add Manually and then Add a Printer Using TCP/IP Address.
7. Click Next.
8. Click TCP/IP Device.
9. Enter your printer’s IP address.

How to connect an Apple device to your printer:

1. Navigate to System Settings.
2. Click on Printers & Scanners.
3. Click the button that says ‘Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax…’.
4. In the new window, click on Printer shown in the display box or the IP icon.
5. Enter your printer’s IP address.8
6. When the printer is found, click Add.

» Do you know: What is a static IP address?

Recap

Nothing’s worse than spending valuable time diagnosing a printer issue, especially when you’re trying to print that delicious blueberry muffin recipe. Knowing how to find your printer’s IP address is the first step to swiftly resolving any technical issues with your printer. You can find your printer’s IP address from your computer, directly from your printer, on your web browser, using the Command Prompt, or on your router. Whatever floats your boat!