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How to find the IP address of a printer

It is important to know the printer’s IP address if you want to connect it to the network or resolve any problems. The IP address of your printer is a bit like the home address. Without it, you cannot send any print jobs to the printer or issue other commands. Here’s how to find the printer’s IP address on a Mac or Windows PC.

How to find the printer’s IP address from the router

It doesn’t matter if you are using a Mac or a PC, you can find the printer’s IP address by logging into the router.

  1. Type the router’s local IP address into the address bar of any web browser.
  2. Enter your username and password.
  3. The printer’s IP address will appear in the list of devices connected to the network.

Note- the information will be listed differently depending on the router configuration page. Search for words like network map, list of connected devices, network topology or other similar terms.

How to find the printer’s IP address in Windows 10

There are a couple of ways to print your IP address from a Windows 10 desktop or laptop. The easiest way is to find it in the Control Panel. That’s how:

  1. Type “control panel” into the search box. This is the button with the magnifying glass next to the Start menu in the lower-left corner of the screen.
  2. Click Devices and Printers.
  3. Right-click on a printer and select Properties.
  4. Select the Web Services tab. The IP address must be located at the bottom of the Device Information and Troubleshooting Information panels.

If you can’t find your printer in the control panel, you can do a more intense search using the Command Prompt. That’s how:

How to find the printer’s IP address with the command prompt

  1. Type cmd in the search box next to the Start menu.
  2. Type ipconfig on the command line, then press Enter.
  3. Find your IPv4 address.
  4. On a new command line, type ping followed by a space and then your IPv4 address.
  5. Then hit Enter.
  6. After the results are loaded, type arp -a and press Enter. All dynamic and static connections that use the IPv4 address will be loaded.
    Note- If you know the MAC address or the physical address of the printer, the Internet address shown next will be the IP address of the printer. This 12-digit number is usually found on the printer or in the printer manual.
  7. Open any web browser. You can use Chrome, Firefox, Edge or any other web browser of your choice.
  8. Copy and paste the dynamic IP address obtained from the arp command. If multiple addresses are displayed, paste each address into a different tab.
  9. If IP opens a printer configuration page, that would be your printer’s IP address. The web page will have the manufacturer’s logo and show printer information, such as the status of the printer and the amount of ink you have.

How to find the printer’s IP address on a Mac

There are two easy ways to find the printer’s IP address on your Mac desktop or laptop. First, you can find it in System Preferences. You can also find it online using Common Unix Printing System (CUPS), an open-source printing system for Apple and UNIX devices.

How to find the printer’s IP address from the System Preferences

  1. Open System Preferences. You can find it in the dock or by accessing the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen and selecting System Preferences.
  2. Click Printers and Scanners.
  3. Select a printer from the left column. If there are multiple printers on your network, they will appear in a list on the right side of the Print & Scan menu.
  4. The printer’s IP address will be in position 

How to find the printer’s IP address via the CUPS web page

  1. Open the Applications folder.
  2. Then open Utilities.
  3. Then, open Terminal. 
  4. Type cupsctl WebInterface = yes and press Enter on your keyboard. The CUPS web interface will be enabled. 
  5. Open Safari.
  6. Type localhost- 631 / printers in the address bar.
  7. The printer’s IP address will be in the Location column.

Now that you know how to find your printer’s IP address, the next step is to learn how to add your printer on a Mac or Windows 10 desktop or laptop.

How to find the printer’s IP address from the network configuration page

Most printers can print a network configuration page, which will include the printer’s IP address.

If your printer has a user interface (UI) display, the configuration page can generally be printed by going to the Settings or Setup page. Again, the exact steps will vary depending on the brand and model of the printer.

For example, on an HP LaserJet Pro M1212n, you need to go to Setup> Reports> Report demonstration page> Configuration report to print the configuration page.

On the other hand, for Canon imageRUNNER printers, you need to go to the main menu> Settings> Preferences> Network to print a report. Check the device manual for the exact steps to follow.

For models without a user interface display, a certain button must be held down (usually this button is labeled as Power, Go or, in some cases, the Wi-Fi button) for 5-10 seconds to print a page of configuration. It is best to check the printer manual on how you can do this.

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About Author

Samuel Afolabi is a lazy tech-savvy that loves writing almost all tech-related kinds of stuff. He is the Editor-in-Chief of TechVaz. You can connect with him socially :)

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