How do I connect a printer to Wi-Fi?

The printer and computer need to be on the same network before the computer can discover it.

Put the printer on the same network as your computer, then add it from the computer’s printer settings.

Why printers refuse to appear

Your computer finds the printer by looking around your home network, so the two must be on the very same one. Printers are also picky: many only speak the longer-range 2.4 GHz flavor of Wi-Fi, and one mistyped password character leaves them silently disconnected while everything looks fine.

What to do, step by step

1. Set the printer near the router for setup. On the printer’s own screen, open its network or Wi-Fi setup menu.
2. Choose your home network and type the password slowly, watching for capital letters — this is where most setups fail.
3. Print a network or status page from the printer’s menu. It confirms the printer actually joined the network.
4. Add it on your computer: on Windows, Settings, then “Bluetooth & devices,” then “Printers & scanners,” then “Add device.” On a Mac, System Settings, then “Printers & Scanners.”
5. If it does not appear, confirm your computer is on the same network (not a guest one), restart the printer, and try again.
6. Print a test page. Phones on the same network will find it automatically too, through AirPrint (iPhone) or Android’s print service.