How To Find Printer IP Address

By default, your network’s Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) dynamically assigns an IP address to a connected wireless printer. 

This address is helpful in troubleshooting some issues. However, since it changes every time, keeping track is not easy. 

So, in this guide, we have listed different methods to discover the current IP address of the printer.

How to Find the IP Address of Your Printer

Below mentioned are some ways to detect your printer’s IP address. Pick one of them according to your preference.

Using Router Portal

The DHCP Client table or list in the router portal shows the IP addresses of all devices connected to the network. So, accessing this list is an easy way to find the printer IP. 

You can access the portal by entering the default gateway IP of the router on a web browser. Most routers have a sticker showing the gateway address so check it out if you need to.

Also, all routers have different portal interfaces, so you need to dig around a little bit to locate the DHCP Client list. You can usually find the list inside Wireless > DHCP Client List/ Connected Devices or Network > Connected Devices.

Through Printer Properties on PC

If your computer is connected to the printer, you can discover the IP address from the printer settings. Here are the steps to access this setting on different Operating Systems:

On Windows:

1. Open the Run command and enter control printers. It will direct you to the Devices and Printers.
2. Look for your printer under Printers and right-click on it.
3. Choose Properties and go to Web Services or Ports tab, depending on your printer.
   

Search through the list to find out the IP address.

On Mac:

1. Click on the Apple icon and select System Preferences.
2. Go to Printers and Scanners and select your printer.
   

You can find the printer IP address beside Location.

On Chromebook:

1. Open the Settings tab and go to Advanced.
2. Select Printers under Printing.
3. Click Save next to your printer.
   
4. Right-click on your printer and select Set up.
5. Select the Model.
6. Click Add.

You should find the IP Address under Printer Information.

With Printer’s Wireless Connection Assistants

The printer manufacturers provide wireless connection assistants to view or configure the printer’s network settings. You can also check the printer’s IP address through such applications.

Using Command-line Interface

If you are familiar with using command-line interface, you can use it to determine the IP address of a connected printer. Here’s how to do so on Windows:

With PowerShell:

1. Press Win + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin)
2. Type Get-Printer and press Enter.
   

You’ll see the IP address of the printer under PortName.

With Command Prompt:

1. Open the Run dialog box and enter cmd.
2. Type arp -a and press Enter.

It shows a list of IP and MAC addresses of connected network devices. If you know the MAC address of your printer, the IP address next to it is the one you want. 

If not, open a web browser and enter all the IP addresses on different tabs. The printer IP will load the web interface of the printer so look out for it.

The command arp -a will also work for Linux and Mac.

Using CUPS Printer Interface (Mac)

Mac uses the CUPS network printing system. You can use its interface to look up the printer IP address. To do so,

1. Open the Terminal.
2. Enter the command cupsctl WebInterface=yes to enable this interface.
3. Open a web browser and enter localhost:631/printers on the address bar.
   

You will see a list of printers. The location column should show the IP address.

From Printer Settings

The wireless printers with LCD control panels should show the IP address in their Network or Wireless settings.

The exact methods vary between different brands and models of printers. So, we recommend perusing the user manual and following the given steps.

By Printing Network Configuration Report

All modern printers can print out a network configuration report from their settings. You can check the printer’s IP address on this report.

Related Questions

Should I Set a Static IP for My Printer?

Yes, we recommend setting a static IP address for your printer. This way, your device will recognize the printer more quickly. 

To set static IP,

1. Determine the current IP, subnet mask, and default gateway.
2. Open a web browser and enter the current printer IP on the address bar.
3. Go to its Network or Wireless settings and look for IPv4. Select it if you need to.
4. Check the Manual IP option and enter a new IP address. 
5. Enter the default gateway without changing any values. Also, make sure the subnet mask remains the same.

The new IP address must be outside of the DHCP range. If you don’t know the range, enter the same values for the first three numbers and a high value (slightly less than 255) for the last number. 

Also, don’t forget to enter the default gateway address on the manual DNS server.