how to unpause printer on mac

Introduction to Unpausing a Printer on Mac

If your printer is paused on a Mac and you are unable to print documents, there are several ways you can unpause it. This problem can be due to various reasons including connectivity issues, printer errors, or a paused print queue. Let’s go through the steps to troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

Step 1: Check the Printer’s Physical Status

Before attempting to unpause the printer from your Mac, ensure that the printer itself is ready for printing. Check for:
– Adequate paper in the tray
– No paper jams
– Sufficient ink or toner
– The printer is turned on and indicating a ready status

Step 2: Use System Preferences to Unpause the Printer

Follow these steps to unpause your printer using System Preferences:

1. Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen and select ‘System Preferences’.
2. Click on ‘Printers & Scanners’.
3. In the left-hand pane, select the printer that is paused.
4. Open the ‘Open Print Queue’ button to view the list of pending print jobs.
5. If the printer status is ‘Paused’, click the ‘Resume’ button to unpause the printer.

Step 3: Use the Dock to Resume Printing

If you have print jobs in the queue, the printer icon should appear in the Dock. Here’s how to resume printing from the Dock:

1. Find the printer icon in your Dock, which appears when you have pending print jobs.
2. Click on the printer icon to bring up the list of print jobs.
3. If the print queue window shows that the printer is paused, simply press the ‘Resume’ button.

Step 4: Check for Printer Issues Via the Dock

Sometimes, a printer might pause due, for example, to a paper jam or another error that needs attention. Here’s what you can do:

1. Click on the printer icon in the Dock to open the print queue window.
2. Check for any messages or alerts indicating a problem with the printer.
3. Resolve any issues (e.g., clear paper jams, refill ink) shown in the messages.
4. After the issue is resolved, the print queue may automatically unpause. If not, click ‘Resume’.

Step 5: Restart the Printer and Mac

If the printer does not unpause, try restarting both the printer and your Mac:

1. Turn off the printer using its power button.
2. Disconnect the power cable from the printer for about 30 seconds and then reconnect it.
3. Turn the printer back on and wait for it to initialize.
4. Restart your Mac by going to the Apple menu and selecting ‘Restart’.
5. After your Mac boots up, try printing again to see if the issue is resolved.

Step 6: Reset the Mac’s Printing System

If the above steps don’t work, you may need to reset the printing system:

1. Go to ‘System Preferences’ and select ‘Printers & Scanners’.
2. Right-click (or control-click) in the list of printers on the left-hand side of the window.
3. Choose ‘Reset printing system…’ from the context menu.
4. Click ‘Reset’ in the confirmation window.
5. After the reset, you will need to re-add your printer. Click the ‘+’ button to add the printer again.

Conclusion

By following the steps above, you should be able to unpause your printer on a Mac and resume printing your documents. If the problem persists, there may be a deeper issue that requires help from the printer manufacturer’s support team or a professional technician.