Microsoft Word Printing Problems Mac

09.04.2020
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Go to troubleshooting information on Word for Windows.

Start with The Basics! Many problems are solved by Updating and by Repairing Disk Permissions. Don’t be tempted to skip over this section because you think your problem isn’t “basic” – it may very well turn out to be.

The Basics

Print a document in Word for Mac. Before you print, it’s a good idea to preview your document to make sure that it looks the way you want. You can also specify which pages you want to print and print on both sides of the page. You can also change the orientation for specific pages or for specific sections (if your document is divided by section breaks). Start the Notes app on your Mac, open an existing note or create a new note with some sample text, then click File Print and see if it will print. If it prints successfully from Notes that tell us that you have a problem with your installation of Microsoft Office.

Specific Issues

Asterisks Bug: This one is nasty. Click here for work-arounds.

Font Weeding. If the application hangs and freezes a lot, particularly at startup, see here.

Can't Open Files: This can be because of non-letter characters in the file name or path. See here.

Can't Save to Server: Sorry: this one is still with us. Microsoft thought they had fixed it, but it's back. There's a Severity 1 incident open on it.

Word won't open documents the way I left them. It will now!

Microsoft Word Printing Problems

You might experience issues such as these when you try to print from your Mac or print from your iOS device:

  • You can't see your printer from your device, or you get a message that no printers were found.
  • You get a message that software for your device isn't available.
  • You have some other printing issue related to the software on your Mac or iOS device.

For help with an error light or other error condition on the printer itself, check the printer's documentation or contact its manufacturer.

If your printer is AirPrint-enabled

If your printer is AirPrint-enabled for printing from your Mac or iOS device, just make sure that it's connected to the same Wi-Fi network used by the Mac or iOS device.1

If you still can't print, try any of these solutions:

  • Restart your Wi-Fi router. Then restart your printer.
  • Move your printer closer to your Wi-Fi router.
  • Update your printer and Wi-Fi router with the latest firmware from the manufacturer.2
  • Update the software for your Mac or iOS device.

If you're using a Mac and you still can't print, it might help to reset the printing system. Otherwise, contact the printer manufacturer for support.

If your printer isn't AirPrint-enabled

If you're printing from your Mac to a printer that isn't AirPrint-enabled:

  1. If your printer is connected to your Mac with a cable, disconnect the cable from your Mac.
  2. Turn off your printer.
  3. Get software updates for your Mac. Your Mac automatically downloads the latest software for most printers as part of these updates, so it's best not to install software from the printer manufacturer.
  4. Reconnect your printer to your Mac, if applicable.
  5. Turn on your printer and wait for it to finish starting up.
  6. Choose Apple () menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners.
  7. Select your printer in the list of devices.

If your printer doesn't appear in the list of devices in Printers & Scanners preferences, click at the bottom of the list, then choose the command to add a printer or scanner. The window that opens offers more ways to find and add a printer, such as by IP address:

If you still can't print, and your printer is connected via Wi-Fi:

  • Restart your Wi-Fi router. Then restart your printer.
  • Move your printer closer to your Wi-Fi router.
  • Update your printer and Wi-Fi router with the latest firmware from the manufacturer.2

Reset the printing system

If the issue continues, reset the printing system on your Mac. This removes all printers and scanners—including their print jobs and settings—from Printers & Scanners preferences.

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  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners.
  2. While holding down the Control key on your keyboard, click anywhere in the list of devices.
  3. Choose “Reset printing system” from the menu that appears:
Microsoft

Digital Printing

Remove printer drivers

If the issue continues on your Mac after resetting the printing system, take these final steps to remove any currently installed printer drivers. These steps don't apply to AirPrint printers.

Kinko's Online Printing

  1. From the menu bar in the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder. Type /Library/Printers/ and click Go.
  2. The Printers folder opens. Choose Edit > Select All, which selects all items in the Printers folder.
  3. Choose File > New Folder with Selection, which puts all of the selected items into a new folder named New Folder With Items. To save storage space, you can delete this folder.

If the issue continues, contact the printer manufacturer for support.

Microsoft Word Printing Problems Machine

1. In corporate environments, DNS records can be configured to allow AirPrint-enabled printers to appear across other networks instead of just the network used by the device you're printing from. You can also use configuration profiles in iOS to set up AirPrint printers.

Microsoft Word Printing Problems Mac Os

2. Firmware updates—such as for AirPort base stations—update the software on the printer or router, not the software on your Mac or iOS device. If the latest firmware from the manufacturer is several years old, the manufacturer might have stopped supporting or updating your device. If so, you might need a more up-to-date printer or router.