Removing printer from Mac, iPad, and iPhone

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Level 1

4 points

Removing printer from Mac, iPad, and iPhone

Recently bought a Canon PIXMA printer to replace the one that stopped working and it's not happening. I just want to get rid of it and all traces of it on my Mac, iPad and iPhone. How can I be sure that all traces of both the new and the old printer are eradicated from all devices?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iMac 24″, macOS 15.0

Posted on Nov 13, 2024 6:03 PM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

152,428 points

Nov 13, 2024 8:20 PM in response to shrubhub

To fully remove a printer on macOS, iPadOS, and iOS, you can follow these steps to ensure no residual configurations or cached settings interfere with re-adding or replacing the printer:

For macOS:

Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
Select your Canon printer from the list on the left side.
Click Remove Printer (minus button) and confirm when prompted.
To clear printer settings: Open Finder > Go > Go to Folder...
Enter ~/Library/Printers/ and delete any files related to the printer you just removed. Also, check ~/Library/Caches for printer-related cache files and remove them.

Some printers install specific drivers or software; go to Applications and look for a dedicated printer app or driver.

If found, use the uninstaller in the app or move it to the Trash. Then, restart your Mac to ensure the settings are fully refreshed.

For iPadOS and iOS:

Printers typically connect to iPadOS and iOS through AirPrint, so there's no direct list of printers to remove like on macOS. However, you can reset network settings to clear any cached printers.

To do so:

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

Note: This action will also reset Wi-Fi networks, VPN, and Bluetooth connections, so be prepared to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords.

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