My MAC cannot find my printer. I removed it to add it again and it will not reappear.

[Meterrilee]

My laptop cannot find my printer all of a sudden. I have restarted the router, my computer, and the printer. I reset the printer (removed it) to re-add it. My MAC does not find it. My settings appear ok, WI-Fi Direct is on. Wireless is active. My HP Network Configuration Page printout  indicates the wireless status is connected. I have tried to enter the printer's IP address on the "add printer" for MAC settings--it's not recognizing it. Since resetting the MAC printers (where it used to be listed), I no longer have any HP folder content. My HP icon has the big question mark through it. It's gone and I can't seem to get it started again. I did the startup wizard as well (went to the router and held the WPS button). Nothing is working. Would greatly appreciate advice.

[TEJ1602]

@Meterrilee, Welcome to HP Support Community!

Let's try the below steps to see if that helps - 

  

1.) Remove All Barriers: Certain building materials can get in the way of weaker signals like Bluetooth. Metal, bulletproof glass, concrete, and plaster are particularly bad, and marble, plaster, and brick aren’t great easy. So if you’re really struggling with interference, your first step should be to move your Bluetooth devices away from these materials. That means no brick walls between you and your devices, and definitely no metal desks! 

  

2.) Change Router Channel: If you have an Apple router and you’re constantly getting interference with your WiFi, try rebooting it. Upon restart, the station will search for a new channel. Specifically, a different channel than the one your Bluetooth devices is using to communicate. If you don’t have an Apple router, you may need to instead go into your router settings and try changing the channel manually. Experiment with different channels to see which one works best. 

  

3.) Move Closer to Your Router: If you often find that you’re getting interference when talking on a wireless headset while on a WiFi call (you’ll know because you’ll hear static), try moving closer to your router. This will give you a more robust WiFi connection, so the Bluetooth frequency can’t overpower it. 

  

4.) Get Away From Microwaves and Fluorescent Lighting: Both emit frequencies of 2.4GHz, and moving away from them will distance you from the source. 

  

I'd like to know the following to isolate the issue further- 

  

1.) Are the printer and Mac connected to the same network? 

2.) Is your router dual-band enabled i.e., both 2.4GHz and 5GHz? If yes, make sure the dual band has different SSIDs for 2.4G and 5G networks. 

3.) What is the distance between the router and the printer? 

4.) Is there an antivirus software installed on your Mac? 

5.) Could you perform a ping test using the Mac Network Utility and let me know the results? Use the printer IP address to perform a ping test, the printer IP can be located by selecting the wireless icon on the printer display. 

  

The wireless status menu on your Mac should also give us quite a lot of information that would help us identify the issue. You can press and hold option-click the WiFi icon and then use shift-command-5 to take the screenshot. Press the space bar when the icon turns into a camera. Share the ping test results and the screenshot with us. 

  

Also, check with your Internet service provider if your router is able to forward 'Bonjour packets'.  Bonjour locates devices such as printers, other computers, and the services that those devices offer on a local network using multicast Domain Name System (mDNS) service records. The software comes built-in with Apple's macOS and iOS operating systems.  

Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[TEJ1602]

@Meterrilee

This is in response to your private message.

ensure that the printer is up to date with its firmware and Mac is up to date with its software. If you are unsure you may use the links below to update the printer firmware and Mac software:

Update printer firmware

Update software on Mac 

Remove and add the printer

Click the Apple menu, and then select System Preferences.

Depending on your operating system version, click Print & Fax, Print & Scan, or Printers & Scanners.

Click the name of your printer, click the Minus sign, and then delete the printer.

Click the Plus sign, and then click Add Printer or Scanner.

Click the Use or Print Using box, and then select AirPrint

Click Add to add the printer to the list.

Try to print.

Keep me posted for further assistance.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!