How to Add Canon Wireless Printer to Mac

Many operating systems can now interact with wireless printers fairly seamlessly.

If you have a Canon wireless printer and a MacBook or iMac, then you are probably trying to integrate them with one another.

Our how to add Canon wireless printer to Mac tutorial below will show you how to get this set up so that you can print from your Mac to the printer even if they aren’t connected to one another physically.

How to Install a Wi-Fi Printer in Mac OS X 10.8

  1. Open System Preferences.
  2. Choose Print & Scan.
  3. Click the + icon at the bottom-left.
  4. Select the printer and click Add.

Our guide continues below with additional information on how to add Canon wireless printer to Mac, including pictures of these steps.

Installing a Wi-Fi printer in the Mac OS X 10.8 operating system is a remarkably simple process.

This is especially true if the bulk of your printer installation experience is in a Windows environment.

In fact, in many cases, you will not need any installation discs, nor will you need to navigate printing manufacturer websites as part of the process.

In this tutorial, we will be installing the Canon MX340 printer, which has wireless capabilities.

If you’re also trying to figure out your backup situation, check out the Time Capsule. It’s easy, has a huge storage capacity, and looks good.

Related Topic: If you have ever needed to scan a document but couldn’t find a scanner, then our how to scan on iPhone tutorial can show you another option.

How to Complete a Canon MX340 Wireless Installation in Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion (Guide with Pictures)

how to add Canon wireless printer to Mac


This tutorial is going to assume that your printer has been unboxed, set up, and connected to your wireless network.

If it has not, take a few moments to perform these tasks. For most wireless printers with a touch screen or user interface, you will be able to connect directly to the wireless network from the printer’s physical control panel. If you are having difficulty, be sure to consult the printer’s installation guide or user manual.

Additionally, while this tutorial is specific to this model of printer, the process is nearly identical for most other Wi-Fi capable printer models.

Step 1: Click the System Preferences icon in the dock.

Open System Preferences
Open System Preferences

Step 2: Click the Print & Scan icon in the Hardware section of the window.

Open Print and Scan menu
Open Print and Scan menu

Step 3: Click the + icon at the bottom-left corner of the window.

If you can’t click the + symbol, you may need to click the lock icon at the bottom-left corner of the window.

Click the + button
Click the + button

Step 4: Click the printer from the list, then click the Add button at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

If your printer is not showing up in this list, confirm that the computer and printer are both connected to the same network.

You will probably need to wait for a few minutes while the printer software is downloaded to your computer.

Select your printer from the list
Select your printer from the list

The printer software will install automatically once it has been downloaded. You can then access the printer menu from the Print & Scan menu that you accessed in Step 2.

wifi-printing-osx-108-6

Now that you have completed the how to add Canon wireless printer to Mac steps, you will be able to complete this process again if you need to troubleshoot the connection between the printer and your computer.

If your printer has a scan utility, then you can use the Image Capture application in Launchpad to initiate a scan.

If you are looking for an all-in-one Wi-Fi printer that you can easily set up with your Mac, then you should consider the Canon MX340. It’s affordable and a good choice for a home printer, scanner and fax machine. There is also an even less-expensive model of this printer, the MX432, that is getting some great reviews at Amazon.

Join Our Free Newsletter

Featured guides and deals

You may opt out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy