To print from Google Docs on a phone, open the document in the Google Docs app, tap More (the three dots), tap Share & export, then tap Print. Pick your printer on the print screen and tap Print.
This works the same way in the Google Docs app on iPhone, iPad, Android phones and Android tablets, and Google uses the same menu path in the Google Sheets and Google Slides apps. The steps follow Google’s Print a file help pages for iPhone and iPad and Android. The print screen itself comes from your phone’s operating system, so it looks a little different on an iPhone than on an Android phone.
What You Need Before You Print
- The Google Docs app. Install it from the App Store or Google Play and sign in with the Google Account that has the document. The mobile browser version of Docs is not the route Google documents for printing.
- A printer your phone can reach. On iPhone and iPad, that means an AirPrint printer. On Android, it means a printer your phone’s print service can find, either through the built-in default print service or your printer maker’s plugin.
- The same Wi-Fi network. The iPhone and the AirPrint printer must be on the same Wi-Fi network. Android print services work the same way for most home printers.
- Permission to print. If someone shared the file with you as a viewer or commenter, the owner can block printing for those roles. More on that in the troubleshooting section.
How to Print a Google Doc From Your Phone
- Open the Google Docs app. Your list of documents appears.
- Tap the document you want to print. It opens on screen.
- Tap More (the three dots) in the top right. A menu opens.
- Tap Share & export, then tap Print. Your phone’s print screen opens with a preview of the document.
- Choose your printer. On iPhone, tap No Printer Selected (or the printer name shown) and pick an AirPrint printer. On Android, tap the printer name at the top and pick a printer from the list.
- Set the number of copies and, if you only need some pages, the page range.
- Tap Print. On iPhone the button is in the top right; on Android it’s the round printer button.
The document goes to the printer. If the printer doesn’t show up in step 5, see the troubleshooting section below before trying again.
iPhone and iPad print options
The options you see on the AirPrint screen depend on the printer. Apple’s AirPrint instructions cover copies and which pages to print, and many printers also offer black and white, double-sided printing, paper size and orientation on the same screen. Swipe through the preview to check each page before you tap Print.
Android print options
On Android, tap the small down arrow under the printer name to show more settings, such as copies, paper size, color and orientation. Which options appear depends on the print service and the printer. To print only part of the document, change Pages from All to a range like 1-3.
How to Add a Printer on Android
If no printers appear on an Android phone, the phone may not have a print service for your printer yet. Google’s Android help walks through adding one.
- Open your phone’s Settings app.
- Tap Connected devices, then Connection preferences, then Printing. A list of print services appears.
- Tap a print service to turn it on, or tap Add service to install one from the Play Store, such as your printer maker’s plugin.
- Go back to the Google Docs app and open the print screen again. The printer now appears in the list.
Some steps need Android 9 or later, and Samsung and other phone makers sometimes place Printing under a slightly different menu. If you can’t find it, search Settings for “printing.”
How to Set Up the Page Before You Print
Page setup in the Google Docs app changes how the document is laid out, so do this before you open the print screen.
- Open the document in the Google Docs app. On Android, tap Edit (the pencil) first.
- Tap More, then tap Page setup.
- Change the Orientation, Paper size or Page color.
To see the page breaks and margins as they’ll print, tap More and turn on Print layout. Tap Edit to keep working while you see the printed layout.
Page setup isn’t available for pageless documents. A pageless document has no page breaks on screen, so images and wide tables get resized to fit the paper when you print. If Page setup is missing, switch the document to pages format on a computer under File › Page setup › Pages, then try again on your phone.
Printer Not Showing Up or Not Printing
- The printer isn’t listed on iPhone. Confirm it supports AirPrint and is on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone. AirPrint doesn’t work with printers connected by Bluetooth to a computer. For help setting up the printer, read about adding a printer to an iPhone with AirPrint.
- The printer isn’t listed on Android. Add or turn on a print service as shown above, then check that the phone and printer are on the same network.
- The printer is listed but nothing prints. Check that the printer is on, has paper and ink, and isn’t showing an error. Then restart the printer and your phone and send the job again.
- The phone and printer are on different networks. Guest Wi-Fi networks and some office or school networks keep devices apart. Connect your phone to the same main network the printer uses.
- There’s no Print option. The owner of a shared file can stop viewers and commenters from downloading, copying and printing it in the file’s share settings. Ask the owner for edit access or a copy. Also make sure you’re in the Google Docs app, not the Google Drive app.
- The labels don’t match these steps. Update the Google Docs app from the App Store or Google Play, since menu names change over time.
Save a PDF Instead of Printing
A PDF is useful when the printer isn’t nearby or when you want to send the file to a print shop.
- Android: on the print screen, tap the printer name and choose Save as PDF, then tap the PDF button and choose where to save it.
- iPhone and iPad: in the Google Docs app, tap More › Share & export › Send a copy, choose PDF, tap OK, and pick a place such as Save to Files.
You can print that PDF later from any device on the printer’s network. On a computer, saving a Google Docs file as a PDF covers the steps and other formats.
Print Sheets and Slides From Your Phone
Google’s steps are the same in the Google Sheets and Google Slides apps: open the file, tap More, tap Share & export, then Print. Choose the printer and tap Print. Page setup and print layout, as described above, are Google Docs features, so for print scaling in a spreadsheet or handouts for slides you’ll get more control on a computer.
If the file still has a vague name, you can rename a file in the Google Docs iPhone app from the same More menu in the file list before you print it.
A Note About Google Cloud Print
Google’s iPhone help page still mentions setting up Google Cloud Print on a computer. Cloud Print has not been supported on any operating system since January 1, 2021, so skip that step. Some older articles also tell you to install a Cloud Print app or link printers in Chrome settings; those steps no longer work. Print directly to a nearby printer instead, as shown above.
Print From a Computer Instead
If you need settings the phone doesn’t offer, such as custom margins or print scale, open the document on a computer. In Chrome, click File › Print and choose your printer. In Firefox or Safari, Docs downloads a PDF first; open it and print from your PDF viewer.
How to Confirm It Worked
Check the printer for your pages. On Android, a print notification shows the job’s progress, and you can tap it to see the status or cancel the job. If the pages don’t look right, turn on Print layout in the app to compare, adjust Page setup, and print again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I print just some pages from my phone?
Yes. On the print screen, change the page range before you tap Print. On iPhone, look for the page range or Range option; on Android, tap the down arrow and change Pages from All to a range.
Why does the printout look different from the screen?
The app can show the document in a phone-friendly view without page breaks. Turn on Print layout to see pages, margins and breaks as they’ll print. Pageless documents also resize images and wide tables to fit the paper.
Can I print to a printer at home when I’m away?
Not through Google Docs alone, since the phone has to reach the printer on the same network. Some printer makers offer their own remote printing apps, so check your printer’s support pages, or save a PDF and print it when you’re back.
Do I need the Google Docs app to print?
Google’s documented route is the app. If you can’t install it, open the document on a computer and print from Chrome instead.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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