How to Connect Canon Printer to a Laptop or Computer– 3 Ways

Last Updated On : May 16, 2023

Canon printers are massively popular devices. When you know how to connect them to a laptop or a computer, tasks like giving office or school presentations become easy. You can quickly produce documents, presentations, and PDFs by learning how to connect Canon printer to a laptop or computer.

The connection between the printing machine and the computer can be set up wirelessly or with a USB cable. Apart from a PC, users can connect their smartphones to their printers. In this short guide, we will assist you discover the right way to link your computer to your Canon printer.

Connect Canon Printer to a Laptop or Computer via USB

You can link your printing device to your Windows or Mac system through a USB. Canon recommends using a USB cable around 2 meters long. Follow these pointers to connect your printer to your laptop.

• Turn off your printer.
• Now insert one end of the USB into the printing device.
• The other end should go into your laptop.
• Now you can power on your printer.
• After that, move to your computer and hit the Windows Start menu.
• Find the gear icon on the left portion.
• Tap it to access Windows Settings.
• Now click the ‘Labelled devices’ option followed by ‘Printers and Scanners.’
• You will head to another page automatically. Here, tap the option ‘Add printer and scanner.’
• Now your printer will start looking for devices to scan. The scanning will start.
• In a short while, there will be your device name on the screen and you must tap it.
• Adhere to the onscreen guidelines. Continue with the installation.

Connect Canon Printer to a Laptop/Computer via Wireless Network

To arrange the connection between a wireless Canon printer and your system, ensure that both share one Wi-Fi network. You can do it via the WPS connection method. After that, start connecting the wireless Canon printer to the Windows laptop.

1. Connect your Canon printer to Wi-Fi.

Your Wi-Fi router must have a WPS button. It should be using a WPA or WPS2 security protocol.

• Turn on the printing device. Power on your Wi-Fi router.
• Head to ‘Home.’ It will be on your Canon machine’s touchscreen.
• Find the ‘Wi-Fi’ button and press and hold it.
• Choose the ‘LAN Wireless Setup’ followed by ‘OK.’
• Select your particular Wi-Fi network and hit the Wi-Fi access point.
• For the passphrase WPA key, input your Wi-Fi password.
• Hit ‘OK.’
• Let your Canon printer connect to your Wi-Fi router access points.
• When the wireless connection sets up, you won’t see the power and Wi-Fi lights blinking. They will be lit without blinking.

2. Connect your wireless Canon printer to any computer.

• After you have connected your printer to Wi-Fi, download the printer’s driver. It will be on the official Canon website.
• Open the printer driver’s file on your system.
• Use the instructions on your screen to install it completely.
• Now, launch the Run box using the Windows key and R.
• On the Run box, type ‘control/name Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters’
• Hit Enter or press ‘OK.’
• In the ‘Devices and Printers’ option, locate ‘Add Printer.’
• Press this button. You will see instructions coming on your screen.
• Use all these instructions and tap ‘OK.’
• This is how you connect a Canon printer to a computer via a wireless network.

Use a Wired Network to Connect Canon Printer to Your Computer

You can link various devices on a specific wired network to access the printer through a wired connection. For this, you require an Ethernet cable. Now, attach the Canon printer to the router.

• Link an end of the Ethernet cable to your printer.
• Connect the cable’s other end to your router.
• Turn on your printer.
• Head to the Control Panel of the device.
• Here, you can configure the network settings.

POINT TO NOTE – Different Canon printer models have different steps for configuring network settings. The best method is to use the manual of your device.

• Now choose the ‘Wired LAN’ option. It will help your printer to link to a wired LAN.
• Continue with the process of installing the printer driver on your system. It will facilitate proper communication with the system.

The process to install the Canon printer driver

Not every user needs to follow a printer driver installation process. It’s because, on various occasions, the computer automatically detects the printing device. In this case, you only need to adhere to the onscreen guidelines appearing on your screen.

However, if your system cannot detect the printer, you can manually install the driver.

• Go to the usa.canon.com/support.
• Input the model of your printer.
• Choose the appropriate search result.
• Now move to the ‘Drivers & Downloads’ section.
• Here, choose your operating system.
• Now, select the driver that you wish to download.
• Hit ‘Download’ followed by ‘Yes.’
• Now tap ‘Next’ followed by ‘Yes.’

NOTE – Select the’ USB connection’ option if you want to link your printer through a USB cable. Likewise, if you want Ethernet or Wi-Fi for the connection, choose the ‘Network connection’ option.

How Do I Connect a Canon Printer to My Mac Wirelessly?

Mac users wanting to connect their Canon printer wirelessly to their PC should follow these instructions.

• Turn on your Mac. Power on the printer.
• Now link the printer to the Wi-Fi.
• Head to ij.start.canon for the printer driver download.
• Finish the installation of the driver.
• Hit the Apple menu. Next, tap ‘System Preferences.’
• Pick the ‘Printers and Scanners’ option on the new screen.
• Now, tap the ‘+’ sign to add the printing device.
• Choose your Canon printer and tap ‘Add.’
• Now you may find the name of your printer on the left-hand side. It means that the wireless connection is successful.

Concluding Words

Connecting your Canon printer to your laptop or computer make your work more efficient and bring much-needed flexibility. They can be linked both wirelessly and with USB and Ethernet cables. Use this article when the need occurs for you to link your printer to your laptop. If you face issues, consult a printer tech expert.

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