The Chromebooks have grown beyond its original purpose. No longer just a “browser in the box”, ChromeOS easily acts as a full-fledged operating system that can do almost anything you need. For example, adding a printer to a Chromebook is a lot easier than you think.
Now, there is a caveat to this. The best way to successfully print from ChromeOS is to add a printer that is attached to another machine on your network and shared externally.
So if you have a Linux, MacOS or Windows desktop, attach your printer to it and share it with your network. Once you’ve done that, adding the printer to your Chromebook is simple.
Also: The best printer today
Let me show you how.
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To successfully add a printer to your Chromebook, you’ll need the following:
- Chromebooks.
- A printer is attached to a machine on your LAN.
- That printer is shared from the host operating system.
- Both the Chromebook and the printer host must be on the same network.
- The IP address of the machine to which the printer is attached.
Once you have all of that in place, it’s time to add the printer to your Chromebook.
Also: How I revived three ancient computers with ChromeOS Flex
Add a network printer to your Chromebook
Sign in to your Chromebook and open the Settings app from the gear icon in the notification pop-up or from the Launcher.
When the Settings app opens, type printer in the search field to bring up the Printers section.
Adding printers to ChromeOS is much easier than you think. Screenshot: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Click the + associated with Add printer. In the resulting window, click on Printer Server in the bottom left corner.
We will add the printer from the print server. Screenshot: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
In the next pop-up, enter the IP address of the machine to which the printer is attached and click Add.
To locate the printer, enter the IP address of the machine that hosts the printer. Screenshot: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
ChromeOS will automatically locate the printer connected to the server and list it in the Add Printer window. Locate the printer you want to add and click Save to complete the process.
To finish the process, click Save. Screenshot: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Your printer has been successfully added to your Chromebook. If multiple printers are found on your server, you can always save as many as you want. For example, you might have a monochrome laser printer and a color printer associated with your server. Add both and then print whichever you need.
Also: 5 reasons Chromebooks are the perfect laptop (for most users)
Once your printer is added to ChromeOS, you can print to it as if it were directly connected to your laptop. Congratulations on expanding your Chromebook’s usability.
