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Use the right default printer in every place
Create a profile for each place, recognize it by its Wi-Fi network or location, and add a Set default printer action. Every Print dialog then starts with the printer that is actually in the room.
- When
- Office Wi-FiAt the office
- Then
- Printer: 3rd Floor
Last updated
How to set it up
- Add your printers to macOS. Both printers must already be added in System Settings > Printers & Scanners. The action only chooses which one is the default.
- Create an Office profile. Add a Wi-Fi network rule with the office network, and optionally a location rule for the office building.
- Add the printer action. Add Set default printer and choose the office printer.
- Do the same for home. Create a Home profile with your home Wi-Fi and Set default printer set to the home printer.
Get Profiles Switcher on the Mac App Store, for macOS 13 or later
Permission needed: Location. See permissions in the help guide.
The printer that is never the right one
Printing at home to the office printer is a small annoyance until the document is confidential and it comes out on the 3rd floor. macOS has one default printer at a time and a setting called “Last Printer Used” that remembers the printer you used most recently, per network. In practice people with two offices, or a home and an office, keep picking the printer by hand.
A profile makes the choice explicit. The Office profile switches on at the office and sets the office printer; the Home profile does the same at home. The Print dialog always opens on the printer in the room you are in.
Recognizing the office reliably
- Wi-Fi network is the most precise signal: it switches the moment you join.
- Location helps when you are on a guest network or tethered to your phone: draw the office on the map with a radius of 150 metres or more.
- IP address / range is the answer when two offices use the same Wi-Fi name: “Local IP is in 10.20.0.0/16” identifies the building by its network.
Combine them with “Any is true” and any one of them is enough.
Bundle the rest of the office
Printers are rarely the only thing that changes at work. The same Office profile can also mount the team share, open Slack and switch the keyboard layout, so arriving at work sets up everything at once.
Frequently asked questions
Doesn't macOS remember the last printer used?
macOS has a "Last Printer Used" setting that tries to remember a printer per network. It only knows what you printed to last, and some users report it stopped following their location after upgrading macOS. A profile sets the printer explicitly every time you arrive.
Does it change the printer in every app?
Yes. It sets the system default printer, which every app’s Print dialog starts with.
Why add both a Wi-Fi rule and a location rule?
Either one is enough. With "Any is true" the profile switches on if you are on the office Wi-Fi or inside the office area, which also covers a wired connection.
Related automations
Set it up in a few minutes
Profiles Switcher is a menu bar app for Mac (macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel) that switches your Mac's setup automatically. You build profiles from 19 triggers, such as the Wi-Fi network you join, a place, headphones or a display, and 18 actions, including running any of your Shortcuts. Everything runs on your Mac; it is available on the Mac App Store.
Download on the Mac App Store