Complete Guide on How to Uninstall a Printer on a Mac

Are you thinking of getting a new printer to replace your old one? This would also need the removal of your Mac's printer drivers, which can be perplexing at times. This is due to the fact that uninstalling a printer on a Mac is not the same as uninstalling standard programs. After getting a request from one of our users, we produced this post to explain how to remove printer drivers on a Mac with step-by-step instructions.

• Manual method

• Using HP Uninstaller

• Using App Cleaner & Uninstaller

How to Uninstall a Printer on a Mac?

When you need to change your printer, you'll also need to uninstall its drivers and delete the old one. We'll show you how to uninstall a printer from your Mac using different methods below.

Manual Method

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Step 1: From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.

Step 2: Select Printers & Scanners from the drop-down menu.

Step 3: Choose the machine that is appropriate for you. It would be the HP LaserJet 100 in our situation. To uninstall, click the Minus "-" button.

Step 4: Click Delete Printer to confirm your decision.

Keep in mind that you'll also need to uninstall the printer manufacturer's driver software. 

Step 5: Go to the Applications folder in Finder.

Step 6: Your linked files may be labeled differently depending on the printer manufacturer. You'll have to put them in the Trash. 

Step 7: After that, you'll need to erase any cache and service-related files associated with your printer manufacturer. You can find those files in the following folders:

~/Library/Cache

~/Library/Preferences

~/Library/Logs

~/Library/Application Support

~/Library/Containers

~/Library/Printers

Don't forget to empty your Trash afterward to ensure that the apps have been completely removed.

If the manual technique is too time consuming for you, we've included two additional options below that use HP Uninstaller and App Cleaner & Uninstaller tools.

Using HP Uninstaller

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HP Uninstaller is a printer manufacturer's official utility. You can use the tool to uninstall the HP printer driver. If you have a different printer brand, go to the manufacturer's official website to discover the software you need to uninstall their printers.

Step 1: Start HP Easy Start, which you may get from the company's website.

Step 2: Click HP Easy Start in the menu bar above, then Uninstall HP Software...

Step 3: Simply follow the procedures to uninstall HP.

Step 4: To allow permission to make changes, enter your login and password when prompted.

Step 5: Allow HP Uninstaller to erase your files for up to a few minutes.

Step 6: Simply select Set Up New Device and follow the on-screen directions to reinstall your HP software.

You must still delete the HP drivers from Printer & Scanners by going to System Preferences in the menu bar above, even if you used the official software to uninstall them. Now you can get rid of your printer's icon. Please click here for a more complete guide on how to do this.

Unfortunately, even if you use HP's official approach, you'll still have to erase the remaining cache and service files on your own. As previously stated, look for them in the following folders on your computer:

~/Library/Cache

~/Library/Preferences

~/Library/Logs

~/Library/Application Support

~/Library/Containers

~/Library/Printers

Using App Cleaner & Uninstaller

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The program App Cleaner & Uninstaller makes the entire uninstalling process quick and simple. After you've set it up, your entire computer is checked for any associated files that came with the app. If these are hidden files, our software will detect them, saving you time and aggravation. The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Start the App Cleaner & Uninstaller program. The software will begin scanning your computer for files as soon as it is launched.

Step 2: Because Mac OS X recognizes HP items as necessary system files, you'll need to temporarily enable the Display System Applications option during the removal process. To do so, navigate to Preferences in App Cleaner & Uninstaller Pro from the menu above.

Step 3: Please remember to turn Display System Applications off after you've finished uninstalling to avoid accidentally deleting vital system files and apps.

Step 4: Choose all of the applications that are relevant to the printer maker. That would be HP-related products in our scenario.

Step 5: Look over the list of files that will be erased and then click the Remove button.

That's all there is to it! In only a few clicks, all of the files relating to your Printer Manufacturer were completely erased from your macOS.

1. Why do I have to uninstall the printer on my Mac?

If you don't need to use a printer with your Mac any longer, possibly because you've purchased a new one, it's a good idea to reinstall the old one to avoid driver conflicts and other issues later. If you don't, you're unlikely to maintain the drivers up to date, which could lead to problems with future printer drivers.

2. Why can’t my Mac locate a printer?

If the printer doesn't show up in the list of available printers, it's either turned off or your Mac is on a different network. Another user may have stopped sharing the printer, or the user's Mac may be offline.

3. What can I do to have my Mac detect my HP wireless printer?

Select Printers & Scanners from the Apple menu, then System Preferences. If your printer doesn’t show up, click the plus sign and follow the on-screen instructions, or choose the printer and click Add to finish the setup.

As you can see, uninstalling a printer on a Mac, whether manually or through their internal software, is not an easy task. You must still delete any remaining service files or cache on your own to get the apps entirely erased. All other printer makers are much the same.

If you use the App Cleaner & Uninstaller tool, on the other hand, you'll have a thorough overview of all the folders and files associated with the software, even if they're hidden.