5 Easy Steps to Print Using Keyboard Shortcuts on a Computer

Get documents printed with just your keyboard

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Rain Kengly

Last Updated: October 9, 2024 Fact Checked

Did you know you can use keyboard shortcuts to print a file or web page on your computer? You can use the "Command+P" shortcut on Mac, and "Control+P" on Windows. Here's how to print using the keyboard on Windows PC or Mac.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Print on a Computer

To print using the keys on your keyboard, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + P (Windows) or CMD + P (Mac). With most devices, this immediately opens the Print window. You can select your printer, specify your settings, and more.

Steps

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1
Open the file or page you want to print. You can basically print any document, image, or web page on your computer.
- If you want to print your screen, you can use the Print Screen feature to capture a picture of your screen, and then print the picture.
This will open the print setup for your current file or web page.^{[1]
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3
Select your printer from the drop-down. Click the printer drop-down at the top of the menu, and select the printer you want to use.
- If you don't see your printer, make sure it's set up and connected to your computer via cable or Bluetooth.
- You can skip this step if the correct printer is already selected.
- If you're printing a web page, your browser may have a different menu.
- On Chrome, click Change next to "Destination" to select the printer.
- Safari, Firefox, and many other browsers use a drop-down just like Mac and Windows.
4
Change your printing settings (optional). Most programs and browsers will allow you to change settings like paper size, orientation, and number of copies. You can make custom changes if you need any.
- If you'd rather save the file to your computer as a PDF rather than print it on paper, you can use the print to PDF option instead.
5
Press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard. This will process and send your print job to the selected printer. You can pick up your hard copy from your printer.
- If this doesn't print the page, press Tab until you select the Print button. Then, press Enter/Return.
- You can also click the Print button to print the page.