How to print from iPhone without Wi-Fi

Printing from an iPhone normally happens over your home or office Wi-Fi. But there’s no router in a holiday rental, the office network blocks printers, or your Wi-Fi is simply down. The good news: you can often print anyway.

There are five ways to print without a regular Wi-Fi network. They’re listed from the most reliable to the least.

Option 1: Wi-Fi Direct (best for most printers)

Many Wi-Fi printers can create their own small wireless network. Your iPhone joins it directly, without a router. Printer makers call it Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless Direct or Direct Connection.

1. Turn on Wi-Fi Direct on the printer

   Look in the printer’s network or wireless settings on its control panel. On printers without a screen, there’s usually a Wi-Fi Direct button or a button combination in the manual.

2. Find the network name and password

   The printer shows them on its screen, or prints them on a network status page. The name often starts with DIRECT-.

3. Join the printer’s network on your iPhone

   Open Settings → Wi-Fi, tap the printer’s network and enter the password. iOS may say there’s no internet connection. That’s normal.

4. Print as usual

   Open the photo or document, tap Share → Print, choose the printer and tap Print.

5. Rejoin your normal Wi-Fi

   When you’re done, switch back to your usual network in Settings → Wi-Fi so your iPhone gets the internet over Wi-Fi again.

Option 2: Your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot

Your iPhone can create a Wi-Fi network of its own with Personal Hotspot. If the printer joins that network, it’s on the same network as the phone, at least in theory.

1. On your iPhone, open Settings → Personal Hotspot and turn on Allow Others to Join. Note the Wi-Fi password. Many printers only use 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, so also turn on Maximize Compatibility on the same screen.
2. On the printer, open its Wi-Fi setup and join your iPhone’s network, entering the password on the printer’s screen.
3. Try printing with Share → Print.

This is worth a try, but results vary. Some printers appear and print right away; others never show up on a hotspot. It also only works with printers that let you choose a network and type a password, which usually means a printer with a screen. Printing itself doesn’t use mobile data: the job travels over the hotspot’s local network.

If you have a second device, like an iPad or another phone, it can join the hotspot too and print from there. The hotspot simply acts as the router.

Option 3: Bluetooth (only some printers)

AirPrint doesn’t use Bluetooth, so the standard Print button won’t find a Bluetooth printer. Bluetooth printing works only with printers built for it, typically small portable photo printers, label printers and some mobile printers. They come with their own app, and you print from that app.

If your printer is a regular home inkjet or laser, Bluetooth isn’t an option. Some printer apps use Bluetooth only to help set the printer up, not to print.

Option 4: A cable (rarely works)

Plugging a printer into an iPhone sounds like the obvious fix, but most home printers can’t print from an iPhone over a cable, even with the right adapter. iOS doesn’t install printer drivers, and a cable doesn’t make a printer AirPrint-capable.

A few specialty printers, such as some receipt and label printers, support printing from iPhone over a cable with their own apps. Check the printer maker’s instructions before you buy an adapter.

Option 5: Save it and print later, or print elsewhere

When none of the above works, keep the file ready and print it somewhere else:

• Save it to your iPhone. Save the PDF to Files, or keep the scan in a printing app, so it’s ready when you’re back on Wi-Fi.
• Use a library, office or print shop. Many accept files by email or USB stick, or have a self-service kiosk. Ask how they take files before you go.
• Print from someone else’s Wi-Fi. At a friend’s place or the office, join their Wi-Fi and print to their AirPrint printer as usual.

Which option should you use?

Option	What you need	Uses AirPrint?	Best for
Wi-Fi Direct	A printer with Wi-Fi Direct	Yes, on most printers	Homes without a router, travel, guests
Personal Hotspot	A printer with a screen that can join any network	Yes, if the printer appears	When Wi-Fi Direct isn’t available
Bluetooth	A Bluetooth printer and its app	No	Portable photo and label printers
Cable	A specialty printer that supports it	No	Rare cases, check the maker first
Print elsewhere	A print shop, library or another Wi-Fi	Depends	When nothing else works

If your printer doesn’t appear even on a regular Wi-Fi network, the problem is the connection, not the network type. Our guide to fix “iPhone can’t find printer” goes through the checks in order. And if you’re not sure your printer supports AirPrint at all, run the AirPrint checker first.