How to print double-sided on a Mac

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Printing on both sides halves the paper you use. On a Mac the setting is in the print window of every app, as long as the printer has a duplex unit, which most current office and home printers do.

These steps are for recent versions of macOS.

Step by step

1. Open the print window

   With the document open, choose File, Print, or press Command + P.

   Done

2. Choose the printer

   Check the Printer menu at the top. The double-sided option depends on the printer selected there.

   Done

3. Open the Double-sided menu

   It is in the main part of the print window. In some apps you first click Show Details at the bottom.

   Done

4. Choose On

   On turns the pages over on the long edge, like a book. This is right for normal upright documents.

   Done

5. Or choose On (Short Edge)

   This turns the pages over on the short edge, like a calendar or notepad. Use it for landscape pages and slides.

   Done

6. Click Print

   The preview on the left does not change. The printer does the turning.

   Done

Good to know

If there is no Double-sided menu, the printer or the app does not support it. Check the printer's manual. Some printers need the duplex unit switched on in System Settings, Printers & Scanners, under the printer's options.

Without a duplex printer you can still do it by hand: print the odd pages first, put the stack back into the tray and print the even pages. Test with two sheets first to see which way round the paper has to go.

To save even more paper, print two pages on each side: our Pages per sheet tool prepares the PDF for that.

If the printer does not appear at all: how to add a printer to a Mac.

In short: File, Print, Double-sided menu, On (or On (Short Edge)), Print.