Manage local and network printers

For managed Chromebooks and other devices running Chrome OS.

Chrome version 65 and later

As an administrator, you can use Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS) printers with your organization’s devices running Chrome OS. CUPS uses an Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) to print to local and network printers. 

When you add a printer, it automatically appears in your users’ list of printers and they can start printing without any further setup. You can specify a printer for everyone, or for users or devices in certain groups or departments.

Add or remove printers

Add a printer
  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. From the Admin console Home page, go to Devicesand thenChrome.
  3. Click Printers.
  4. Select the organizational unit or group to which you want to add the printer.
  5. At the bottom right, point to AddAdd questionand thenclick Add a printerAdd a printer.
  6. Enter the printer details.
    Note: Some printers might need a queue name defined in the path, as well as the host address and port in the URI. For example, ipps://192.0.2.255/ipp/print. Contact your manufacturer for the correct path.
    • Protocol: ipps
    • Host: 192.0.2.255
    • Port: 631
    • Path: ipp/print
  7. (Optional) To allow the printer to be set up as a driverless printer, select Use driverless configuration.
    You do not have to enter a printer make and model. The printer provides all the details to the device.
  8. Click Add Printer.
Add several printers at once

You can add multiple printers using a comma-separated values (CSV) file. For details about how to create a valid CSV file, see CSV file guidelines below.

  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. From the Admin console Home page, go to Devicesand thenChrome.
  3. Click Printers.
  4. Select the organizational unit or group to which you want to add the printer.
  5. At the bottom right, point to AddAdd questionand thenclick Upload printers"".
  6. Click Choose a CSV File.
  7. Browse to and open the CSV file.
  8. Click Upload.
Remove printers
  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. From the Admin console Home page, go to Devicesand thenChrome.
  3. Click Printers.
  4. Select the organizational unit or group where the printer was added.
  5. Check the box next to the printer you want to remove.
  6. Click Delete selected printersDelete and thenDelete.
CSV file guidelines

You can use a spreadsheet application, such as Google Sheets or Microsoft® Excel®, or a text file to create the CSV file. Your file should contain the printer details for each printer that you want to add.

If you’re using a spreadsheet application…

  1. Add the column headings in the table below.
  2. Enter the information for each printer under the headings.

Note: Spreadsheet applications are case sensitive, so enter all printer details in lowercase.

Column heading Description
name

Name of the printer (Required)

The printer name is a combination of the printer manufacturer and model name, for example, brother dcp-l2535d.
description

Description of the printer (Optional)
driverless

Printer configured without a driver (Optional)

To allow the printer to be set up as a driverless printer, enter true. To require printer details, enter false.
model

Printer model (Required if driverless field is empty or set to false)
uri

URI, host address, and port (Required)
allowed for user

Printer available for users (Optional)

To allow for users, enter true. To restrict, enter false.
allowed for device

Printer available for devices (Optional)

To allow for devices, enter true. To restrict, enter false.
allowed for managed guest session

Printer available for managed guest sessions (Optional)

To allow for managed guest sessions, enter true. To restrict, enter false.

If you’re using a text file…

Enter the printer details separated by commas. See the table above for descriptions.

Example:

Test Printer, Lab Printer, false, generic pcl 6/pcl xl printer pxlcolor, ipp://192.0.2.255, true, true, false

Troubleshooting

Missing one or more of the required columns (name, model, uri)

For some printers, you might need to add the printer manufacturer to the printer name twice. For example, epson epson al-2600.

  1. If you continue to get the error, manually add the printer.
  2. If you’re using the printer in future CSV files, use the printer name that’s listed in the Model column on the Printer management page.

Change printer settings

Manage who can use printers

You can add printers to organizational units at any level. Changing a printer setting at a higher level changes the setting for all child organizational units that inherit that setting. Printers that you add are not automatically available for users and devices. You might need to configure printer settings so that they can use them.

  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. From the Admin console Home page, go to Devicesand thenChrome.
  3. Click Printers.
  4. To enable a printer for an organizational unit, do the following:
    1. Select Organizational units. 
    2. To apply the setting to everyone, leave the top organizational unit selected. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit.
    3. From the list, click the printer you want to share.
    4. In the panel on the right, choose printer settings:
      • Allow for users in this organization—Shares the printer at a user level. When users who belong to the organizational unit sign in to a device, the printer is available to them.
      • Allow for devices in this organization—Shares the printer at a device level. When users sign in to a device that belongs to the organizational unit, the printer is available to them. Users can sign in with their Gmail account or a Google Account from another domain.
      • Allow for managed guest sessions in this organization—Shares the printer in managed guest sessions that you have set up for the organizational unit. When users start a session on a device that belongs to the organizational unit, the printer is available to them.
  5. To enable a printer for a group, do the following:
    1. Select Groups.
    2. Select the group to which you want to apply the setting. For details, see About Google Groups.
    3. From the list, click the printer you want to share.
    4. In the panel on the right, choose printer settings:
      • Allow for users in this group—Shares the printer at a user level. When users who belong to the group sign in to a device, the printer is available to them.
  6. Click Save.
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