How to Print on Both Sides of the Paper with a Mac

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Set up double-sided printing automatically or manually on your Mac

Written by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: February 24, 2026 Fact Checked

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With a Duplex Compatible Printer

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With a Non-Duplex Compatible Printer

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Video

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This wikiHow teaches you how to print double-sided pages on a Mac computer. In order to print double-sided pages automatically, you must have a printer that is compatible with duplex printing. If your printer is not capable of printing double-sided, you can print both sides manually by printing the odd pages first, then printing the even pages on the back.

Double Side Printing on a Mac: Quick Steps

Open your document and click File > Print.
Use the drop-down menu to set Double-sided to On. If you don’t see this option, you’ll need to print manually.
Click Print.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

With a Duplex Compatible Printer

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This can be a Word or Office document, a PDF, or a web page or document in a browser.
It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen.^{[1]
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Research source}

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Click Print. You can also print by pressing ⌘ Command+P.^{[2]
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Research source}
- If you’re printing from a browser, such as Chrome or Firefox, you might need to click the link that says Print using the system dialog at the bottom of the Print window.
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Use the drop-down menu to enable Double-sided. You should see this in the Copies & Pages section of the Print menu. Click the menu and select On or On (Short Edge). Use the short edge option if you want to print your pages so they can be bound at the top.
- If you don’t see the Double-sided option, your printer might not be duplex-enabled. See the next method to learn how to print double-sided manually.
Your pages will now print double-sided.^{[3]
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Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

With a Non-Duplex Compatible Printer

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This can be a Word or Office document, a PDF, a web page, and more.
It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
3
Click Print. You can also print by pressing ⌘ Command+P.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- If you’re printing from a browser, you might need to click Print using the system dialog at the bottom of the Print window to see all the options you need.
Depending on which app you’re printing from, you might need to expand the section with the name of the app, instead (e.g.,Microsoft Word).
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Select the option to print odd pages only. This might be a radio button or a dropdown, depending on the specific app you’re using.
- For example, if you’re using Preview and you opened the Paper Handling section, you can find this in the drop-down next to Sheets to Print.
- If you’re using the print dialog in Word, expand the Microsoft Word section and select the radio button next to Odd pages only.
If your printer’s input tray is at the front, select Reverse in the Sheet Order drop-down before you start printing. This option is typically located in the Paper Handling section. If your printer’s input tray is on top/back of the printer, you can leave the sheet order set to Automatic.
Your printer will print out all the odd-numbered pages (e.g., 1, 3, 5, etc.).
This will prevent your printer from printing on that instead of the pages you already printed.
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Flip your printed pages over and put them in the input tray. The correct orientation for the pages will depend on how your printer is set up. You might want to experiment with printing just one or two test pages this way to figure out what works. In general:
- If your printer’s loading tray is in front, the paper should go in with the printed side up.
  - If you want your pages to flip along the long edge like a book, face the top edge in.
  - If you want your pages to print tablet style (so you can flip them along the short edge), face the bottom edge in.
- If your printer’s loading tray is on top/in the back, the paper should go in with the printed side facing back/down.
  - If you want your pages to flip along the long edge like a book, face the top edge in.
  - If you want your pages to print tablet style (so you can flip them along the short edge), face the bottom edge in.
Again, this option is typically located in either Paper Handling or the app-specific section of the Print menu. This will cause your printer to print the even pages (2, 4, 6, etc.) on the back of the odd-numbered pages you already printed.
If your printer’s input tray is at the front, select Normal in the Sheet Order drop-down before you start printing. This option is typically located in the Paper Handling section. If your printer’s input tray is on top/back of the printer, you can leave the sheet order set to Automatic.
Your printer should now print the even-numbered pages on the reverse side of the odd-numbered pages you already printed.

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Tips

Even if your printer is duplex-enabled, you might not see the double-sided option in the Print menu. If this is the case, check your printer’s manual for instructions. You might need to use the control panel on the printer itself to enable two-sided printing.

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All printers are set up a little differently. If you’re printing double-sided manually, you might need to experiment with the settings and paper orientation to get the reverse pages to print correctly.

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