The fastest way is right on the machine itself. On touchscreen printers, the network icon on the home screen usually shows it directly. Here's that method plus three backups, and why the address sometimes changes without warning.
On any printer with a screen, tap the Wi-Fi or network icon on the home screen, or go to Settings → Network → Wireless Status (menu wording varies by brand). Most models show the current IP address directly on that screen without needing to print anything.
Every network-capable printer can print a status page listing its IP address, subnet mask, and connection details. Look for Network Setup → Print Network Configuration or similar wording under the printer's settings or wrench menu. This works even on printers without a display — many have a button combination (often the Wi-Fi or information button, held for a few seconds) that triggers this report to print automatically.
Log into your router's admin page (typically by typing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into a browser, or via your ISP's app) and look for a section called Connected Devices, DHCP Client List, or Attached Devices. Your printer should appear by name, alongside the IP address your router has assigned it.
On Windows, open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners, click your printer, then Printer properties — the IP address is listed under the Ports or General tab. On a Mac, open System Settings → Printers & Scanners, click your printer, and the address appears next to "Location" or under printer details.
Most home routers assign IP addresses dynamically (DHCP), meaning a device can be given a different address after a router restart, a long period offline, or simply over time as leases expire. This is normal, but it can break a printer connection that was set up using a specific IP address rather than the printer's name. If your printer keeps "disappearing" from your computer, the fix is usually one of two things: reinstall the printer using its name via the driver software rather than a manually-typed IP, or set a static/reserved IP for the printer in your router's DHCP settings so it never changes.
You generally only need this for a few specific tasks: entering it directly into a browser to open the printer's built-in web page (useful for advanced settings and ink levels), manually adding a network printer that isn't showing up in an automatic search, or troubleshooting why a device on your network can't reach it. For ordinary day-to-day printing, your computer and printer handle this automatically and you'll rarely need to think about it.
If you can't get an IP address in the first place, the printer likely isn't connected to Wi-Fi yet.
See the Wi-Fi setup guideThree ways to get any printer onto your network.
Read the article →The most common reasons, in order of likelihood.
Read the article →Power cycle vs. network reset vs. full factory reset.
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