How to Pair an AirPrint Printer With Windows 11 via Bonjour Service

You have an AirPrint printer on your network, but your Windows 11 computer does not see it when you try to add a printer. AirPrint is Apple’s wireless printing protocol that works over a local network. Windows 11 does not natively support AirPrint discovery, which relies on Apple’s Bonjour service. This article explains how to install the Bonjour Print Services for Windows, configure the printer, and start printing from any app.

What Is Bonjour and Why Windows 11 Needs It for AirPrint

AirPrint printers use Apple’s Bonjour protocol to announce themselves on the network. Bonjour uses multicast DNS to let devices discover services without a central server. Windows 11 does not include Bonjour support by default. Without Bonjour, Windows cannot see AirPrint printers when you open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and click Add device.

Bonjour Print Services for Windows is a small utility from Apple that adds Bonjour discovery to the Windows printing subsystem. It creates a virtual printer port that uses the printer’s IP address and port 631, which is the standard IPP port used by AirPrint. After you install it, the printer appears in the Windows printer list and works with any app that can print.

Steps to Install Bonjour Print Services for Windows 11

1. Download Bonjour Print Services from Apple
   Open a web browser and go to the Apple Support downloads page. Search for “Bonjour Print Services for Windows” or use the direct link at support.apple.com/bonjour-print-services-windows. Click the download button to save the installer file. The file name is BonjourPSSetup.exe.
2. Run the installer
   Double-click BonjourPSSetup.exe. If Windows SmartScreen shows a warning, click Run anyway. The installer is signed by Apple and is safe. Follow the on-screen prompts. Accept the license agreement and click Install. The installation completes in about 30 seconds. You do not need to restart Windows 11.
3. Confirm that Bonjour is running
   Press Ctrl+Shift+Escape to open Task Manager. Click the Services tab. Look for the service named mDNSResponder. Its status should be Running. If it is not running, open Services.msc, find Bonjour Service, right-click it, and select Start. Set the startup type to Automatic.
4. Open the Add Printer wizard in Windows 11
   Press the Windows key and type Printers & scanners. Click the result. On the Printers & scanners page, click Add device. Windows scans for printers. If your AirPrint printer does not appear yet, click Add manually next to The printer that I want isn’t listed.
5. Select the Bonjour printer option
   In the Add Printer dialog, choose Add a printer using an IP address or hostname. Click Next. For Device type, select Bonjour from the dropdown list. Windows populates the Hostname or IP address field automatically after it scans the network. If it does not, type the printer’s IP address. You can find the IP address on the printer’s control panel under Network or Wi-Fi settings.
6. Complete the printer installation
   Click Next. Windows 11 attempts to detect the printer driver. If it finds a compatible driver, it installs it automatically. If not, click Windows Update to search for drivers, or download the driver from the printer manufacturer’s website. After the driver installs, type a name for the printer. Click Finish.
7. Test the printer
   Open any app that can print, such as Notepad. Press Ctrl+P. Select your newly added AirPrint printer from the list. Click Print. The document should print without errors.

What to Do If Windows 11 Still Does Not See the AirPrint Printer

Bonjour service is not running after installation

Open Services.msc by pressing Windows key + R, typing services.msc, and pressing Enter. Find Bonjour Service in the list. If the status is blank, right-click it and select Start. Right-click again, select Properties, and set Startup type to Automatic. Click Apply and OK.

Printer is on a different subnet

Bonjour uses multicast DNS, which does not cross subnets by default. If your Windows 11 computer and the AirPrint printer are on different network segments, the printer will not appear. Connect both devices to the same subnet, or configure your router to forward multicast traffic between VLANs.

Firewall is blocking Bonjour traffic

Bonjour uses UDP port 5353 for discovery and TCP port 631 for printing. Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security. Create inbound rules to allow traffic on these ports. You can also temporarily disable the firewall to test: open Windows Security, click Firewall & network protection, and turn off the firewall for your active network. Re-enable it after the test.

Printer driver is not compatible with Windows 11

Some older AirPrint printers lack Windows 11 drivers. In the Add Printer wizard, when prompted for the driver, select Generic and choose MS Publisher Color Printer or Generic IPP Printer. This driver works with most AirPrint printers and supports basic black-and-white and color printing.

AirPrint vs Bonjour Print Services: What Each Component Does

Item	AirPrint	Bonjour Print Services for Windows
Purpose	Apple’s wireless printing protocol for iOS and macOS	Bridge that makes AirPrint printers visible to Windows
Discovery method	Multicast DNS (mDNS) on UDP port 5353	Runs mDNSResponder service to listen for Bonjour announcements
Print protocol	IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) on TCP port 631	Creates a standard TCP/IP port using IPP
Driver requirement	No driver needed on Apple devices	Windows 11 requires a printer driver for rendering
Operating system support	Built into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS	Windows 7 through Windows 11

You now have a working AirPrint printer on Windows 11 using the Bonjour Print Services bridge. For printers that still fail to print, try the Generic IPP driver option. If you manage multiple AirPrint printers, consider assigning static IP addresses to each printer in your router’s DHCP reservation settings to avoid connection issues after network changes.