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Mac Defaulting to Double-Sided Printing

Disable double-sided printing on Mac computers

Updated over a month ago

By default, macOS enables two-sided (duplex) printing for most printers. To disable this and default to one-sided printing, follow the steps below using CUPS (Common Unix Printing System), a built-in print management system on your Mac.

Step 1: Enable the CUPS Web Interface

CUPS is hidden by default in macOS. Here's how to enable it:

  1. Log in using your Mac’s Admin account.

  2. Open Terminal:

    • Click the Finder icon from the dock.
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    • Navigate to Applications → Utilities → Terminal

  3. In Terminal, type the following command and press Enter:

    sudo cupsctl WebInterface=yes


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  4. Enter your Mac’s admin password when prompted.

Once enabled, you can access the CUPS interface through your web browser

Step 2: Access the CUPS Web Interface

  1. Open your browser and go to:
    ​http://localhost:631

  2. Click the Printers tab.
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  3. When prompted, log in using your Mac’s username and password.

Step 3: Change the Default Printer Settings

  1. Select the printer you want to update.

  2. Click the Administration drop-down.
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  3. Choose Set Default Options.
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  4. Under 2-Sided Printing, select Off (1-Sided).

  5. Click Set Default Options to save your changes.
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