How to Turn Off Double-Sided Printing on Mac

If you regularly print single-sided documents from your Mac, you can turn off double-sided printing in most apps and at the system level. macOS handles duplex printing through the printer driver, which is set per printer and can differ between applications. This guide explains how to disable double-sided printing in Preview, Microsoft Word, the general print dialog, and macOS System Settings, with notes on user-specific and printer-level settings.

Why Duplex Printing Is Default on Many Mac Setups

Duplex or double-sided printing is often enabled by default because it saves paper, reduces costs, and is common in professional environments. The default behavior is stored in the printer driver and can be applied system-wide or per application. Printer-specific defaults can be managed in System Settings, while app-level settings are saved independently. Understanding this separation helps you change behavior for a single app or across your Mac.

How macOS Handles Printer Driver Settings

Printer drivers store duplex preferences and persist them across updates.
System Settings lets you edit defaults for each installed printer.
Individual apps can remember their own print settings separate from the system default.

Turn Off Double-Sided Printing in Preview

Preview is the most common app for printing PDFs and images on macOS. To disable double-sided printing for a print job from Preview:

Open the PDF or image in Preview.
Choose File > Print or press Command-P.
In the print dialog, locate the Copies & Pages section and find Two-Sided or Duplex.
Change the setting to Off, Single-Sided, or Long-Edge Off, depending on your macOS version.
Print as usual.

Preview’s Print Dialog Details

Within the Preview print dialog, options may include Two-Sided, Long-Edge Binding, Short-Edge Binding, or Off. Selecting Off ensures each page prints on one side only for that print job. Note that choosing these settings affects only the current print job unless you update the saved preset in the dialog’s Show Details menu.

Disable Double-Sided Printing in Microsoft Word

If you primarily print from Microsoft Word, modify the print settings within the app or adjust the Word-specific print preset:

Open your document and press Command-P to open the print dialog.
Click Show Details to reveal more options.
Find Two-Sided, Duplex, or Binding and select Off or Single-Sided.
Save the current settings as a preset if you want Word to remember single-sided printing.

Saving a Word-Specific Preset

In the Word print dialog, after selecting your preferences, choose Save as Preset from the Presets menu. Give it a descriptive name like Single_Sided_Word. This preset will appear the next time you print from Word and can be shared across documents.

Change Double-Sided Printing in the General Print Dialog

When you print from apps such as web browsers or text editors that use the standard macOS print dialog, modify the system-level print defaults:

Choose a printer from the Print dialog and click Show Details.
Locate Two-Sided, Duplex, or Long-Edge Short-Edge options and set them to Off.
Click Print.

Using macOS System Settings for System-Wide Defaults

To change the default for all apps, update the printer settings in System Settings:

Open System Settings, go to Printers & Scanners.
Select a printer in the list and click Open Print Queue.
Choose Open Print Dialogue to test or click Driver Options to adjust duplex settings.
Save changes as a user-specific preset or, if permitted, as a system-wide default.

Practical Table: Common Options in macOS Print Dialogs

Option Label	Description	Where It Appears
Two-Sided	General label for double-sided printing; choose Off or a binding option.	Preview, Word, and standard print dialogs.
Duplex	Driver-level term for duplex printing; may include Long-Edge or Short-Edge.	Print dialogs that expose detailed driver settings.
Long-Edge Binding	Prints on both sides flipping like a book along the long edge.	Common in macOS Preview and Office apps.
Short-Edge Binding	Prints on both sides flipping along the short edge, used for notepads.	Appears in advanced driver options.
Off / Single-Sided	Prints one page per sheet; disables double-sided output.	All major macOS print dialogs.

Verifying and Testing Your Changes

After changing settings, confirm behavior with a test page:

Print a document from the target app or system dialog.
Check that only one side of the paper is printed.
If double-sided persists, revisit the app and System Settings to ensure no override exists.

Printer Models and Driver Behavior Notes

Some printer manufacturers include custom utilities or require specific driver versions to expose all duplex options. If you do not see Two-Sided or Duplex controls, update your printer driver or consult your printer’s documentation. macOS includes generic drivers that provide basic duplex toggles for most modern printers.

When to Use These Settings

Use single-sided printing for forms, archival pages, or handouts.
Keep duplex enabled for everyday documents to save resources.
Create separate presets for apps where you prefer different defaults.

Summary of Steps Across Apps and System

To reliably turn off double-sided printing on Mac:

Open the print dialog in the app you are using.
Show details and locate Two-Sided or Duplex.
Select Off or Single-Sided and print.
For system-wide changes, update settings in Printers & Scanners in System Settings.
Save app-specific presets for future consistency.

Adjusting these settings in Preview, Word, and the general print dialog gives you control over duplex output on a per-app and system-wide basis. With driver presets and clear toggles, single-sided printing is straightforward on macOS.

How to Turn Off Double-Sided Printing on Mac