How to print a PDF on a Windows computer

If you got the PDF in an email, scroll to the bottom of the email and look for a small attachment icon — usually a paperclip or a picture of a document. Click it once to download it.

If a friend sent you a link, click the link and your browser (Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox) will show the PDF right on the screen. That counts as “finding” it, too.

If the PDF is already on your computer, it usually lives in the folder called Downloads. Open File Explorer (the yellow folder icon at the bottom of the screen), click Downloads on the left, and look for your file.

Double-click the file. Windows will open it in Microsoft Edge by default — that’s totally fine. You’ll see the PDF fill the screen, with a thin toolbar along the top.

Along the top of the PDF, near the right side, you’ll see a small picture of a printer. Click it once. A window called Print will slide in from the right.

At the very top of the Print window, there’s a drop-down menu labeled Printer. Click it and you’ll see a list. Pick the name of your printer. If you only have one, it’s already selected.

If your printer is not in the list, it’s almost always one of these three things:

• The printer is unplugged or turned off. Go check it.
• The printer isn’t connected to the same Wi-Fi network. That usually needs your printer’s setup app, which came with it.
• You’ve never used this printer before. In that case type Add printer into the search box at the bottom-left corner of your screen and let Windows help you.

The Print window has a section called Pages. You have three good choices:

• All — prints every page of the PDF.
• Current page — prints only the page you’re looking at right now.
• Custom range — lets you type something like 1-3 to print only pages 1 through 3, or 1, 4, 7 to print those exact pages.

Look for a setting called Color mode or Color. Choose Black and white if you don’t need the color — it uses much less ink, and most printed PDFs look just fine in black.

At the bottom of the Print window, click the blue Print button. Your printer will start up, you’ll hear some whirring, and paper will come out. That’s it — you’re done.