How to see Print History on Mac and Windows

Have you ever wondered how see Print History on Mac and Windows? Well, Mac OS X and Windows do keep a record of all the print jobs you do on your computer. You can use the workaround below to see this print history. You might want to know if anyone has tried to print anything while you’ve been gone or how many times they’ve failed. Checking the printing history is possible on both Mac and Windows desktop computers. This is useful if you want to find a job you cancelled and start printing it again, or if you just want to keep track of what you have printed.

Users of a Mac are able to view jobs that have already been printed because the Mac comes equipped with a standard print queue window. Because the operating system does not save any information about finished jobs by default, and the change will only affect jobs that you print in the future, you will need to configure Windows 11/10 in a specific way in order to view your print history. The change will only affect jobs that you print in the future.

What is Monitor Print History?

The process of tracking and recording all print jobs that have been sent to a printer is referred to as “monitor print history.” Using any number of different approaches, this can be carried out either manually or automatically. Checking the printer’s queue or log file to see what has been printed is part of the process involved in manually monitoring the print history.

This can be a time-consuming and inefficient process, particularly for large organizations that have a large number of printers. No matter the printer or operating system, automatic print history monitoring makes use of software to monitor, track, and record each and every print job. This software can be installed on individual computers, on the server that the printer is connected to, or on the printer itself.

How to see Print History on Mac

1. Go to the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen.
2. Select System Settings.
3. Click on Printers & Scanners in the sidebar.
4. Click on the printer in the Printers list.
5. Click on the Printer Queue button.
6. Click on the Show Completed Jobs button.

How to see Print History on windows

Use Settings

1. Click on “Start” in the bottom-left corner of your screen.
2. Proceed to the Settings icon on the left sidebar of the start menu.
3. Choose “Devices,” and then continue to “Printers & scanners.”
4. Locate your printer on the list of devices and click on it.
5. Select the “Manage” button under the printer’s name.
6. Click on the “Printer” tab on the print queue window.
7. Choose “Properties” on the drop-down menu.
8. Select the “Advanced” tab on the new window.
9. Find the “Keep printed documents” box and check it.
10. Click on the “OK” button.

Once you’ve turned on the printed history feature, do the following to see it:

1. Open Settings once again.
2. Go to “Devices” and then to “Printers & scanners.”
3. Under “Printers & scanners,” find your printer from the list of devices.
4. Click on the printer and continue to “Open Queue.”

Use the Event Viewer

1. Go to the magnifying glass in the bottom-left corner of your screen. Type in “Event Viewer” in the search bar and click on “Open” on the result page.
2. Press the Windows key and the “R” key at the same time. This will open the Run app. In the search bar, type in “eventvwr.msc” and then click on “OK.” It will automatically open the Event Viewer.
3. You can also find it in Control Panel.

Once the app is open, you should do the following:

1. Find “Applications and Services Logs” on the left sidebar.
2. Click on the arrow on the left side of the folder icon.
3. Proceed to the “Microsoft” folder and click on the arrow on the left side.
4. Select “Windows” on the left sidebar.
5. Scroll down until you find “PrintService” on the list.
6. Double-click on it and then right-click on “Operational” in the “PrintService” tab.
7. Continue to “Properties.”
8. Click on “Enable logging” in the new window.
9. Choose what your computer should do when maximum event log sizes are reached. It’s best to check the “overwrite events as needed” box.
10. Select “Apply.”
11. Click on the “OK” button.

Benefits of Tracking Print History

1. Cost Management: Tracking print history can help organizations monitor printing costs by identifying excessive or unnecessary print jobs. This can lead to cost savings by reducing paper and ink/toner consumption.
2. Environmental Impact: Being aware of print history allows users and organizations to reduce their environmental footprint by printing only essential documents, leading to less paper waste and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Accountability: Print history tracking can hold individuals and employees accountable for their print activities, encouraging responsible printing behavior within an organization.
4. Security: Monitoring print history helps identify unauthorized or suspicious print jobs, contributing to improved document security and data protection.
5. Troubleshooting: Tracking print history can be useful when diagnosing and troubleshooting printing issues. It provides a record of past print jobs, making it easier to identify and resolve problems.
6. Compliance: In regulated industries, maintaining print history records may be a legal requirement for compliance purposes. It ensures that printed documents are retained as needed for auditing and legal purposes.
7. Workflow Optimization: Analyzing print history data can lead to improved workflow efficiency by identifying opportunities to streamline printing processes and reduce print-related bottlenecks.

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