How to See Print History: A Comprehensive Guide

As printing becomes increasingly common in our daily lives and work, related needs arise. For example, sometimes people need to see their print history. However, most printers do not save a complete print history by default unless the relevant setting is manually turned on. In this blog, we will explore various methods to check your print history.

Index:

• Checking Print History on Windows
• Checking Print History on macOS
• Checking Network Printer Logs Using Printer’s Web Management Page
• Using PaperCut Print Logger to Track Print History
• Preventing Unauthorized Printing
• Conclusion

Checking Print History on Windows

When you want to view the print history, and you click on the print queue but find that there are only pending print jobs but no record of the printed jobs, will you be greatly disappointed? Actually, Windows has the feature of saving print history for a long time, but this feature is turned off by default. If you want to use Windows to save and view print history for a long time, you need to complete the following settings:

(1) Enabling Print History in Print Queue

By default, when a document is printed, it is deleted and disappears from the print queue. However, with a simple setup, you can keep a record of all printed documents:

1. Tap Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
2. Select a printer that you want to view print history.
3. Open Printer properties > Advance.
4. Check the “Keep printed documents” option.
5. Click OK to save the settings.
6. Then, you can see the print history in the print queue.

(2) Enabling Print History in Event Viewer

To permanently log your print history, you need to enable logging in the Event Viewer:

1. Press Windows + R, type eventvwr.msc, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > PrintService > Operational.
3. Click Enable Log directly or click Properties and check “Enable Logging” in the pop-up window (in this window, you can set the maximum log size and what Windows will do when it reaches this limit).
4. Once enabled, all print activities will be logged, and you can check them anytime by revisiting this section of Event Viewer(following steps 1-2).

(3) Using Print Management

Windows Pro and Enterprise users can use Print Management to track print history:

1. Open Run (Windows + R), type printmanagement.msc, and press Enter.
2. Expand Custom Filters > All Printers.
3. Here, you can see print logs if history tracking is enabled.

If you are using Windows Home edition, this feature may not be available.

(4) Finding the Printed Documents in the Spool Folder

If you want to reprint a document, you can find it in the Spool folder, convert the file format, and send it to the printer again for printing. Here is how you can find print history in the Spool folder:

1. Press Windows + R simultaneously, type spool and tap Enter
2. Open the “Printers” folder to see the printed files. These files will have different extensions, such as .tmp or .001.

Checking Print History on macOS

On a Mac, you can check your print history through system settings. Here’s how:

1. Click the Apple menu and select System Settings.
2. In the left sidebar, find Printers & Scanners (you may need to scroll down).
3. In the Printers list, select your printer and click the Print Queue button.
4. Select Window > Completed Jobs.
5. If multiple users share the computer, you can view their print jobs by clicking Jobs > Show Everyone’s Jobs.

Checking Network Printer Logs Using Printer’s Web Management Page

If your printer is a network printer (i.e., connected via Wi-Fi or Ethernet), it may record print logs on the printer management page. So, let’s see how to find printer history on the printer management page:

1. Find your printer’s IP address by checking the router management page or printing a network configuration page from the printer. (Need detailed steps? Check out the blog How to Find IP Address on Printer.)
2. Enter the IP address in a web browser to access the printer’s admin panel.
3. Look for a section like Job History, Usage Log, or Usage Reports.

Using PaperCut Print Logger to Track Print History

In addition to the above methods, you can also view print logs using third-party tools such as the free and easy-to-use PaperCut Print Logger. Here are steps about how to view print history via this tool:

1. Download and install PaperCut Print Logger so that it can monitor and log print jobs on your system.
2. Go to the path: C:\Program Files (x86)\PaperCut Print Logger through File Explorer. (If you download the tool to another location, jump to that location.)
3. Double-click the ViewLogs shortcut.

Now you can see the print details including time, user, number of pages, paper size, etc.

Preventing Unauthorized Printing

If print history tracking is essential for security reasons, consider the following measures:

• Set Up Print Authentication: Require users to enter a password before printing.
• Use Managed Print Services: Many business-grade printers offer access control and monitoring features.
• Restrict Printer Access: Limit who can use printers via network settings.

Conclusion

Viewing print history is essential for tracking usage, finding past documents and ensuring security. This article provides a variety of ways to do this, including viewing on Windows/Mac, using printer settings and third-party software, which will hopefully meet your needs.

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