Where Does macOS Store Printer Queues?
Mac printer queues live in etc cups printers.conf with PPD drivers beside them, managed by the CUPS daemon.
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macOS prints through CUPS, and queue definitions live at /etc/cups/printers.conf with driver PPDs in /etc/cups/ppd. The files are root-owned, so even admins need sudo to read them. Printer Setup does the editing for you in normal use.
Knowing the files pays off during migration and triage. Copying printers.conf plus the ppd folder to another Mac then restarting cupsd clones the queue list. Per-user presets and defaults live separately in user preferences, so they do not travel with the system files.
Where macOS stores this, by platform
/etc/cups/printers.conf
Root-owned; use sudo to view. PPDs for each queue sit in /etc/cups/ppd. Restart cupsd (or reboot) after copying files between Macs.
Frequently asked questions
How do I copy my printers to another Mac?
Copy /etc/cups/printers.conf and /etc/cups/ppd to the same places on the target, fix ownership to root, and restart the CUPS daemon. Recreate anything driver-specific through Printer Setup if a queue misbehaves.
I cannot open printers.conf. Is something broken?
No. The file is root-only by design, and Finder hides system paths. Use sudo cat in Terminal to view it. Edit queues through System Settings instead of hand-editing unless you have a reason.
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