cupsenable

Start one or more destination(s)

$ cupsenable [destination1 destination2 ...]

$ cupsenable --release [destination]

$ cupsenable -c [destination1 destination2 ...]

cupsenable [-E] [-h hostname[:port]] [--] [name1 [name2 ... ]]

-E
    Forces use of encrypted HTTP ("https://") for server communication.

-h hostname[:port]
    Connects to alternate CUPS server instead of localhost.

--
    Marks end of options, allowing printer/class names starting with a dash ("-").

cupsenable is a command-line tool in the CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) for enabling printers and print classes that were previously disabled, typically via cupsdisable. It instructs the CUPS scheduler to resume accepting and processing print jobs for the specified destinations.

Without arguments, it enables all printers and classes on the server. Printer or class names must match exactly those listed by lpstat -p or lpstat -c. The command requires administrative privileges (root or lpadmin group) and communicates via IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) to the local or remote CUPS daemon.

Commonly used after maintenance, error recovery, or testing to restore printing. It pairs with cupsaccept to fully re-enable job queuing, as cupsenable specifically activates printer backends.

Requires root/lpadmin privileges; only affects printers disabled by cupsdisable. Does not auto-start CUPS daemon or handle paused queues (use cupsaccept). Verify names with lpstat; remote servers need network access.

Run as root: cupsenable printer1 or cupsenable --all (alias for no args). Check status post-command with lpstat -p.

Introduced with CUPS 1.0 in 1999 by Easy Software Products (Michael Sweet); maintained by OpenPrinting since 2016. Evolved with IPP support in CUPS 2.x+.

cupsdisable(8), cupsaccept(8), cupsreject(8), lpadmin(8), lpstat(1)