No dropdown for 2-sided printing

Hi Hughes, Kym,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

I know it can be frustrating to see Windows only shows 1‑sided and manual printing. This is sometimes caused by the wrong or generic printer driver, but before getting further, let’s check if the printer actually supports automatic 2‑sided printing:

• Some printers only support manual duplex by design.
• Look up the printer model on the manufacturer’s website.
• Confirm it mentions Automatic Duplex or 2‑Sided Printing...

If you’re not sure, you can share the printer brand and model here, as well as the file and app you’re trying to print from (e.g. photo, documents, pdf, etc.). In the meantime, although Windows 10 has been EOS, you can still try these steps so see if they help:

1 - Enable duplex in Printer Properties

• Press Win + R > type control printers > press Enter
• Right‑click your printer > choose Printer properties
• In Device Settings tab > Duplex Unit / 2‑Sided Printing
• Set it to Installed > OK > restart PC and try printing again.

2 - Manually install the manufacturer driver

• Go back to Printers > right‑click the printer > Remove device
• Disconnect the printer (unplug if wired) > Restart the computer
• Visit the printer manufacturer’s website (HP, Canon, Epson, etc.)
• Download and install the driver for your model > reconnect printer.

If the issue continues, please share the details I requested above. The more information we have, the easier it will be to identify the right solution.

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If only “1-sided” and a manual option are available and there is no standard 2‑sided (automatic duplex) choice, Windows and the printer driver are not detecting automatic duplex capability. In that case, use manual duplex or the app’s own manual two‑sided features.

For Microsoft Office apps, there are built‑in manual duplex methods:

• In Word for Mac, manual duplex is done by printing odd pages first, then reinserting the stack and printing even pages:
  1. File → Print.
  2. In the dialog, choose “Microsoft Word” from the drop‑down.
  3. Select “Odd pages only” and print.
  4. Flip and reinsert the printed stack as required by the printer.
  5. Repeat File → Print → “Microsoft Word” → “Even pages only.”
• In Publisher, if the printer does not support duplex, use the Two‑Sided Printing Setup Wizard to configure manual duplex:
  1. File → Print, select the printer.
  2. In the Print dialog, open the Printer Details tab → Advanced Printer Setup.
  3. On the Printer Setup Wizard tab, choose “Two-Sided Printing Setup Wizard” and follow the six‑step process.
  4. After the wizard completes, Publisher will use those settings for manual 2‑sided printing.

If the printer actually supports automatic duplex but the option is missing, install or update the correct printer driver from the printer manufacturer and re‑check the Print dialog. If the printer does not support duplex hardware, the only available options will be 1‑sided and manual two‑sided methods like those above.

References:

• Print a document in Word for Mac
• Print on both sides of a sheet of paper (duplex) in Publisher
• Advanced Printer Setup dialog box in Publisher
• Set up and print a letter-sized booklet or newsletter
• Printing and print preview in Visio