Why is the Printer Showing a Problem with the Scanning Function?

A printer is an essential gadget for companies and other businesses. New printer devices offer excellent print quality. You can take printouts of documents, images, and photos easily. Printer devices can be connected to PCs, Mac devices, phones, etc. Many printers also have scanning and fax functions. You can easily use the printer for multiple purposes. But some users reported that their printer device is not scanning the document. Scanning issues on printers can appear due to numerous reasons.

Common reasons behind printer scanning problems

The printer cable is not working
Your device is not connected to Wi-Fi
The printer is unable to find the scanner driver
The firewall is blocking scan request
Malware is restricting the scanning process
Invalid printer settings

Troubleshooting printer scanning problems

Restart the printer device

Your printer may show scanning issues when some of its files are not working. To fix those files, you can restart the printer. After restarting, all printer services will run from the beginning. To run the services, go for a power restart. When your printer is On, remove the power cable. Wait for 5 seconds and reconnect the power cord. The printer must start running automatically and now try to scan a document using the printer.

Run scanner troubleshooter

You can use the scanner troubleshooter whenever you face any error. The printer gets scanning issues when scanning related files on the PC that is not working. The troubleshooter tool will inspect all the scanner-related files on the PC. Go to the Windows computer and click on the Update and Security tab. Search for a scanner troubleshooter tool and run the function. It will check the files and repair them. You will see a troubleshooter report on the screen. Check the report and then restart the device. Now go to the printer and try to take your scan.

Check for the driver

Your printer won’t scan if the scanner driver is not working. Brother scan to PC only when the PC has the related printer driver. Without the driver, your printer can’t understand the scan command. Go to the PC and check for the scanner driver. If you don’t have the driver then install it from the web. Check the printer model and search for its scanner driver. In case you have the driver then check for its update. If the scanner driver is outdated then click on it and run the update. After updating the driver, restart the computer. Go to the printer and check for its scanning function. Your printer will start taking the scan once it finds the correct scanner driver.

Reconnect the printer using a cable

The printer may show scan issues when the connection cable is loose. If the printer shows an error, check for the printer cable immediately. Many times, the user connects the printer to a loose cable and gets into scan problems. Go to the printer and remove the cable to inspect. If the cable is loose then use another cable for your printer. Also, try using a different USB port for the connection. Once the printer is connected, scan your document.

Reconnect the printer to the network

Users often get printing or scanning issues when the printer is connected to the network. You should reconnect the printer device to the network. Go to the printer and disable the Wi-Fi button. Wait for 5 seconds and re-press the button. Printer Wi-Fi will enable and start searching for the network. Select the correct SSID for your printer connection. After the connection, go to the commanding device and try to scan the document.

Disable the firewall

Your printer can show scanning issues due to the firewall. You use the firewall on the network to protect it from unwanted connections. But many times, your firewall also blocks the safe connection. When the printer is sending the scan request; the firewall is not approving it. To use the scan function on the network, you should disable the firewall. Go to the PC and disable the firewall temporarily. Now try to use the scan function of your printer. After scanning the document, restart the PC and enable the firewall. In case you can’t fix the scanning problem of your printer then ask for professional help.