Brother printers are well-known for their dependability and user-friendly features. People occasionally have issues with the Brother printer not scanning, even when it prints flawlessly. Rest assured that you are not the only person experiencing this problem if your Brother printer prints but is unable to scan to a PC, email, or file. By following the detailed methods and typical causes in this article, you can get your scanner working again.
Common Reasons Your Brother Printer Doesn’t Scan
Prior to trying to resolve the problem, it is helpful to comprehend its possible cause:
- Problems with the printer and computer’s connectivity
- Scanner drivers that are outdated or absent
- Inaccurate printer setup or settings
- Firewall or antivirus software is blocking the scanning feature.
- Brother ControlCenter software problems
Let’s examine each potential remedy in turn.
1. Connect Brother printer to computer.
One of the most common reasons your Brother printer isn’t scanning to your computer is a bad or broken connection. Whether you’re utilizing USB, Wi-Fi, or a wired network, the connection must be dependable.
How to proceed:
- USB Connection: Verify that the connection is firmly attached to your computer and printer. If need, try a different USB port.
- Wi-Fi or a network connection: Make that your printer and computer are connected to the same network. Try rebooting your router if the connection is inconsistent.
- You can confirm the connection by printing a network configuration report from the printer settings menu.
2. Give Your Devices a restart
Restarting your computer and printer can resolve a lot of short-term problems, especially those that impede scanner connectivity.
3. Update the Brother printer drivers or reinstall them.
Outdated or corrupted drivers may cause your Brother printer to print but not scan. Only the scanner driver may be impacted because Brother utilizes separate drivers for printing and scanning.
Actions:
- Visit the official Brother website to find out how to fix it.
- Enter the model of your printer.
- Install the whole driver and software set after obtaining it.
- To comprehend the installation, observe the commands.
- After the update, be careful to restart your computer in order for the variations to take effect.
4. Make use of the Brother ControlCenter software
Direct scanning to a PC, email, or file is possible with the Brother ControlCenter program. The ControlCenter setup may be the source of your problems if your brother printer printing but not scanning to email or to files.
Steps to take:
- Start the Brother ControlCenter2 (Mac) or ControlCenter4 (Windows).
- On the Scan tab, click.
- Validate that the “Scan to File” and “Scan to Email” options are set up appropriately.
- Try scanning again directly from the application rather than through the printer interface.
- If the program isn’t working, try uninstalling and reinstalling it from Brother’s official website.
5. Make the appropriate scanner the default.
Your system may occasionally fail to identify your Brother printer as the default scanner (if available), particularly when several devices are connected.
On Windows:
- Open the Control Panel in Windows to view Devices and Printers.
- Choose Set as default when you right-click on the Brother printer icon, if that choice is present.
- Try scanning again using the built-in Windows Fax and Scan or Brother ControlCenter applications.
6. Adjust the firewall or antivirus settings.
Firewall or antivirus software may prevent your scanner from connecting to the network, especially if you’re trying to scan over a network or Wi-Fi.
Recommended actions:
- For a period, turn off your firewall and antivirus program.
- Try scanning again.
- In your firewall settings, add your Brother printer as an exemption if it functions.
- After testing, be careful to turn on your firewall or antivirus program again.
7. Complete the Brother Printer Setup
Your printer can scan incorrectly or not at all if it was not set up correctly at first installation. Enabling both printing and scanning is ensured by a full Brother printer configuration.
How to do it:
- Unplug your computer and printer.
- Visit Brother’s website to get the complete driver and software bundle.
- When asked to do so during the installation, reconnect the printer.
- Test the scanning and printing features.
- When the brother printer can print but not scan, this new configuration frequently fixes the problem.
8. Resolve Brother Printer Issues with Email Scanning
Check your SMTP settings in the online interface or software utility of your Brother printer if it isn’t scanning to email.
Steps:
- Enter your printer’s IP address in a browser to access its online interface.
- Go to the scan or email settings.
- Provide the appropriate SMTP server, port, and authentication details, depending on your email provider.
- Retest after saving the adjustments.
- Make sure your printer supports the scan-to-email function. Not every model does.
9. Resolve Brother Printer Issues with File Scanning
A destination folder problem may be the cause of Brother Printer Not Scanning the file.
Try this:
- Launch the Brother ControlCenter application.
- Under Scan > Scan to File, verify the path to the target folder.
- Make sure that your user account is allowed to write to that folder.
- Creating a new, fully accessible folder and setting it as the default scan location is an additional choice.
Final thoughts
It may be really annoying when your Brother Printer Not Scanning, especially if you know that your device is still able to print without any issues. These techniques should help you resolve any driver problems, connectivity problems, or misconfigurations.
Make that your device is connected properly, that the scanner is set up correctly, and that your drivers are up to date.
Remember that simple maintenance and troubleshooting are sometimes necessary for even reliable equipment.
FAQs
Why isn’t my PC receiving scans from my Brother printer?
Your Brother printer may not scan due to firewall interference, outdated drivers, incorrect settings, or connection issues. Verify that the scanner driver is installed and that the printer is configured correctly.
Why am I unable to scan to my Mac from my Brother printer?
Scanning issues on Macs are often caused by incompatible apps, missing drivers or incorrect permissions. Verify that Brother iPrint&Scan or ControlCenter2 is installed and that the printer is connected correctly.
Why does Windows 10/11 not recognize my Brother scanner?
Windows may not recognize your Brother scanner if it is not set up by default, if the drivers are outdated, or if your network or USB connections are inconsistent. Update drivers and check device settings.
How can a Brother printer that scans but doesn’t save files be fixed??
If your scans aren’t saving, check the ControlCenter settings, file permissions, and target folder location. Make that your account has write access to the chosen folder and that it exists.