Why does the MFP not scan but print?

A fairly common problem that MFP owners encounter is that the scanner does not work, even though the printer is functioning normally. This situation is common not only when installing a product for the first time, but also happens with devices that have worked well for a long time for their owners. Below we will look at the most common reasons that lead to the scanner not working and how to eliminate them.

Possible reasons why the MFP does not scan but prints

The reason for the situation when the device does not scan, but prints and copies, may be various factors, which can be divided into two groups:

• hardware;
• software.

Hardware problems include malfunctions of the scanner itself, the connecting cord, or the USB port of the PC. Software reasons often lie in an uninstalled or malfunctioning device driver, or software incompatibility with your version of the operating system.

What to do if the MFP does not scan

You should start troubleshooting based on whether this is the first installation of the scanner on this PC, or whether it has been working for some time.

If you previously successfully used the scanner, and then at some point it stopped working, then the very first thing you should do is reboot it at the same time as the PC, disconnecting it from the power supply for a few minutes, and also check the reliability of the USB cable connection to the device.

If this does not help correct the situation, then you should make sure that the scanner’s hardware is working. Any user should understand that a multifunctional device combines a scanner and a printer in one housing. And the functionality of the printer does not mean the functionality of the scanning module. The easiest way to check the serviceability of the scanning module is to disconnect the device from the computer and try to make a copy of any document offline. If you succeed, this is a good sign; if not, then most likely you cannot do without contacting a service center.

If you are convinced that the device is functioning in offline mode (copier mode), you should continue to search for the reason why the device is not working when connected to a computer.

The next thing you need to check is the serviceability of the communication line between the MFP and the PC. Ideally, if possible, you should take a new USB cable and connect it to a different port on your PC, or at least simply change the USB port to which the device is connected.

IMPORTANT! The MFP should be connected directly to the USB port of your PC, bypassing any splitters and USB hubs.

If manipulating the cable did not help, then with a high degree of probability, we can say that the problem is in the MFP scanner drivers installed on the PC or their conflict with the drivers of other devices.

As a rule, a set of necessary drivers is supplied with your MFP. The problem may be that each driver version is designed for a specific operating system, and accordingly, when installing updates, the existing driver may stop working.

In this case, you must perform the following steps:

• download the latest version of drivers for your MFP from the manufacturer’s official website, compatible with your operating system;
• disconnect the MFP from the PC;
• go to the installed printers and scanners tab and remove from it all unused devices and the problematic MFP;
• to restart a computer;
• connect the USB cable and wait for the PC to detect the type of connected device;
• install the MFP on this PC using the latest version of the drivers downloaded earlier;
• to restart a computer.

By completing this algorithm, you will completely reinstall the drivers for your MFP on your PC, eliminating the existing problems.

Be careful when downloading drivers for MFPs. For some manufacturers, scanner drivers are installed separately from print device drivers.