How to Scan From a Printer to a Computer

Aaron Peters is a writer with Lifewire who has 20+ years experience troubleshooting and writing about consumer and business technology. His work appears in Linux Journal, MakeUseOf, and others.

• Printers & Scanners
  • Guide To Buying a New Printer

  What to Know

  This article explains how to capture a document scan from a printer to your Windows PC or Mac. These instructions will work on Windows 10, as well as macOS 11 (Big Sur). The instructions require that the drivers are installed and your printer is already in working order.

  

  Capturing a Scan From a Printer on a Windows PC

  Your printer model may come with software including not only its drivers but also a suite of programs to use all the device's functionality. If this is the case, then within those programs there's also likely a scanning program.

  But if your model didn't come with such software, or you prefer to use in-built OS functions when possible, these instructions are for you. Take the following steps to capture your scan using tools included with a standard Windows installation.

  1. Open the Start Menu, and search for the Scan app.

  

  Alternately, press Win+x to call the Power User Menu.

  

  Select Devices from the main Settings screen.

  

  Next, click Printers & Scanners.

  

  Click on your desired printer, then click Manage.

  

  If the printer is a multi-function device, it will include a drop-down menu. Select the entry starting with Scanner.

  

  Click Open scanner, which will also open the Scan Windows app.

  

  Click the Scan button in the app. The Scan app's Source setting dictates if it will scan from the device's document feeder (if there is one), or from the flatbed. Unless you know you need to change it, it's a good idea to leave this set on Auto. Document feeders typically have a lever to detect if there are pages inside, and leaving this set to Auto will scan from the feeder if there’s something loaded, and the flatbed otherwise. Note that when scanning with the flatbed, you'll need to scan one page at a time. Your scan will automatically be saved in the Scans sub-directory of your standard Pictures folder. It will be saved in PNG format by default and named "Scan" appended with a date stamp (e.g. Scan_20210614.PNG).

  Capturing a Scan From a Printer on a Mac

  Scanning from a Mac is just as easy as on Windows 10 (arguably, even easier).

  

  Click Printers & Scanners.

  

  Select your printer, then click Scan.

  

  Click Open Scanner.

  

  In the Scanner program, you can select the folder to which your scans will be saved by making a select in the Scan to drop-down menu (shown as Pictures in the below image).

  

  Clicking on Show Details will display a number of additional options, as follows: Scan Mode (Flatbed or Document Feeder), Kind (Text, Black & White, or Color), Resolution (quality of the image in DPI), Rotation Angle (to change the rotation of the saved image), Auto Selection (which can try to detect multiple items on the flatbed and save them separately, for example), Name, Format, and Image Correction (which provides options to adjust coloring).

  How do I scan a document to PDF format?

  If you're using Windows 10, open Windows Fax and Scan and select New Scan. Select the Profile drop-down, choose Document, then select the scanner type, such as Flatbed or Feeder. Select Scan. When your document finishes scanning, select File > Print. Click the Printer drop-down and choose Microsoft Print to PDF, then click Print and choose a save location. If you're using a Mac, open a new Finder window and select Go > Applications > Image Capture. Select your scanner, scanner type, and destination folder. Select Format > PDF, then click Scan.

  How do I scan a document from my printer to my email?

  Many scanners offer a scan-to-email function. For example, on a Brother printer, load and scan your document, as usual, then select Send Email. Configure your settings and click OK. Your default email program will send the scanned document. If your scanner doesn't have this function, scan the document to PDF format (for the most flexibility), then save it to your desired location on your computer. Then, open your email program and send the scanned document or image as an attachment.

  How do I scan a document with an iPhone?

  Open the Notes app on your iPhone and create a new Note. Then tap the Camera icon and choose Scan Documents. Position the document in your camera's view. Let Notes automatically focus and capture the image, or manually tap the shutter button. Drag the handles to crop the scan, then select Keep Scan when you're finished.