HP is the one brand that never fails to impress its users with its quality products. From printer, laptop, to desktop, HP has always offered technically advanced products that are capable of fulfilling the needs of the current generation.
I have been a dedicated user of HP for years now and never felt disappointed with any of its services. You seem surprised by my statement as no technical device works flawlessly throughout its life. And that’s true! But what if the problem gets resolved as soon as it appears? That’s the difference when you use a quality product that has developed in such a way that there are minimal chances of facing an error and even if you encounter one, you have access to easy ways to fix it.
The same is the case with HP products where you can get all the technical issues and errors resolved within the shortest time due to the availability of reliable information and troubleshooting sources.
Recently, I came across an error with my HP printer where I wasn’t able to scan, and even after applying all my technical know-how, I was back to square one. Nevertheless, after 4 hours of Googling and digging into HP’ official resources, I was able to get the scanning feature work again.
I was happy that my efforts didn’t go into vain and to save the time of other users who might be scratching their heads due to the same issue, I have compiled all the solutions in this guide.
If your HP printer isn’t scanning to a PC or you are facing issues in scanning using the HP Smart APP, apply all the given solutions one-by-one and see what works for you.
Solutions to Fix the Scanning Failures with HP Printer
1. Compatibility Check
One reason for which the HP printer won’t scan is when you upgrade the operating system to Windows 10. Updating your device to the latest operating system is always done to enjoy perks but it can turn the things upside down as well. HP printer will not scan if it is not compatible with the operating system and to confirm if it is the problem, you can go to the HP Printers – Windows 10 Compatible Printers page in a browser. Go through the list of HP model series on that page to see if it includes your printer model. If the printer isn’t compatible, you can decide between getting a new printer or switching to a compatible operating system.
2. Resetting the Printer
A simple reset can fix a ton of problems so why not this. No matter if your HP scanner is not working or printer is working or nothing is working just reset the printer. Turning the printer off and on back again after some time is a universal troubleshooting method that works 90% of the time. Known as power cycling, the process will reboot the scanner’s configuration parameters. You just need to turn off the printer & unplug the cables, let it relax, plug the printer back and turn it on after a gap of about 10 minutes.
3. HP Print and Scan Troubleshooter
Nothing can be better than this when the brand itself provides you with its troubleshooter so that you can be your helping hand. You can use the HP Print and Scan Troubleshooter to fix all the scanning and printing issues for most of its printer models. This is how you can use this in-built tool to fix the scanning error with HP printer:
- The printer must be turned on and connected to the computer or laptop.
- Download the troubleshooter by visiting the HP Customer Support page and click on ‘Download Now’.
- The file will download in the name HPPSdr.exe, run the file to launch the troubleshooter.
- Click Start to initiate the troubleshooting and select your HP printer that is facing the scanning issue.
- Click on the Fix Scanning option and the troubleshooter will detect and fix the errors if any. If it displays X icon, follow the instructions provided by the troubleshooter to fix the issue.
4. Windows Image Acquisition Service
Windows Image Acquisition Service is provided by Microsoft that allows graphics software to contact imaging hardware such as scanners and cameras. So you may be required to activate this service if you are facing issues in using the HP printer to scan on the computer.
- Press Windows icon and R together on your keyboard to launch the Run dialog box and in the text field that appears, type services.msc and click ‘Ok’.
- In the window that appears, move downwards and double-click on the option ‘Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)’.
- A new window appears where you have to check if the ‘Startup type’ is set to ‘Automatic’ and the ‘Service Status’ should show as ‘Running’.
- After making the required changes, don’t forget to click on ‘Apply’ followed by ‘Ok’ to save them.
5. Reinstalling the HP Printer Software
If the HP printer has stopped scanning to the computer, the best way to fix it is to get the latest HP driver and software installed for your printer. To get the latest HP printer software, the steps you need to follow are listed below:
- Right-click the Start button, type Run and click on the first program in the list.
- Enter ‘appwiz.cpl’ in the text box and click ‘Ok’.
- In the list of Programs and Features, select the HP printer software listed and click on the Uninstall option.
- Click ‘Yes’ and then restart your device to completely uninstall the HP printer software.
- Remove the printer from the Printers & Scanners list in Settings. To remove the printer, enter ‘printers’ in the search box and click on Printers & scanners to open the window.
- Select your HP printer, and click on the Remove device option. While doing this, make sure the printer is on. After clicking on the remove option, follow the instructions to completely remove the printer.
- Now go to the HP support page and click on the ‘Printer’ option. Enter the model in the search box, and press Submit.
- A software and driver page will appear for your printer model. Select a 64 or 32-bit operating system from the drop-down menu, and click on ‘Change’.
- Hit the ‘Download’ option to get the full feature driver and software package and once you have downloaded it, install it on your device.
6. Disabling the Firewall
This could be the best resolution for a networked printer. If you have Windows 10 installed on your device, the Windows Defender Firewall might interfere or block network printer ports and communications. So you can turn off Windows Defender Firewall or any other third-party antivirus tool installed on your device and check if it helps. To turn off the firewall temporarily, follow these steps:
- Open the Cortana app and type ‘firewall’ in the search box. Select Windows Defender Firewall to launch the Control Panel.
- Click on the option ‘Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off’ given on the left.
- Then click on the option Turn off Windows Defender Firewall.
- The HP Print and Scan Doctor also have the firewall settings that can be accessed by clicking on Network followed by Troubleshooting Firewalls and then click the Disable button to turn off the firewall, press ‘Ok’.
Also, disable third-party antivirus software that also includes firewalls before scanning.
7. Resetting the HP Printer & Scanner to Default
Most of the HP printers come with an option to reset them to their default factory settings, as one of the ways to fix scanning issues. The location of the option may vary from printer to printer.
You can look for the option in the Setup or Tools menus on the printers’ control panels and click on the option that says ‘Reset Factory Defaults’.
8. Running a System File Checker Scan
Another reason to face scanning issues can be corrupted system files. You can run a System File Checker scan to detect and repair corrupted files. Here are the steps to be followed to run an SFC scan in Windows 10:
- Press the Win + X keys and click on Command Prompt (Admin).
- Next, enter ‘DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth’ and click ‘Return’ to start the SFC scan.
- After that, type in ‘sfc /scannow’ in the Command Prompt and hit Enter.
It may take somewhere around half an hour to complete the SFC scan. Restart the computer or laptop to check if the scan fixed the scanning problem