Brother Printer Will Print But Not Scan? (Reasons & How to Fix)

If your Brother Printer will print but not scan, there are several reasons why this happens.

This post will help you understand the cause of the issue, so you can take the necessary actions to fix it.

Your Brother machine prints but does not scan due to an improper network connection. If you wish to utilize the scanning feature, you should configure your printer to a peer-to-peer network environment. This way, the scanning feature works from a server computer.

There could be numerous reasons why your printer is not scanning, but multiple solutions are also available to troubleshoot them.

Here is a useful guide in a step-wise solution form that you can do on your own.

Causes of Brother Printer Can Print But Cannot Scan

If you can print but not scan using your Brother Printer, you may have an incorrect network setting, an outdated scanner driver, or a printer not ready to perform the task.

Not Connected to the Network Properly

Check the computer and the Brother printer’s connection and make sure they are available in the same network.

Configure your machine to a peer-to-peer networking environment, where the scanning feature works from a server computer. 

Scanner Driver Needs Updating

Get rid of all scanner-related issues by updating your Brother drivers. A corrupted and outdated scanner driver entails dedicated help to solve problems.

Download and install the updates to make sure you run the latest version.

Printer Not Ready to Print and Scan

Make sure your Brother Printer is available to print. This may be the reason why it will not scan to the computer.

To do this, open Printer Properties, click Start, and select Control Panel. Select Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers.

Then, right-click your Brother Printer, select Printer Properties, and print test a page to check if your printer is available to print. 

To perform the best solution, find out the cause of the issue. If you can’t figure out the culprit, contact Customer Support and ask for further assistance.

How to Fix Brother Printer Will Print But Not Scan

You can fix your Brother printer to scan but not print the issue manually like other printer problems.

Below are simple solutions you can do on your own.

Solution #1: Check the Printer is Turned On Without Errors

The initial thing you should do is validate that your Brother Printer is ON.

If the screen is black, it means it is idle or has some problem with the power supply. Press a button to see if your device wakes up from Sleep Mode.

1. Power OFF your Brother Printer.
2. Unplug the power cord and check if everything is fine.
3. Turn ON the machine again.
4. Check the LCD screen for error messages.
5. If you find issues, troubleshoot to clear them.

Note: Follow the troubleshooting instructions for the error message to keep your Brother machine in Ready to Use status.

Solution #2: Check for Network Connection (Cables or Wi-Fi)

To utilize the network scanning feature, you need to check for cable and Wi-Fi connection and configure your machine to a peer-to-peer network environment.

1. Push the Menu on your Brother Printer.
2. Click on Print Report or Machine Info.
3. Press the network configuration, then hit the start button.
4. Check the network configuration report.
5. If the IP address shows 0.0.0.0 or 169.X.X.X, it means the printer has no connection to the network.

Note: The scanning feature works from the server computer in a shared network environment, not from the client’s computer.

Solution #3: Update the Printer and Scanner Drivers

Often, the Brother scanner is not working due to issues with the drivers. You may not have the latest software.

To update the printer and scanner drivers, you must have access to the Internet.

1. Click Start > All Apps > Windows System.
2. Select Control Panel > View Devices and Printers.
3. Click Add a Printer.
4. Choose your Brother model from the printer list, and tick Next.
5. Click Replace the current driver, then Next.

Note: Typically, a network-connected printer does not prompt you to choose an option for sharing. 

As soon as you receive confirmation of the installation, choose the device as default, print test a page, then click Finish.

Solution #4: Set the IP Address of the Scanner

If you still haven’t solved the “My Brother Printer will print but not scan” issue, set the IP address of the scanner.

1. Click Start > Control Panel.
2. Click View Scanner and Cameras.
3. Choose your scanner, then open Scanner Properties.
4. When you get to the UAC screen, click Continue or Yes.
5. Enter admin password, and click OK or Yes.

Next, go to the Network Setting tab and select Specify your machine by address. Enter the IP address you confirmed in the step above and click OK.    

Note: You can get the IP address by printing a network configuration list. You will find all current network configurations there, including the network print server settings.  

Solution #5: Turn Off Your Computer’s Firewall

Your computer’s firewall can also cause your printer not to work properly. If this is the case, turn the firewall off from your computer and try to scan again.

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Select System Security.
3. Click Windows Firewall, then select Network Sharing Center.
4. Go to View your active networks and check your network location.
5. Go back to the Control Panel > Windows Firewall > Turn Windows Firewall Off.
6. Then, click OK.

Note: If your Brother printer works after disabling the firewall, keep doing it anytime you need to scan.

Solution #6: Uninstall and Reinstall the Printer Drivers

If your Brother printer will scan but not print, try uninstalling and reinstalling your printer drivers to resolve the problem easily.

Follow the steps below:

1. Click Start, and then select Brother Printer from All Apps.
2. Select Brother Utilities, and click your printer model from the list.
3. Select Tools and click Uninstall.
4. When the UAC screen appears, click Allow or Yes.
5. Follow the instructions in the pop-up to uninstall the drivers.

After successfully uninstalling the printer drivers, reboot your computer. Then, reinstall all the Brother software and drivers.

Note: You can download genuine software and drivers from the official Brother website.

Read Next: Why is Brother Printer Printing Black pages with White Text?

Last Thoughts

Thus, update the printer and scanner drivers if your Brother machine prints but does not scan. Your device may be running with outdated software that causes the issue. Next, uninstall and reinstall the Brother drivers. 

If your Brother printer will print but not scan, there are many possibilities for this.

But, this post will aid you in comprehending the possible causes of the issue and present you with solutions you can do on your own.

Contact Brother customer support for additional assistance if you have tried everything in this post, but you still cannot solve the issue.

If you think this post answers all your questions about why your Brother scanner does not work, but you have another issue with another Brother setup, you will surely find solutions in our blog.