How to Scan Documents on a Canon Printer?

The process of scanning documents on your Canon printer to your computer or any other device has been made easier in this post. Here, you can learn how to scan on Canon printer to a device in as many as 7 ways. Also, if you are unable to scan from your Canon printer due to any error, then we will help you troubleshoot that error as well. 

How to Check that Your Canon Printer can Scan?

Before we share with you the methods for how to scan using Canon printer, we will suggest you ensure that your Canon printer comes with the ability to scan. In case you have an all-in-one Canon printer, then you will be able to scan a document. For any other model, you can check its product page. 

How to Prepare Your Canon Printer for Scanning a Document?

Once you are sure that your Canon printer can scan, the next thing you have to do is to prepare your device for scanning a document. For the first time users of Canon printers, we have provided 5 steps below to help in setting it up for scanning. 

1. Connect your Canon printer to your computer wirelessly or via a USB cable.

2. Power on your printer and then press the “On” button.

3. Now, lift the scanner’s lid to see the glass bottom. 

Note – In case of an all-in-one paper feeder, you’ll be required to insert the paper into the tray. For other models, consult your printer’s manual to understand exactly how to do it.

4. Now, place the document you want to scan on the glass bottom. The face of the document that you wish to scan should be kept downwards. 

5. Finally, close the lid of the canner.

How to Scan a Document on a Canon Printer?

Browse through our 7 methods for how to scan documents into computer using Canon printer. These methods will also guide you with scanning documents through your printer on other devices like Mac OS and iPad. You can find out model-specific methods as well.

Method 1: How to Scan on a Windows Computer from a Canon Printer? 

Learn how to scan a document from Canon printer to computer in this section. Here, we have defined a very simple procedure to do so. Read the 11 steps given here for executing this simple procedure. 

1. Press the “Windows” button on the keyboard of your Windows computer. 

2. Type in “Windows Fax and Scan” in the “Search Box”.

3. A pop-up window by the name of “Windows Fax and Scan” will appear. Click on the “New Scan” button in the window.

4. On the next screen, it will show you the printer’s model number. Click on “Ok” to proceed.

5. Click on the “Profile” drop-down box to select the document type. 

6. Click on the “Color Format” drop-down box to select the color of the scanned document. Select “Color” or “Black and White” from the options available.

7. Now, you will be asked to select the file format for storing your scanned document. You can choose from among “JPEG”, “PDF”, and “PNG”.

8. Click on the “Preview” button at the bottom to see how the scanned document will appear. 

9. Click on “Scan” to proceed.

10. To locate your scanned file, go to the “Start” button and launch “File Explorer”. 

11. Click on the documents and then on the folder named “Scanned Documents” to get all your scanned documents.

Method 2: How to Scan on Mac OS from a Canon Printer?

Do you know how to scan from Canon printer to mac? If it seems too complex to you, then allow us to simplify it. You can check out 13 steps below. In these 13 steps, you will get to know a very simple procedure that you can follow for scanning documents on Mac OS via your Canon printing machine. 

1. Launch the “Apple Menu” on your Mac.

2. Click on the “Apple” icon that appears on your screen.

3. A drop-down box will appear. Select the “System Preference” from the list of options shown.

4. To the right of “System Preference”, click on the “Printers and Scanner” option.

5. On the next screen, you will see your Canon printer’s model number. Click on “Ok” to proceed.

6. A new window will pop up asking for the user’s permission to scan. Click on the “Scan” button.

7. Click on “Open Scanner” from the new window that appeared.

8. On the lower-right side of the window, click on “Show Details”.

9. Select the file format that you want for storing your scanned document. It could be “JPEG”, “PDF”, or “PNG”.

10. Click on the “Color Format” drop-down box to select the color of the scanned document. Select “Color” or “Black and White” from the options.

11. Now select a storage location for saving the scanned files.

12. Click on the “Advanced” option to select the resolution as per your requirement and then proceed with the “Preview” button to check if it is accurate.

13. On the bottom-right, click on the “Scan” button to proceed. Once the scanning is done, you can find all the scanned documents auto-saved in your desired location.

Pro Tip – To scan from Canon printer to MacBook Air, always check your internet connection to see if it is stable. Also, ensure that your Canon printer is well-connected to the power source.

Method 3: How Do I Scan a Document from My Canon Printer to iPad?

At times, there can be many crucial documents as well as images that you would like to scan to iPad from Canon printer. If you are not familiar with the method to do so, then you can take a look at the 16 steps provided in this section.

1. First, install the “SELPHY” application on your iPad. Alternatively, you can also download the “Canon Print Inkjet” application on your Apple device. 

2. Now, connect your Canon printer to your Apple device.

3. Place the original document that is to be scanned on the scanner.

4. The fourth step is to launch the “SELPHY” application or the “Canon Print Inkjet” application on your iPad.

5. On the main screen, tap on “Scan”.

6. In case you wish to make any adjustments before scanning the document, tap on “Change Settings”.

7. When the adjustments have been made, tap on “Scan”.

8. In case you want to scan any additional document, tap on “Scan”

9. Then tap on “Exit” when you are done with scanning the documents.

10. Tap on “Use as PDF”.

11. For mailing the scanned document, tap “Mail”.

12. Before saving the document, if you want to mark anything on it, then tap “Markup”. After making the adjustments, tap “Done”.

13. For saving the scanned file on your iPad, tap “Save to File”. 

14. Select a location where you would like to keep the scanned document. You can either save it on your Apple device or on your iCloud Drive.

Note – If you would like to rename the document before saving it as PDF, then tap on the default name. Enter a new name and then tap on “Done”.

15. Now, tap “Save the PDF”.

16. Then go to the “File” app for opening it.

Method 4: Canon Printer How to Scan Multiple Pages?

Many of you may already know how to scan paper to computer with Canon printer. What should you do when you have to scan multiple pages to your computer? The MP Navigator EX application will be very useful when you have to scan more than one page. Through this application, you can scan many pages to a single PDF file. Let’s find out how you can use the MP Navigator EX app for this purpose. 

1. Power on your Canon printer and connect it to your computer.

2. Remove the scanner lid and place the document to be scanned on the glass.

3. You can scan as many as 10 small documents at once. For the number of pages kept, ensure a gap of 1 cm between them.

4. Launching the “MP Navigator EX” app is the next step. 

5. Access the “Scan/Import” tab. Tap on “Photos/Documents (Platen).

6. Now, you have to click on “Specify”.

7. For the “Document Type”, choose the “Black and White Photo” or “Color Photo” option.

8. Choose “Auto Detect (Multiple Documents)” for the “Document Size. Then press “Ok”.

9. For initiating the scanning process, click on “Scan”.

10. All the documents will be scanned one by one. When you see the “Scan Complete” dialog box, the scanning process will have been completed. 

11. To scan more documents, you can choose “Scan”. In case no other document has to be scanned, choose “Exit”.

12. You can go to the “Thumbnail List” section for finding the scanned images.

13. If you wish to edit the scanned images, then choose the images and then use the various tools provided for editing, rotating, or scanning a certain part of the chosen images. When the changes have been made, ensure that you click on “Save as PDF”.

14. In the “Save” dialog box, choose the location for saving the files, enter the “File Name”, and also mention the “File Type”. Then press “Save”.

15. When you select “Save as PDF”, mention the “File Type”, “File Name”, and the destination folder where you would like to keep the file. Then press “Save”.

Method 5: How to Scan a Document Using a Canon PIXMA Printer?

“How to scan on my Canon PIXMA Printer” is a question that many of you may be having. While you may be struggling to find the way for this, this is the post that will give you the only method you need. Read the 7 steps shown here. 

1. When your Canon PIXMA Printer is on and connected to your PC, press the printer’s “Power” button.

2. On the operating panel of your printer, tap on the option to “Scan”.

3. With the help of the entry buttons, choose the type of the document you want to scan.

4. Now, choose your computer’s name.

Note – Choose the option of “Auto Scan” in case you are using a USB cable for transferring the scanned document to your computer.

5. For adjusting the settings of the scanned documents, you can press the “Function” button.

6. Now, keep the document on the glass.

7. Press either the “Black” or “Color” button. Then scan the document and this procedure will be complete. 

Method 6: How Do I Scan Using My Canon Printer MX922?

Do you have the Canon MX922 Printer? If you have never scanned using it, then this Canon printer scan to PC procedure will work excellently for this printer model. In only 9 clear steps, you can scan a document to your computer using your Canon MX922 Printer. 

1. See to it that your Canon MX922 Printer is on and connected to your computer.

2. Access the “Home” screen of the device and select “Scan”.

3. For saving the scanned document, ensure that the selected device is a computer.

4. Choose your computer using the “Up” and “Down” arrow keys.

5. Tap the side arrows and then select the type of the document for scanning it to your computer.

6. Press the right “Function” button for customizing the settings.

7. Use the “<” and “>” keys for selecting the type of the document.

8. Now, keep the document to be scanned on the platen glass of your printer and tap on “Scan”.

9. Wait for a while until the scanning process is complete. 

Method 7: How to Scan a Document on a Canon MG3620 Printer?

In this part of the post, we will be showing a 6-step method for how to scan on Canon Printer MG3620. Also, for those of you who have any model of the Canon MG3600 Printer series, this method can be used for that model as well. Now, let us read the steps given below. 

1. Begin with downloading and installing the “IJ Scan Utility” application on your computer. 

2. On the platen of your Canon MG3620 Printer, place the document that you want to scan.

3. Run the “IJ Scan Utility” application on your computer.

4. Go to “Settings”. Choose the “Paper Size”, “Resolution”, and other such options. Then click on “Ok”.

5. Next, you have to tap on “Document”.

6. Now the scanning process will begin. When the document has been scanned successfully, it will be saved in the set folder.

Note – At any point of the scanning process, if you wish to cancel the process, then you can tap “Cancel”. The document will not get scanned.

Why My Canon Printer won’t Scan to My Computer?

“I can’t scan on my Canon printer”, if this is you, then you will find great help in this section. Your Canon printer might not be scanning due to certain reasons. Let us see what these reasons can be. 

1. There may be an unexpected device issue either in your Canon printer or in your computer. 

2. It may be possible that your scanner is new. Therefore, it might not be compatible with your computer’s operating system. Or the operating system of your computer may have become outdated. 

3. The scanner driver of your Canon printer might not be updated. 

4. In case of a wireless Canon printer, ensure that your internet connection(wifi) is connected to printer and working fine or else scanning issues will occur. 

5. Another possibility is that your scanner driver may have become corrupted. 

Fixes for Canon Printer Not Scanning to PC

In the sections above, you came across many methods to get help for how to scan to a computer from Canon printer. Despite these methods, you may be unable to scan from your printer if it has certain issues or your computer has some unresolved errors. To clear these issues and errors, we have 3 fixes. 

Scroll further to know what these fixes are.

Fix 1: Use Windows Troubleshooter

Here, we will tell you how to scan on Canon printer to computer when the scanner is not working. This fix is ideal for those who are trying to scan a document on a Windows computer. We will be using the troubleshooting option of Windows in this fix also find the canon printer troubleshooting guide. Here is how to carry out this fix. 

1. When your Windows computer is on, access the “Search Box” via the “Start Menu”.

2. Then type in “Troubleshoot” and click on it.

3. Choose “Printer” from the options displayed. 

4. Then click on “Run the Troubleshooter”.

5. Further steps of this procedure will be available on your screen. Follow them and the problem with your scanner will be fixed. Then you will be able to scan via your Canon printer.

Fix 2: Update Canon Scanner Driver

The problem of Canon printer not scanning to PC will persist when the scanner driver is either out of date or has become corrupted. As a necessary fix, you can attempt to update its driver. Ensure that you install the latest version available which is also compatible with your computer system. Once the scanner driver has been updated, you will be able to scan all the documents you want to. 

Fix 3: Check Updates for Your Computer

Ensure that the operating system of your computer is up to date. In an instance wherein it has not been updated, several bugs may be present in your device. These may prevent the scanning process. Therefore, you may see the problem of your Canon printer not scanning. 

Compatible Canon Printer Models with these Methods and Fixes

For the following models of the Canon PIXMA MG Printer series, you can use the above fixes and methods for how to scan by Canon printer.

Canon PIXMA MG2420 Printer

Canon PIXMA MG2522 Printer

Canon PIXMA MG3200 Printer

Canon PIXMA MG3600 Printer

If you have any of the following models of the Canon PIXMA MP Printer series, then these methods and fixes can be easily applied.

Canon PIXMA MP237 Printer

Canon PIXMA MP250 Printer

Canon PIXMA MP280 Printer

You can try the scanning methods and fixes mentioned in this blog for any other models of Canon printers such as the ones shown in the following table. 

Canon PIXMA E470 Printer

Canon i-SENSYS MF4730 Printer

On an Ending Note

From preparing your Canon printer and scanning your documents to fixing the scanning bugs, this post presented you with everything you needed. Here, you found the best methods for how to scan papers on a Canon printer to Windows computer, Mac OS, and Apple devices like iPad. 

After reading this post, you will also have a good idea of what you need to do when your Canon printer is unable to scan. So, make sure that you keep this post with you for any assistance in future.  
While now we conclude this post, we are not putting an end to helping you out with any other problems you may be facing with your Canon printer. See our Canon printer offline fixes and guide to keep your device working smoothly always