Scan to network folder fails or can't connect

On the printer's settings page or address book, enter the destination as \\192.168.1.20\Scans: two backslashes, the computer's IP address, one backslash, then the share name. Don't use the folder's local path such as C:\Scans. Some printers want the host and folder in separate boxes or use forward slashes, so follow the hint beside the field or the manual.

Try the user name as COMPUTERNAME\username first. If that fails, enter the user name on its own and put the computer name in a separate domain or workgroup field if there is one. For a Microsoft account, the user name is usually its email address and the password is the account password, not your PIN.

Windows 11 and current Windows 10 don't include SMB1, the oldest file sharing protocol, because it's outdated and unsafe. Printers that only speak SMB1 fail to connect. Update the printer's firmware to a version that supports SMB2 or SMB3 from its menu or the maker's official support site; don't turn SMB1 back on in Windows.

Some printers have SMB version or signing settings on their settings page. Choose SMB2/SMB3 or automatic rather than SMB1. Recent Windows versions have tightened SMB security, including requiring signed connections in some cases, so turn on signing if your printer offers it.

Many printers have a test button beside the folder settings. Path not found or host unreachable points to the address or share name, while access denied or login failed points to the user name, password or permissions.

A simple and secure setup is a separate local account on the PC used only for scanning, with its own password. Open Settings > Accounts > Other users (Windows 10: Family & other users), add an account and choose the options to add a user without a Microsoft account. This avoids Microsoft account and PIN sign-in problems, which printers often can't handle.

Create a folder such as C:\Scans, right-click it and choose Properties > Sharing > Advanced Sharing. Tick Share this folder, note the share name, click Permissions, add the scanning account and allow Change and Read.

On the Security tab of the same Properties window, click Edit, add the same account and allow Modify. Windows checks both the share permissions and these folder permissions, and the stricter of the two applies.

Set your network to private in Settings > Network & internet under your connection's properties. Then open Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings and turn on File and printer sharing for private networks (Windows 10: Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings). This also opens the Windows Firewall rules file sharing needs.

Open Command Prompt, run ipconfig and note the IPv4 address. Use it in the printer's path instead of the computer name, which printers often can't look up. Then reserve that address for the PC in your router's DHCP settings so the path keeps working.

If you use a security suite with its own firewall, allow file sharing on your private network in its settings. File sharing uses TCP port 445.

Open System Settings > General > Sharing and turn on File Sharing. Click the info button beside it, add your scan folder under Shared Folders with the add button, and give your user Read & Write access. On macOS 12 or earlier, use System Preferences > Sharing.

In the same window, click Options, make sure Share files and folders using SMB is on, and tick your account under Windows File Sharing, entering its password. The printer can't sign in with an account that isn't ticked here.

Find the Mac's IP address in System Settings > Wi-Fi, clicking Details beside your network (or under Network for Ethernet). Enter the path on the printer as \\192.168.1.30\Scans with your Mac's short account name and password.