How to set up scan to email

Look in the printer's scan menu for an Email or Scan to email option. Office and small-business models usually have their own SMTP settings, while many home models only offer scan to email through the maker's app or cloud service; if yours is one of those, skip to the app steps. The manual or your model's page on the manufacturer's official support site says which method it uses.

Find the printer's IP address on its screen under the network or Wi-Fi menu, or on a printed network configuration page. On a computer connected to the same network, type that address into a browser's address bar, for example 192.168.1.45. Your browser may warn that the connection isn't private because the printer uses its own certificate; check the address is your printer's, then continue. Sign in as administrator with the password on the printer's label or the one you set during setup.

Look for a section called Scan to Email, Email, Email server, Outgoing email profiles or SMTP. Depending on the model it sits under scan, network or protocol settings. Some web pages start a setup wizard the first time you open this section, and it asks for the same details as the steps below.

Type your provider's outgoing mail server name, then the port and security type it lists on its help pages. The usual combinations are port 587 with STARTTLS (sometimes labelled TLS) or port 465 with SSL/TLS; Gmail, for example, uses smtp.gmail.com. Turn on the option that says the server requires authentication, and avoid unencrypted settings such as port 25 with no security, which many providers don't accept from home connections anyway.

Your normal email password usually won't work here. If the printer offers a button to sign in with your email provider, use it: this modern sign-in (OAuth) is the most secure choice. Otherwise, for a Google account, turn on 2-Step Verification, create an app password in your Google Account's security settings and enter that code instead of your password. Some providers no longer accept passwords from devices at all; if yours is one of them, use the maker's cloud service instead.

Enter the email address the printer will send from, plus a display name such as Office scanner so recipients recognise it. Most providers reject mail when the sender address doesn't match the account the printer signs in to, so use the same address in both places. Save the settings before you leave the page.

Most web pages have an Address Book or Contacts section where you can add names, email addresses and groups. Typing them here is faster than on a small touchscreen, and many printers let you import or export the list as a file. Office printers can sometimes look up addresses in a company directory (LDAP), which whoever manages your network sets up.

Use the Test or Send test email button on the settings page if there is one, then scan a page from the printer to your own address. If nothing arrives, check your spam or junk folder. An authentication error points to the password or app password, a connection error points to the server name, port or security type, and a size error means the file is too big, so scan at a lower resolution or as PDF.

Get the printer maker's own app from your phone's official app store, or the computer version from the manufacturer's official support site. Add your printer in the app and sign in to, or create, the account it asks for. The printer needs a working internet connection for this, not just a connection to your home network.

On the printer's screen or built-in web page, look for an option to enable web services or cloud services and accept the terms. Menu names vary between makers, so check the manual if you can't find it. Some printers print a sheet with a code that you enter in the app to link the printer to your account.

In the app or the maker's web portal, look for a scan to email, scan to cloud or similar shortcut. Choose the addresses scans should go to and the file type, such as PDF. With this method the maker's service sends the email, so you never enter an SMTP server or password on the printer.

Start a scan from the printer's control panel using the shortcut you created, or from the app, and send it to yourself. Scans sent this way pass through the manufacturer's servers, so read its privacy information; if that matters for your documents, use the SMTP method above or scan to your computer instead.