Scanner not working in Windows 11: how to fix it

Applies to: Windows 11 PCs with a USB or network scanner, or an all-in-one printer, that can’t be found, shows no scanner in your scan app, stops halfway or doesn’t save anything. Windows 10 uses the same service and apps, though its Settings pages look different.

Scanning doesn’t go through the Print Spooler. Microsoft’s imaging documentation describes a separate path: the scanner’s WIA driver talks to the WIA service, and apps such as Windows Scan ask that service for the image. So a printer that prints fine tells you little about the scanner inside it. If printing is the problem too, start with our printer offline guide or the driver unavailable guide.

Match your symptom

What you see	Likely cause	Start with
Scanner missing from Printers & scanners	Not added, or not detected	Fix 1, Fix 5
Listed, but your app says no scanner was found	Printer-only driver or a stalled service	Fix 2, Fix 3, Fix 4
Works in one app but not in another	The app or its settings	Fix 2
Unknown device or a yellow warning in Device Manager	No driver for the scan function	Fix 4
Wi-Fi scanner found once, then lost	Changed IP address or different network	Fix 5
USB all-in-one prints but won’t scan in 2026	Known Windows 11 issue with IPP over USB	Fix 6
Scan seems to finish, but no file appears	Save folder or Controlled folder access	Fix 7

Fix 1: Check that Windows lists the scanner

Turn the scanner on, make sure the USB cable goes straight into the PC rather than through a hub if you can, and open Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Microsoft’s scanner setup page says Windows normally finds and installs local and network scanners on its own, and when it doesn’t, you can add one here:

1. Select Add device next to Add printer or scanner and give Windows a few minutes to search.
2. When the scanner appears, select Add device next to it.
3. If it never appears, choose Add a new device manually next to The printer that I want isn’t listed and follow the prompts.

An all-in-one printer is a special case. Microsoft notes that its scanner may show up only as a printer, and that when Windows also detects the scanner, selecting the printer shows a Scanner settings option. If that option is missing, Windows has a print driver but no scan driver for the device, so go to Fix 4.

Fix 2: Try a different scan app

Before changing drivers, find out whether the scanner or the program is at fault. Search for Windows Scan in Start; if it isn’t installed, get it from the Microsoft Store. Choose your scanner, set Source to Flatbed, Feeder or Auto-configured, pick a file type and select Scan.

If Windows Scan works, the scanner and its driver are fine, and the problem sits in the other program. Check that it’s set to the right scanner and source, update it, or reinstall it. If Windows Scan can’t see the scanner either, the problem is lower down, so carry on with Fix 3. The maker’s own app (HP Smart, Epson ScanSmart, Canon IJ Scan Utility and the like) is a useful third test, because it sometimes reaches the device by a different route.

Fix 3: Restart the Windows Image Acquisition service

Apps rely on the Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) service to talk to scanners. A Microsoft Learn article on apps that can’t find a new scanning device gives restarting this service, restarting the PC with the scanner connected, or removing and reconnecting the scanner as workarounds. That article was written for older Windows 10 versions, but the same service runs in Windows 11, and restarting it is harmless.

1. Search for Services on the taskbar and open it.
2. Find Windows Image Acquisition (WIA). If it’s running, right-click it and choose Restart; if it isn’t, choose Start.
3. Double-click it and check that Startup type isn’t Disabled. If it is, set it to Automatic, select Apply and start the service.
4. Close any scan app that was open, then try Windows Scan again.

You can also restart it from Terminal (Admin) (right-click Start). The service’s short name is stisvc:

Restart-Service -Name stisvc

Note: if the service is disabled and switches back after you change it, policy or security software set it that way. On a work or school PC, ask IT before changing it.

Fix 4: Install the scan part of the driver

Many printer makers offer two downloads: a basic driver that only prints, and a full package that adds the scan driver and scan software. If you installed the basic driver, or let Windows add the printer on its own, the scanner may have no driver at all. Go to the maker’s official support site, find your exact model and Windows 11 version, and install the full package (often called something like full feature software and driver). Avoid driver updater tools and download sites.

To see what Windows thinks of the device, select Start, type Device Manager and open it. A working scanner usually appears under Imaging devices; a missing driver often shows as an unknown device or a yellow warning under Other devices. If the error says the drivers aren’t installed, our Code 28 guide walks through finding the right driver from the hardware ID.

Before you uninstall: removing the device in Device Manager or uninstalling the maker’s software can also remove the printer’s driver, so you may need to add the printer again afterwards. To clear out an old printer driver package properly, follow the driver package steps in our driver unavailable guide, then restart and install the full package.

Network scanners can also use Windows’ built-in WSD Scan driver. Microsoft’s documentation on WIA with Web Services for Devices describes it as an inbox WIA class driver for web services scanners, which is why some network all-in-ones scan without any maker software. If yours doesn’t, the maker’s package is the fix.

Fix 5: Reconnect a network scanner

Microsoft’s scanner page says the PC and a wireless scanner should be on the same network. A scanner that dropped onto a guest network, or a laptop connected to a different band or a phone hotspot, won’t find each other. Also check that the PC’s network is set to Private in Settings > Network & internet, since Windows is less open to device discovery on a Public network.

If the scanner worked and then vanished, its IP address may have changed after a router restart. Print a network configuration page from the printer’s panel, then compare the address with what the maker’s software or the printer’s port uses. Our port address steps show how to check this for the print side; for scanning, removing the device in Printers & scanners and adding it again (Fix 1) picks up the new address. Reserving a fixed IP address for the printer in your router stops it happening again.

Fix 6: USB all-in-one printers that lost the scanner

Microsoft has documented a Windows 11 problem with third-party drivers on USB IPP multifunction printers. On PCs with update KB5079473 or later, a USB all-in-one that supports IPP over USB can have its scanner and fax functions disconnected while the device starts up. Windows then doesn’t recognise the scanner, and scanner drivers may fail to install, even though printing still works.

Microsoft says there’s no confirmed workaround yet, but that in some cases removing and reconnecting the device restores scanner detection for a while:

1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the all-in-one printer and choose Remove.
2. Unplug the USB cable.
3. Plug the USB cable back in and let Windows add the device again.
4. Check for Scanner settings on the printer’s page, then try Windows Scan.

If the printer also has Wi-Fi or Ethernet, connecting it over the network instead of USB avoids this USB-specific problem while you wait for a fix. Don’t uninstall Windows updates to get round it; the issue is under investigation, so check the status in the Known issues section below.

Fix 7: Scans finish but never appear

Windows Scan saves to the Scans folder inside Pictures by default, according to Microsoft’s scanner page; open Show more in the app to see or change the folder. Other apps have their own save location, so check the app’s settings before assuming the scan failed.

If nothing ever lands in the folder, Windows Security may be blocking the app. Controlled folder access, part of ransomware protection, stops untrusted apps from changing files in protected folders, and a scan app saving into one of those folders can be blocked even though the scan itself works. Windows Security normally shows a notification when it blocks something. Microsoft’s controlled folder access page describes how to allow an app:

1. Open Windows Security and go to Virus & threat protection.
2. Under Virus & threat protection settings, select Manage settings.
3. Under Controlled folder access, select Manage controlled folder access.
4. Select Allow an app through Controlled folder access, confirm the prompt, then Add an allowed app and pick the scan app from Recently blocked apps.

Allow only the scan app you actually use, and leave controlled folder access on. Saving scans to a folder outside the protected ones is another option. Third-party antivirus has similar features under different names.

Fix 8: Repair Windows system files

If no scan app can see any scanner, even after a fresh driver install, damaged Windows files are a possible cause. Running DISM and System File Checker from Terminal (Admin) checks and repairs them. Our guide on how to run sfc /scannow explains both commands and how to read the results. Save your work first, let both commands finish without closing the window, and restart before testing the scanner again.

Known issues

As of November 2026, Microsoft’s article on third-party drivers failing on USB IPP multifunction printers (published July 22, 2026, updated July 23, 2026) still describes the scanner problem in Fix 6 as under investigation, with no confirmed workaround. Microsoft’s Windows 11, version 25H2 known issues and notifications page, last updated on November 5, 2026, lists no scanning or imaging issue; its recent entries cover Remote Desktop, a black screen after sign-in, AC-3 audio, domain trust and USB audio devices.

Known issues change, so check both pages again if your scanner stopped working straight after an update. The scanner maker’s support site is the place to confirm whether your model has a current Windows 11 scan driver.

Related guides

• Printer offline in Windows 11: how to get it back online
• Printer driver is unavailable in Windows 11: how to fix it
• Code 28: “The drivers for this device are not installed” (7 fixes)
• How to run sfc /scannow in Windows 11 and 10 (and read the results)

Official sources

• Microsoft: Install and use a scanner in Windows
• Microsoft Learn: Third-party drivers fail on USB IPP multifunction printers in Windows 11
• Microsoft Learn: Applications are unable to find a new scanning device