Despite all of the advanced technology we use day-to-day, the humble ‘scan to email’ can still be a minefield to navigate. Whether you’re sending a quick invoice, a 30-page contract, or scanned photo ID—the process can be frustrating to say the least, especially when the tech won’t cooperate.
The first step is to determine how you’re going to scan your document. This guide covers how to scan and send using:
- A networked printer
- Straight from your smartphone
- Straight from your desktop with a standalone scanner
It also walks you through which scan settings to use to make sure your files are readable, how to combine multiple pages into a single PDF, and common troubleshooting issues.
The right scan-to-email method depends on your hardware
There are three ways you can scan to email. Here’s how each compare.
Printers can send scans fast, but require one-time setup
Most business multifunction printers, like those from HP, Canon, Epson, and Brother, can send a scan straight to an email address with no computer involved. After you configure the printer's email settings, the daily workflow is quick:
- Load the document into the automatic document feeder, or place it face-down on the scanner glass.
- On the control panel, select the scan-to-email function. Brother labels it Scan > to email Server; Canon and HP put it under the Scan menu. Depending on your model, the option may also appear as Send by email rather than a dedicated scan-to-email server entry.
- Enter the recipient's address, or pick one from the printer's saved address book.
- Choose PDF as the format and 300 dpi for standard documents. Then pick color or black and white.
- Confirm and send.
The one-time setup can be handled easily in the printer's browser-based admin page, if the printer is on your network. Find your printers IP address, either by locating on the printer touchscreen within the WIFI settings, or by locating it within your computer’s devices list.
Open your chosen browser (Safari, Chrome, Windows etc) and type your printer's IP address into your browser address bar.
Find the email or SMTP settings (HP's Embedded Web Server, Canon's Remote UI, Epson's Web Config), and enter your email provider's server details and login.
If your email account uses two-step verification (also called two-factor authentication), Gmail and Microsoft won't accept your regular password when the printer tries to log in. Instead, you'll need to generate an app password. You can create this in your Google or Microsoft account's security settings, then enter it into the printer's SMTP/email setup screen in place of your normal password.
If your printer doesn’t have scan-to-email
Plenty of home all-in-one printers can scan but can't send. This limitation adds an addition step—you’ll have to scan your document to your computer or a USB stick, then attach the file to an email yourself.
Brother devices have a feature called ‘Scan to Email Attachment’, where the printer sends the scan to your PC and opens it in a new message. But Brother says it does not support webmail.
If you're in Gmail in a browser, scan to a folder, then drag the file into a new message.
Related read: How to print an email
Your phone is the best on-the-go scanning software
Your phone camera is a legitimate scanner. Both iPhone and Android have free scanning built in.
iPhone (Mail app)
The fastest route on iPhone is to scan from inside a new email:
- Open Mail and compose a new message.
- Tap in the message body, then tap the toolbar that appears above the keyboard.
- Tap Scan Document. The camera captures the page automatically when it detects the edges.
- Tap Keep Scan, add more pages if needed, then tap Save. The scan lands in your email as a PDF attachment.
- Add the recipient and subject, and send.
If you'd rather keep a copy, scan in Notes instead: open a note, tap the attachments button, tap Scan Documents, capture your pages, and tap Done. Notes saves the scan as a PDF inside the note; tap the share icon and choose Mail to send it.
Android
Many Android phones now have document scanning built directly into the stock Camera or Gallery app, so no extra download is needed.
- Open the Camera app and look for a "Scan document" or "Document" mode (usually in the mode carousel or a scan icon near the shutter button).
- Frame the document. The camera auto-detects edges and captures once it's steady.
- Confirm or retake the page, then add more pages if needed.
- Save as PDF, then share directly to Gmail (or any email app) from the save screen, or open it later from Gallery/Photos and share from there.
Note: this feature isn't universal. It's most reliably found on Samsung and Pixel phones; other brands may only offer scanning through Google Drive or Files by Google instead. Worth telling readers to check their camera's mode menu first, since the exact label and location vary by manufacturer and Android version.
Scan from Google Drive
Google redesigned Drive's scanner interface in September 2025 and added simultaneous multi-page scanning in June 2026. To scan and send:
- Open the Google Drive app and tap the camera icon at the bottom right.
- Point the camera at the document. A blue line marks the crop boundary; capture in Auto or Manual mode.
- Tap Done, enter a file name (or accept the suggested title), choose .pdf, and tap Save.
- Open Gmail, tap Compose, tap the paperclip, then Insert from Drive. Select your scan, add the recipient, and send.
You can also share a Drive link instead of an attachment: tap the three-dot menu next to the file, tap Share, and enter the recipient's address. They get an email with the link, which sidesteps attachment size limits entirely.
Related read: How to attach a Google Doc to an email
Dedicated smartphone scanning apps
Microsoft Lens, long the popular free pick for Android was retired by Microsoft in January 2026. The good news is there are great alternatives.
If you scan often, dedicated scanner software like Genius Scan (4.9/5 on the App Store and Google Play, with a free tier) adds searchable PDFs and cloud export.
Wirecutter named Adobe Scan is the best scanner software in its top overall pick. It offers a solid free tier—making it the most practical like-for-like swap alongside Genius Scan.
A computer gives you the most file control
On a computer, scanning and emailing are three seperate steps: you have to scan with a standalone scanner (usually connected via USB/C or Wifi), save the file, then attach it to an email.
On Windows 11, the free Windows Scan app from the Microsoft Store handles the capture.
- Open Windows Scan App and select your scanner
- Pick a file type and destination folder, then click Scan.
- The app saves image files only: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, or Bitmap. For a single page, a JPEG attaches fine.
- For anything you want as a PDF, print the scanned image using Microsoft Print to PDF (details in the multi-page section below).
On a Mac, Preview scans straight to PDF.
- Connect and turn on your scanner, open Preview, choose File > Import from Scanner.
- Set your options: including page orientation and scan size. Click Scan.
- Open your email client or webmail, compose a message, attach the saved file, and send.
The right scan settings to keep files readable
Before you hit scan, you’ll need to configure the right resolution and format for your files. Getting them wrong can leave you with a blurry document or a file too big to send. These settings cover the common cases:
Resolution determines the file size. Canon's file-size guidance states that doubling the resolution quadruples the file size. Scanning above 300 dpi for a plain text document is overkill, and means you just end up with a very big attachment.
For formatting, PDF wins for anything with text. PDF’s can contain multiple pages in one file, and they open on every device. They also support searchable text through OCR.
JPEG’s use lossy compression and can't hold more than one page per file. Use JPEG’s for photos only, or anything you're sharing as images. Brother's own guidance recommends JPEG for pictures and PDF for scanning and sharing documents.
How to scan multiple hardcopy pages
A multi-page contract should arrive as one attachment, not several. Here’s how to scan hard copy documents that are several pages long, and send as a single PDF.
On a printer with a document feeder, load the whole stack, select Document Feeder as the source, and the printer will scan every page in a single pass into one PDF.
On iPhone and Android, both Notes and Google Drive let you keep tapping to add pages before you save, so you can create a multi-page PDF. Although this will take longer than a printer.
On a Mac, Preview can merge scans. Open the PDFs, choose View > Thumbnails, and drag pages from one document's sidebar into the other. Choose File > Duplicate first, because Preview saves changes automatically and you'll want your originals intact. Then export the combined file as a PDF.
Windows has no built-in one-step merge. Scan each page as an image first. Select all the image files and open the Print dialog. Choose Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer, set the page order, and print to a single PDF file. If that printer option is missing, press Windows + R, type optionalfeatures, and enable Microsoft Print to PDF.
Libraries and FedEx can scan to email for you
FedEx Office offers self-service scanning at most locations. You can email the file to them, or save it to USB stick to bring in.
FedEx doesn't publish a universal per-scan price; the official line is prices vary by store. FedEx's workstation pricing lists scanning at $0.75 per minute.
Public libraries are the cheaper option, and often free. For example:
- Chicago Public Library offers free scanner access to USB or email at most locations.
- Boston Public Library charges $0.05 per scan.
- Los Angeles offers free self-service digitization at its Central Library Memory Lab and participating branches. If you have a library card, check your branch before paying.
Most scan-to-email failures happen because of bad settings or oversized files
A printer scan-to-email job usually fails for one of these reasons:
- Authentication failures: Use an app password, not your regular inbox password. Gmail accounts with 2-step verification and Microsoft 365 accounts with security defaults enabled will both reject normal passwords; Microsoft 365 disables SMTP AUTH automatically, producing errors like
535 5.7.139 Authentication unsuccessful. Enter your full email address as the username. Yahoo Mail discontinued app passwords, so HP no longer supports Yahoo Mail for printer scan-to-email. - Wrong port or encryption mismatch: Use port 587 with STARTTLS or port 465 with SSL. Devices should use 587 or 465; port 25 handles server-to-server relay. Match the encryption setting to the port: 465 pairs with SSL, 587 pairs with STARTTLS.
- Attachment too large: Shrink the file before you send it. Gmail and Yahoo cap messages around 25 MB; Outlook.com does too. A multi-page color scan at 300 dpi blows past that fast. Rescan at 150–200 dpi in black and white. On a Mac, use Preview's File > Export with the Reduce File Size filter, or run the PDF through Adobe's free online compressor. Gmail handles oversized files by swapping the attachment for a Google Drive link.
- Connection failures: A firewall may be blocking the printer's outgoing connection. Try port 587, then run the printer's built-in diagnostic: Canon's "Test connection to mail server" or Epson's Connection Test will confirm whether the printer can reach the mail server at all.
Fyxer drafts the email after the scan is ready
Scanning your document is only half the job; you still have to write the perfect email to go with it. Whether it’s a cover note to a client, context for a colleague, or a follow-up you've been putting off—Fyxer can draft it for you.
Forward your scan with a plain-language note to Fyxer, and it will draft an email in your voice, straight into your inbox.
Discover how Fyxer learns your style and drafts replies in your voice.
