How to Scan on an HP Printer, Set Up the Right Way

Step 1: Install HP Smart

On Windows, get it from the Microsoft Store — search "HP Smart" (or just "HP") and install the one published by HP Inc. On Mac, it's in the Mac App Store under the same names. On mobile, it's in the App Store or Google Play. Avoid third-party download sites — go through the official store for your platform.

Step 2: Sign in and add your printer

Open the app, sign in with an HP account (or create one — it's free and unlocks Scan to Computer along with a few other features), then tap the plus icon and Add Printer. The app scans your local network and should find your printer automatically if it's already on the same Wi-Fi.

Step 3: The setting almost everyone misses — enable "Scan to Computer"

This is the specific step that trips people up: open your printer's tile in HP Smart, go to Preferences, then Manage Scan to Computer, and toggle it On. Without this enabled, the printer won't be able to send scans to that specific computer, even though everything else looks correctly connected. You can also check "Automatically start when I log on to Windows" here, so this stays active without you needing to open the app every time.

Step 4: Scan a document

Place your document face-down on the glass (or load it into the automatic document feeder, if your model has one). In HP Smart, tap the Scan tile, choose your source, color mode, resolution, and file type — PDF is the safest default for text documents. Tap Preview to check the crop and orientation before finalizing.

If scanning finds the printer but won't actually scan

Double-check that Scan to Computer is genuinely toggled on in Preferences (it's easy to think you did this and actually didn't save it), and check that Windows Defender Firewall isn't blocking HP's background services — adding a firewall allow-rule for HP Smart resolves this in most cases.

On a Mac and the Scan option is grayed out

This is a known issue after certain macOS updates. Try removing and re-adding the printer in HP Smart, then check that the app has been granted Accessibility and Files & Folders permissions under Privacy & Security in System Settings.