Why did scan-to-folder stop working on my copier?

Most often the service account password changed or expired, the file share path moved, or the file server stopped accepting the SMB version the device uses. Check the credentials first, then the share path, then the SMB version.

What account should a copier use to scan to a network folder?

A dedicated service account with a non-expiring password and write-only access to the scan share. Using a staff member's personal credentials guarantees scanning breaks the next time they change their password.

Our scan-to-folder and scan-to-email broke

What's actually going on

Scan destinations are stored on the copier and reference things outside it — a file server path, a set of credentials, a mail relay. When any of those change, the destination silently fails.

Credential expiry is the most common cause of a scan-to-folder that worked yesterday and does not today.

Security hardening that disables older SMB versions breaks scanning on devices that only speak the old protocol.

What to do in the next 48 hours

1Test one destination at a time and read the error on the device panel rather than the user's description of it.
2For scan-to-folder, confirm the share path, the service account password and whether the account is set to expire. Use a dedicated non-expiring service account.
3Confirm which SMB version the device supports and whether your file server still permits it. If it does not, scan to email or to a supported destination instead.
4For scan-to-email, re-enter the SMTP host, port, TLS setting and authentication, and confirm the from-address is permitted to relay.
5Rebuild the address book from the configuration export, then have one user test every group before you announce it.

The honest tradeoffs

A dedicated service account with a non-expiring password is the reliable answer and needs a policy exception in most environments. Personal credentials work until the person changes their password.
Scanning to email is easier to keep working and worse for large files and retention. Scan-to-folder is the better workflow when it is maintained.

Your next step

Rather just talk it through with someone local?

203-777-0011 Or request service

Questions people ask next

Why did scan-to-folder stop working on my copier?: Most often the service account password changed or expired, the file share path moved, or the file server stopped accepting the SMB version the device uses. Check the credentials first, then the share path, then the SMB version.
What account should a copier use to scan to a network folder?: A dedicated service account with a non-expiring password and write-only access to the scan share. Using a staff member's personal credentials guarantees scanning breaks the next time they change their password.

More on an office that's moving

Back to all situations