HP "Scan to Computer Is No Longer Activated": How to Turn It Back On

"Scan to Computer is no longer activated" means your HP printer tried to send a scan to a Windows PC, but the HP software on that PC is not accepting it. Either the Scan to Computer feature was turned off, or the HP background app did not start when you signed in. Turn it back on in HP Printer Assistant under Scan › Manage Scan to Computer › Enable.

Quick fixes first

1. Wake the computer and sign in. Scan to Computer only works while the PC is on, awake and signed in.
2. Open HP Printer Assistant: press Start, type your printer's model name (for example "OfficeJet Pro 9015e") and select it, or look under Start › All apps › HP.
3. Go to Scan › Manage Scan to Computer and click Enable. On some versions the section is called Scanner Actions or Print, Scan & Fax.
4. Check the box to start Scan to Computer automatically when you log on to Windows.
5. On the printer, choose Scan, then Computer or Scan to Computer, and pick your PC's name from the list.
6. If your PC is not listed, restart both the printer and the computer, then try again.

Why does my HP printer say "Scan to Computer is no longer activated"?

Printing goes from the computer to the printer. A scan started from the printer's panel goes the other way: the printer has to find your computer on the network and hand the scan to a small HP program running there. On Windows, that program is installed with HP's full-feature printer software and managed from HP Printer Assistant. When the printer cannot reach it, it reports that Scan to Computer is no longer activated, and Windows may show the same wording as a notification.

The common causes, roughly in order of how often they come up:

• The feature is disabled. Someone clicked Disable in Manage Scan to Computer, often to silence a notification, or a software update reset the setting.
• The HP app did not start at logon. The start-at-logon option is off, or the HP startup entry was switched off in Windows to speed up boot.
• The PC is asleep, off or signed out. The printer can only send to a computer that is awake and signed in.
• Only HP Smart is installed. The HP app handles scans you start from the computer, but on many models it does not receive scans started from the printer's panel on Windows.
• The network changed. A new router, a mesh node, a VPN or a Windows network set to Public can stop the printer and PC from finding each other.

How to turn Scan to Computer back on in Windows 11

HP has changed the HP Printer Assistant layout over the years, so your labels may differ slightly, but the path is the same idea on every version.

1. Open HP Printer Assistant for your printer by searching its model name from Start. If more than one entry appears, pick the one that matches how the printer is connected, such as Network or USB.
2. Select Scan, then Manage Scan to Computer.
3. Click Enable. The status should change to show that Scan to Computer is enabled.
4. Check Automatically start Scan to Computer when I log on to Windows (the wording varies by version).
5. Open Settings › Apps › Startup and make sure the HP entries related to scanning are switched On.
6. Restart the computer, sign in, wait a minute, and start a scan from the printer.

If the Enable button is missing or does nothing, press Windows key + R, run services.msc, and look for HP services whose names mention network devices or scanning. Set any stopped ones to Automatic and start them. Check that Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) is running too, since the scan driver depends on it. For more service-level fixes, see printer prints but won't scan.

Keep the PC awake when you need to scan

The printer can only list a computer that is on, awake and signed in. If scans work while you are sitting at the desk but fail when you walk over to the printer a few minutes later, the PC is probably going to sleep in between. In Settings › System › Power & battery, open the screen and sleep timeouts (the label varies slightly between Windows 11 versions) and lengthen the sleep time for when the PC is plugged in. A locked screen usually works; signing out or shutting down does not.

What if you only have HP Smart (the HP app)?

HP now points most home users to HP Smart, which it has been renaming simply the HP app. It scans well when you start the scan from the app, using the flatbed or the document feeder. What it may not do is receive a scan started from the printer's own panel, which is what the Scan to Computer button relies on. Some versions of the app include a Scan to Computer setting under the printer's settings; if yours does, turn it on there.

That leaves two practical choices:

• Scan from the computer instead. Open the HP Smart app, choose Scan, and save or share the file. For most people this is the simplest long-term answer.
• Install the full-feature software. On support.hp.com/us-en, enter your model, open Software and Drivers, and look for the full-feature software and driver package or HP Easy Start. For some newer models HP offers only the HP app, in which case panel-to-PC scanning depends on what the app supports.

On a Mac: HP Easy Scan, HP Smart and Image Capture

Macs do not use HP Printer Assistant, so the Windows fix does not apply. On a Mac, Scan to Computer from the printer's panel depends on HP Smart for Mac or, on some models, HP Easy Scan. HP's community forums have reports of HP Easy Scan failing after macOS updates, including macOS 26 Tahoe, so check HP's page for your model before relying on it.

The most dependable Mac route is usually built in. Open System Settings › Printers & Scanners, select the printer, and choose Scan or Open Scanner, or use the Image Capture app. Most recent HP network printers support Apple's driverless scanning, so no HP software is needed at all.

Reinstall the full-feature software cleanly

If Enable does not stick, or HP Printer Assistant will not open, a clean reinstall usually fixes it.

1. Open Settings › Apps › Installed apps and uninstall the HP software for your printer model. Leave HP Smart installed if you use it.
2. Remove the printer at Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners.
3. Restart the computer.
4. Download the full-feature package for your exact model from HP's support site and run it, choosing the same connection type as before.
5. When setup finishes, open HP Printer Assistant and confirm Scan to Computer shows as enabled.

HP Print and Scan Doctor, HP's free Windows diagnostic tool, can test the scan connection and repair some driver problems before you go as far as a reinstall. If the installer itself fails, see driver installation failed or rolled back.

Network and firewall causes

When Scan to Computer is enabled and your PC still does not appear in the printer's list, the two devices usually cannot see each other on the network.

• Same network. The printer and computer must be on the same Wi-Fi network, not a guest network, and not split across a separate extender network name.
• Network profile. In Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi (or Ethernet), open your connection and set Network profile type to Private. A Public profile blocks device discovery.
• VPN. A work VPN on a laptop can hide local devices. Disconnect it and test.
• Security software. Third-party firewalls sometimes block HP's scan components after an update. Allow the HP programs in that product's firewall settings rather than turning the firewall off.
• Changed IP address. If the printer picked up a new address, the software may be looking in the wrong place. Our guide to finding your printer's IP address shows where to look, and reserving that address in the router keeps it from changing again.

Other ways to scan while you sort it out

If scan to email is failing as well, that is a separate mail-server problem, covered in scan to email not working. For everything else about HP apps and drivers, see our independent HP printer support guide. If you would rather have someone set up Scan to Computer with you, our independent remote printer support plan covers every printer in your home or office, HP included.