Scan to Email Not Working? How to Fix SMTP for Gmail, Outlook and Microsoft 365

Scan to email fails when the printer cannot reach, or sign in to, the outgoing mail (SMTP) server saved in its settings. Most failures now come from sign-in changes: Gmail requires an app password, and Microsoft is retiring plain username-and-password sign-in for Microsoft 365 SMTP. Check the server, port, security type and credentials in the printer's embedded web server, then send a test.

Quick fixes first

1. Write down the exact error on the printer's panel, or in the email log on its web settings page. The wording points straight at the cause.
2. Open the printer's embedded web server by typing its IP address into a browser on the same network.
3. Check the SMTP server name, port and security setting against the provider table below.
4. Re-enter the sign-in details. For Gmail, that means a new app password, not your normal password.
5. Set the printer's date, time and time zone correctly; a wrong clock can break secure connections.
6. Send a one-page test scan at 200 dpi to rule out a file size problem.

How does scan to email actually work?

A printer does not have its own mailbox. When you scan to email, it behaves like a basic email program: it connects to an outgoing mail server, signs in, and hands over a message with the scan attached. The language for that hand-off is SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), and five settings have to be right:

• Server. The name of the outgoing server, such as smtp.gmail.com.
• Port. The numbered door the printer connects to: usually 587, sometimes 465 or 25.
• Security. STARTTLS (often labeled just TLS) on port 587, or SSL/TLS on port 465. The setting must match the port.
• Authentication. The account the printer signs in as, and how: a password, an app password, or on newer firmware a Microsoft or Google sign-in (OAuth).
• From address. The address the scan appears to come from. Most providers reject mail whose From address does not match the signed-in account.

The printer also needs a working DNS server in its network settings to look up the server name, and an accurate clock to check the server's security certificate. Printers set up with a manual IP address sometimes have neither.

Where to change the settings: the embedded web server

Almost every network printer has a built-in settings page, called the embedded web server (EWS), Web Config or Remote UI depending on the brand. Find the printer's IP address on its network settings screen or network configuration page (our guide to finding your printer's IP address covers every brand), then type it into a browser, for example 192.168.1.45. Your browser may warn about the printer's certificate; for your own printer's local address, it is fine to continue.

You will usually need an administrator password. On many recent printers it is printed on a label on the printer, sometimes shown as a PIN or Pwd; older models may use a default listed in the user guide. Menu names vary by model and firmware, but look for:

• HP: the Scan tab, then Scan to Email and its outgoing email profiles.
• Brother: an Email tab, or Network › Protocol › SMTP.
• Canon imageCLASS: Settings/Registration, then the network and email settings.
• Epson: Web Config under Network Settings, then Email Server.

Most of these pages include a Test or Connection Test button. Use it after every change, because it returns a clearer error than the printer's panel.

Settings by email provider

One detail from Microsoft's own guidance: if a device only offers port 465 for Microsoft 365, it does not support the TLS versions Microsoft requires for this method, so use 587 or one of the relay options instead.

Gmail: why your old password stopped working

Google no longer lets third-party devices sign in to Gmail with just the account password. A printer that stored your normal password fails with an authentication error even though the password is correct. For a personal Gmail account, the fix is an app password:

1. Turn on 2-Step Verification in your Google Account under Security.
2. Open the App passwords page (search for it in your Google Account settings), give it a name such as "Office scanner", and create it.
3. Copy the 16-character code into the printer's SMTP password field, without spaces.
4. Use your full Gmail address as both the username and the From address.

If the App passwords option does not appear, the account may use security keys only, be enrolled in Advanced Protection, or be a work or school account. Changing your Google password revokes existing app passwords, so the printer will need a new one afterward. Many offices create a separate Gmail account just for the scanner, so the stored credential never opens anyone's main mailbox.

Google Workspace accounts work differently. Google ended password-only sign-in for third-party apps and devices on Workspace in 2025 and recommends its SMTP relay service for printers, which is an Admin console job for whoever manages the account.

Microsoft 365: the basic authentication retirement

Microsoft is retiring basic authentication (a plain username and password) for SMTP AUTH client submission in Exchange Online, the method most printers use with smtp.office365.com. The schedule has moved more than once. Microsoft first planned to start rejecting these sign-ins in March 2026, then pushed that back; its most recent plan switches basic authentication for SMTP AUTH off by default at the end of December 2026, lets administrators turn it back on for a time, and sets a final removal date later. Check Microsoft's Exchange announcements for the current dates.

Many printers fail well before any deadline, because an administrator has disabled SMTP AUTH on the mailbox, turned on security defaults, or required multifactor sign-in. The printer reports an authentication error while nothing has changed on the printer itself. Your options, roughly from least to most work:

• Update the firmware and look for Microsoft 365 or OAuth sign-in. Several manufacturers have added Microsoft 365 modern authentication to scan to email on business models through firmware updates. Check your model's support page, and see our guide to updating printer firmware safely.
• Use SMTP relay through an Exchange connector. The printer sends to your domain's MX host on port 25, and a connector in the Exchange admin center accepts it based on your office's static public IP address or a certificate. It reaches outside recipients and needs no stored password.
• Use direct send. Same MX host and port with no connector, but it only delivers to mailboxes in your own organization, and Microsoft has said it is working on an option to turn direct send off by default.
• Use a third-party SMTP relay service. Transactional email services accept mail from devices and deliver it on your domain's behalf. They need DNS records for your domain and usually a monthly fee; check current pricing.
• Stop emailing scans. Scan to a network folder, OneDrive or SharePoint instead, if your printer offers those destinations.

Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live accounts

Microsoft's settings page for personal accounts lists smtp-mail.outlook.com, port 587 with STARTTLS, and says Outlook.com requires modern authentication. It mentions app passwords for some devices, but many printers still cannot sign in. If yours cannot, move the printer to a Gmail app password or another route below.

ISP mailboxes

Mailboxes from Xfinity, Spectrum, AT&T, Verizon and other providers each have their own SMTP settings. Use the exact server and port from the provider's help pages, and expect to sign in with your full email address.

Troubleshooting by error message

Exact wording varies by printer and provider. Remember that attachments grow by about a third in transit because of how email encodes them, so a 20 MB scan can break a 25 MB limit. For multi-page paperwork, a 200 dpi grayscale PDF is usually readable and small.

Alternatives when scan to email can't be fixed

• Scan to a network folder. Most office printers can save scans to a shared folder on a PC or network drive.
• Scan to cloud storage. Brand services such as Brother Web Connect and the HP Smart app can send scans to cloud services without SMTP.
• Scan to the computer, then attach the file yourself. If that is broken too, see printer prints but won't scan or, on HP, Scan to Computer is no longer activated.
• Scan to a USB drive, if the printer has a USB port on the front.

Scan to email stores mail credentials on a shared device, so treat it like any other login: use a dedicated account, and protect the embedded web server with a strong admin password, as covered in printer security basics. For offices juggling several devices, small office printer support explains how to keep them all working. If you would rather configure it with someone, our independent remote printer support plan covers every printer in your home or office.