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- HP Community
- Printers
- LaserJet Printing
- Scan issue with my MFP178nw

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10-12-2026 12:39 PM
The scanner of my printer doesn't work.
First I tried with the mobile app and while it does print it woudn't scan, then I tried with the Windows app same result, when I tried to scan with my pc outside of the HP smart app the scanner began and stopped after a second, it seem like It was broke wich is not the case since the scanner itself does work because I can use the buttons of the printer to copy.
The diagnostic didn't work on my phone so it looked like It was a wifi issue but I can print so I don't think thats the problem.
10-14-2026 10:19 AM
Hello @Mpguerra, Welcome to the HP Support Community.
Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.
Based on your description, the fact that you can successfully make copies directly from the printer is a very important detail. This indicates that the scanner hardware itself is functioning, and the issue is more likely related to scanner communication between the printer and your devices.
Since scanning fails from both the HP App and your Windows 11 PC, and the scan starts before stopping after a second, please try the following troubleshooting steps:
Print a Network Configuration Report
- Verify that the printer and your computer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Confirm that the printer has a valid IP address.
Test Webscan
- Open a web browser and enter the printer's IP address to access the Embedded Web Server (EWS).
- Navigate to Webscan and enable it if disabled.
- Try scanning through the Webscan interface.
Use Windows Scan
- Open the Windows Scan application and test scanning outside of the HP App.
- If the scan also fails here, the issue is likely related to scanner communication rather than HP software.
Check Windows Firewall and Security Software
- Temporarily disable any third-party antivirus or firewall software.
- Test scanning again to determine whether scanner traffic is being blocked.
Assign a Static IP Address
- Access the printer's EWS and assign a manual IP address.
- This can help prevent communication interruptions caused by changing network addresses.
Reinstall the Scanner Driver
- Remove the printer from Windows.
- Uninstall HP software and restart the computer.
- Reinstall the latest full-feature HP software package and add the printer again. HP Color Laser MFP 178nw Software and Driver Downloads | HP® Support
Check Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) Service
- Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
- Confirm that Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) is running and set to Automatic.
Test with USB (If Available)
- If possible, connect the printer directly to the PC using a USB cable.
- If scanning works via USB but not Wi-Fi, the issue is likely network communication related.
Update the Printer Firmware
- Check for firmware updates through the printer's EWS or HP App.
- Install any available updates and restart the printer.
To help us isolate the issue further, please let us know:
- Does the scan fail from both the scanner glass and the ADF (Automatic Document Feeder)?
- Are you able to access the printer's Embedded Web Server (EWS) using its IP address?
- Does the scan stop with an error message, or does it simply cancel?
- Is the printer connected via Wi-Fi or Ethernet?
Since the printer can successfully make copies, our focus should be on the communication path between the scanner and the connected devices rather than the scanner hardware itself.
Have a great day!
I'm an HP Employee.
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