Can't scan to email, stuck at 'connecting' when selecting account

[MrIT55]

Hi all,

I am trying to assist someone having an issue with scanning to email from the printer control panel on a 9720e. It worked up until last week, however now it doesn't. On the printer, to scan to email they do:

1. Press Scan

2. Press Scan to Email

3. Select account - chooses his account

It's at this stage where the issue appears. When he selects his or another person's account, the printer just says "connecting" then goes back to the select account screen rather than proceeding onwards. The printer is on the network, can be pinged, can access the Embedded Web Server and he can scan from the HP Smart App on his laptop.

Has anyone else experienced this with selecting an account or know how I can affect it as I can't see anything related on the EWS. Thanks!

[zoey7886]

@MrIT55, Welcome to the HP Support Community!  

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding your OfficeJet Pro 9720e! 

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.  

It sounds like the Scan to Email feature on the OfficeJet Pro 9720e is having trouble authenticating or connecting to the email server. Since the printer is on the network and scanning works from the HP Smart App, here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:

1. Check the Email Profile Configuration in EWS:

• Open the Embedded Web Server (EWS) by typing the printer’s IP address into a web browser.
• Go to Scan > Scan to Email and verify the SMTP settings.
• Ensure the correct SMTP server, port, and authentication method are set up. If it's using SMTP Authentication, check that the username and password are correct.

2. Reconfigure the Scan to Email Account:

• In the EWS, try deleting and re-adding the affected email account.
• If using Gmail, Outlook, or another provider, ensure that the account allows third-party app access or use an app password instead of the regular password.

3. Check the Internet Connection and DNS Settings:

• Confirm that the printer can access external servers.
• Set a manual DNS like Google DNS (8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4) under Network Settings in the EWS.
• Restart the router and printer to refresh the connection.

4. Update Firmware & Restart Services:

• Check if the printer has the latest firmware installed via EWS > Printer Update.
• Restart the printer and try scanning again.  

Let me know if this helps!

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[PAR14]

I am having the same issue as described by the original post.  I have tried working with HP Support today but did not get anywhere further.  Having read your response I do not see the Scan > Scan to Email in the EWS.  I only see Web Scan and Scan to Network Folder.  I wonder if this is part of the issue ?  I am still trying to figure out what the select accounts on the printer is actually for.  The list seems to be populated when you install the HP Smart app on a device and then select the printer from that device.  It also seems that it has a limit as I have tried adding in a **bleep** account from what the HP Support was suggesting today.  This **bleep** account is not showing on the list on the printer when going through the scan to email process.  Are these accounts the ones that is used for sending the email and not a list of email address to send to ?  How do you delete these accounts, I feel that if I can find the way to delete them and get the **bleep** Account added into the list it might work ?  From the EWS I can get the test to send out an email but as is mentioned in the post I still get the same issue where it goes connecting and then goes back to the select account.

I have spent way too many hours on this trying to figure it out and still have got nowhere.  It is really frustrating on how little documentation is provided to explain all of this in detail where it really should be a simple process of setting up an SMTP Server to send the email through and it just works.  Can you help in providing some assistance with this ?

[zoey7886]

@PAR14, Thanks for reaching out, and I completely understand how frustrating this must be. You’re definitely not alone in this, and I’ll do my best to help you get Scan to Email working again.

From what you’ve described, it seems like there may be an issue with how the email accounts are being recognized by the printer. Let’s go step by step to troubleshoot:

Checking the EWS Settings (Embedded Web Server)

Since you don’t see the Scan to Email option under Scan, that might indicate that the feature isn’t fully set up. Instead, let’s try this:

• In EWS, go to Settings > Email Profiles and see if any profiles exist.
• If none are present, you might need to create a new one with the correct SMTP settings.
• If using a service like Gmail or Outlook, ensure you’re using an App Password (if required) instead of a regular password.

Managing Email Accounts on the Printer

The list of accounts you see on the printer is used for sending emails—not the recipients. These are usually linked when setting up the printer via the HP Smart app. Unfortunately, removing them isn’t always straightforward, but you can try:

• Resetting Web Services on the printer, which sometimes clears stored accounts.
• Reinstalling the HP Smart app and re-adding the printer to see if the list refreshes.
• Checking if the account limit is reached—some models may have a cap on the number of stored accounts.

SMTP and Connectivity Check

Since the EWS test email is working, the printer does seem to communicate with the email server. However, here are a couple of extra things to verify:

• If possible, set a manual DNS in EWS > Network > IPv4 Configuration (try 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4).
• Ensure SSL/TLS is enabled for the SMTP connection.
• Check if any recent firmware updates are available for your printer.

Give these steps a try and let me know what you find. If the issue persists, I’ll be happy to dive deeper! I totally agree that the documentation could be clearer, and I appreciate your patience while we sort this out together.

Looking forward to hearing back from you!

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[PAR14]

@Zoey7886 thank you for your reply.  Everything you have suggested looks to be set correctly, however can you provide more detail on how to reset the web services as I would really like to try this.  I have tried to find out how to do it but there does not seem to be anything in the manual regarding this or anything I can find online.

[zoey7886]

@PAR14, I completely understand how frustrating this issue must be, especially after spending so much time trying to troubleshoot it. I appreciate your patience and all the effort you've put into resolving it so far.

To reset Web Services on your printer, follow these steps:

Access the Embedded Web Server (EWS):

Open a web browser and type your printer’s IP address into the address bar.

Press Enter to open the printer’s EWS page.

Reset Web Services:

Go to Web Services or Settings > Web Services (this may vary by model).

Click on Remove Web Services or Disable Web Services and confirm the action.

Once disabled, restart the printer.

Re-enable Web Services:

Go back to the same menu in EWS.

Click Enable Web Services and follow any on-screen prompts.

This should refresh any cloud-based services, including Scan to Email.

Once you've done this, try setting up Scan to Email again and see if the issue persists. Let me know how it goes, and I’ll be happy to help further if needed!

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[PAR14]

Zoey,

Due to getting some new office printers there is no longer a need to have this working on this printer as it is working as expected on the larger office printers.  Thank you for the information you have provided up to now.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @PAR14 

It sounds like your new office printers have really streamlined things—good to hear they're working as expected! 

As for the older printer's email scanning issue, it seems like it's no longer a pressing concern, which is great. 

If there's ever anything else I can assist with regarding your devices or setup, I'm here to help. 

Wishing you smooth printing and scanning ahead! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye