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Canon IJ Scan Utility - install it and make scanning work

IJ Scan Utility is Canon's scanning app for PIXMA and MAXIFY printers - and the most common complaint is simply that it is not there: the printer prints, but nothing scans. That happens when only the print driver got installed. Here is where the utility actually lives and how to fix the usual "cannot communicate with scanner" errors.

Fix it automatically

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Quick answer

IJ Scan Utility is not a standalone download for most setups - it arrives inside the full package for your model (MP Drivers: print + scan + the utility together, for example for a PIXMA TS3350). Install that package and the utility appears in the Start menu. The button above matches the package automatically; the steps below show the manual route.

Symptoms - how this problem looks

IJ Scan Utility is nowhere in the Start menu though the printer prints
"Cannot communicate with scanner" when starting a scan
The scanner worked over Wi-Fi and then disappeared
Scanning works over USB but not over the network
The scan button on the printer does nothing
IJ Scan Utility opens but the Scan button is grayed out

Why it happens

Only the print driver was installed

A quick "add printer" in Windows installs printing alone - Canon's scan driver (ScanGear) and IJ Scan Utility come only with the full package.

The printer's network address changed

Home routers reassign IPs; the scan utility keeps looking for the old address and reports the scanner missing while printing still works.

Wrong utility generation

Newer models use IJ Scan Utility (or Canon PRINT), older ones different versions - the package for your exact model installs the right one.

Firewall or network profile blocks discovery

A Public network profile or third-party firewall stops scanner discovery on the network.

The fixes, in order

1. Install the full package for your model

  1. Open ij.start.canon in a browser and type your model name (it is printed on the printer's front).
  2. Download the recommended setup package and run it - choose the connection type (Wi-Fi or USB) when asked.
  3. The package installs MP Drivers (printing and the ScanGear scan driver) plus IJ Scan Utility.
  4. Open IJ Scan Utility from the Start menu (folder "Canon Utilities") and press Auto to test.

2. Re-point the utility at the scanner

  1. If "cannot communicate": open IJ Scan Utility, then Settings, then General Settings, and check the selected scanner.
  2. Run Canon IJ Network Device Setup Utility (installed with the package) - it finds the printer on the network and repairs the connection.
  3. Give the printer a fixed IP in your router (DHCP reservation) so the problem does not come back.

3. Unblock the network path

  1. Keep the PC and printer on the same Wi-Fi network - a guest network or VPN breaks discovery.
  2. In Settings, then Network & internet, set the current network profile to Private.
  3. Temporarily disable a third-party firewall to test; if that fixes it, allow the Canon utilities through it.

4. Test over USB and check Windows services

  1. Connect the printer by USB - if scanning works, the driver is fine and the issue is purely network setup (method 2 and 3).
  2. Press Win+R, run services.msc, and restart "Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)".
  3. As a quick alternative, the built-in Windows Scan app can scan through the same ScanGear driver.

Where the manual route gets fiddly: it only works when you land on the exact model page and pick the right package for your Windows on the first try - and vendors list several near-identical downloads per model, with the scan or utility half often shipped separately. Driver Updater does the matching for you: it identifies the hardware and installs the current driver in one pass, with a backup before the change.

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Frequently asked questions

Is IJ Scan Utility a free download?

Yes - it is Canon's own software, free for every supported model. The only correct sources are ij.start.canon and canon.com; third-party "driver portals" repack old versions with extras you do not want.

Which models does IJ Scan Utility work with?

PIXMA and MAXIFY inkjets (and many imageCLASS lasers) from roughly 2012 onwards. Your model's page on Canon's site shows the exact utility - and the setup package always installs the matching one.

The printer scans to my phone but not to the PC. Why?

The phone app talks to the printer directly, while the PC needs the ScanGear driver and IJ Scan Utility installed and pointed at the printer (methods 1 and 2). If USB scanning works, it is the network path - fix the IP and firewall (method 3).

The automatic route, whenever you are ready

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