How to Scan on Your MacBook: A Comprehensive Guide

It might come as a surprise, but you likely don’t need dedicated software to scan documents and images if you own a scanner or a printer with scanning capabilities and a MacBook. macOS has built-in features that allow you to handle your scanning needs efficiently and directly from your computer.

Before you begin the scanning process, ensure your scanner is properly set up and connected to your MacBook. Once that’s done, the process varies slightly depending on whether you are using a document feeder or a flatbed scanner. Let’s explore both methods to help you scan like a pro on your Mac.

Opening Your Scanner on macOS

First things first, you need to access the scanner interface on your MacBook. Here’s how to get started:

1. Ensure your scanner is connected to your MacBook, powered on, and properly plugged in.

2. Click the Apple menu ( ) in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Settings.

3. In the System Settings window, scroll down the sidebar and click on Printers & Scanners. You might need to scroll down to find this option.

4. In the Printers & Scanners section, locate your printer or scanner in the Printers list on the right side and select it.

5. Click the Open Scanner… button.

   If you don’t see the “Open Scanner…” button, it might indicate that your scanner hasn’t been set up yet. In this case, you may need to add your scanner by clicking the “+” button at the bottom of the Printers list. Follow the on-screen instructions to add your scanner. Alternatively, consult the documentation that came with your scanner for specific setup instructions.

Scanning Documents with a Document Feeder on MacBook

For multi-page documents, using a scanner with an automatic document feeder can save you significant time. Here’s how to scan multiple pages at once:

1. Load your document pages into the document feeder of your scanner. Ensure the pages are neatly stacked and aligned according to your scanner’s guidelines.

2. Follow steps 2-4 from the “Opening Your Scanner on macOS” section to access the scanner settings.

3. Click the Open Scanner… button for your scanner.

4. In the scanner window, ensure that the Use Document Feeder option is selected. This tells your MacBook to expect documents from the feeder.

5. For more control over your scan, click Show Details. This expands the window to reveal various scanning options:

   • Scan Mode: While typically preset, ensure it reflects the feeder type if you have options like “Document Feeder” or “Flatbed.”
   • Kind: Choose the type of document you are scanning. Options include:
     • Text: Best for high-contrast black and white text documents.
     • Black & White: For grayscale images and documents.
     • Color: For color photos and documents.
   • Resolution: Select the desired scan resolution from the dropdown menu. Higher resolution (DPI) results in sharper images but larger file sizes. 300 DPI is generally sufficient for documents, while photos may benefit from higher resolutions.
   • Duplex: If your scanner supports double-sided scanning, you can select the Duplex option to scan both sides of the pages in one pass. Availability depends on your scanner model.
   • Size: Define the size of your original document using preset paper sizes or custom dimensions.
   • Rotation Angle: If your document is placed at an angle, you can set a rotation angle here to correct alignment during scanning.
   • Scan To: Choose where you want to save the scanned file from the Scan To pop-up menu. You can select a folder or an application to directly import the scan into.
   • Name: Enter a name for your scanned file in the Name field.
   • Format: Select the desired file format from the Format pop-up menu. Common formats include:
     • PDF: Ideal for documents, supports multi-page scans, and offers options for OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to make text searchable and editable.
     • JPEG: Best for photos and images for web use due to its compression.
     • PNG: Suitable for images requiring lossless compression and transparency.
   • Image Correction: For adjusting colors and exposure, select Manual from the Image Correction pop-up and use the controls to fine-tune the image.

6. After configuring your settings, click Scan. Your scanner will now process each page from the document feeder sequentially, and the scanned document will be saved to your specified location.

Scanning Items with a Flatbed Scanner on MacBook

For scanning single sheets, photos, or items that cannot be fed through a document feeder, a flatbed scanner is the way to go. You can even scan multiple small items at once and have macOS separate them into individual files.

1. Place the item(s) you want to scan on the flatbed scanner glass. Ensure they are placed face down and properly aligned, usually with a corner aligned to a marker on the scanner bed. If scanning multiple items to be saved as separate files, leave a small gap between them.

2. Follow steps 2-4 from the “Opening Your Scanner on macOS” section to access the scanner settings.

3. Click the Open Scanner… button for your scanner.

4. Ensure that the Use Document Feeder option is not selected (or deselected if it was). This ensures the scanner looks to the flatbed.

5. Choose the Scan To location from the pop-up menu.

6. Select the appropriate Size for your scan from the pop-up menu. For flatbed scans, you have additional options:

   • Detect Separate Items: This option is perfect for scanning multiple photos or small documents placed on the flatbed. macOS will automatically detect and separate each item into its own file and even straighten slightly misaligned items.
   • Detect Enclosing Box: This option scans the entire flatbed area as one large image, encompassing all items within a single bounding box. It does not straighten individual items.

7. If you need more advanced settings, click Show Details and adjust options like Scan Mode, Kind, Resolution, Rotation Angle, Format, and Image Correction as described in the “Scanning with a Document Feeder” section.

8. Click Scan to start the scanning process. If you selected “Detect Separate Items,” macOS will scan the entire flatbed, process each item individually, and save them as separate files in your chosen location.

In most cases, your scanned files are saved directly to your computer. For precise save locations or to customize where your scans are stored, and for more advanced options specific to your scanner, always refer to the documentation that came with your scanner. Exploring your scanner’s manual can unlock even more features and help you optimize your scanning workflow on your MacBook.

See also: Set up a scanner for use with your Mac | Solve scanning problems on Mac | Combine PDFs in Preview on Mac