Scanning documents directly to a network folder can significantly streamline your workflow, especially in a busy home or office environment. If you own an HP printer and are using Windows 10, you can easily configure the “Scan to Network Folder” feature using HP Smart. This guide provides a comprehensive, step-by-step walkthrough to help you set up this convenient functionality.
Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
- An HP printer with scan capabilities.
- A computer running Windows 10.
- The HP Smart application installed on your Windows 10 computer.
- Both your printer and computer are connected to the same network.
Let’s dive into the process of setting up your Hp Printer Scan to network folder.
Step-by-Step Guide to Enable Scan to Network Folder for your HP Printer
The setup involves creating a dedicated user account for scanning, preparing a shared folder, and then configuring the Scan to Network Folder feature within the HP Smart application. Follow these steps carefully to ensure a smooth setup.
1. Create a Dedicated Scan User Account in Windows 10
For security and streamlined access, it’s recommended to create a separate Windows user account specifically for scanning purposes. Here’s how:
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Access User Account Settings: On your Windows 10 computer, navigate to Settings from the Start Menu.
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Go to Accounts: Click on Accounts.
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Family & Other Users: Select Family & other users from the left sidebar.
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Add Another User: Under “Other users,” click Add someone else to this PC.
Alt text: Screenshot of Windows 10 Settings showing the ‘Family & other users’ section with the ‘Add someone else to this PC’ button highlighted.
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“I don’t have this person’s sign-in information”: Click on the “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information” link.
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“Add a user without a Microsoft account”: Select “Add a user without a Microsoft account”.
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Create Username: Enter a descriptive username, for example, “ScanUser” or “HPScan”. This will help you remember its purpose.
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Set Password: Create a strong password for this user account. Remember this password as you will need it later for the HP Smart setup.
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Security Questions: Set up security questions and answers as prompted for account recovery.
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Click Next to complete the user account creation.
You have now successfully created a dedicated Windows user account specifically for your hp printer scan to network folder setup.
2. Create and Share a Scan Folder
Next, you need to create a folder where your scanned documents will be saved and share it with the user account you just created.
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Create a New Folder: Choose a location on your computer to create a new folder (e.g., Desktop, Documents). Right-click, select New, and then Folder. Name it something relevant like “Scanned Documents” or “HP Scan Folder”.
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Access Folder Properties: Right-click on the newly created folder and select Properties.
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Sharing Tab: Navigate to the Sharing tab.
Alt text: Screenshot of Folder Properties window in Windows showing the ‘Sharing’ tab selected, ready for advanced sharing options.
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Advanced Sharing: Click on the Advanced Sharing button.
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Share this folder: Check the box next to “Share this folder”.
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Apply Advanced Sharing: Click OK in the Advanced Sharing window.
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Share Permissions: Back in the “Sharing” tab, click on the Share… button.
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Add Scan User: In the window to choose people to share with, use the dropdown menu to find and select the scan user account you created earlier (e.g., ScanUser). Click Add.
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Permission Level: Ensure the permission level for your scan user is set to “Read/Write” to allow saving scans to the folder.
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Click Share at the bottom of the window.
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Network Path: Note down or copy the Network Path displayed. It will look something like
\YourComputerNameScanFolderName. You will need this path in the next step.Alt text: Screenshot highlighting the ‘Network Path’ displayed in the Folder Sharing window, showing an example path like ‘ComputerNameSharedFolderName’.
3. Configure Scan to Network Folder in HP Smart
With the user account and shared folder set up, you can now configure the Scan to Network Folder feature in the HP Smart application.
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Open HP Smart App: Launch the HP Smart application on your Windows 10 computer.
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Printer Settings: Click on the image of your printer to access printer settings.
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Advanced Settings: Look for and click on Advanced Settings. This might be located in different areas depending on your HP Smart version, but generally found in printer settings or a similar menu.
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Navigate to Scan Settings: Within Advanced Settings, find and click on the Scan option/tab.
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Scan to Network Folder: Look for Scan to Network Folder on the left-hand menu and click the + sign next to it to add a new network folder.
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Network Folder Setup: Click on Network Folder Setup on the left menu.
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Add New Network Folder Profile: In the center pane, click on the person icon with a + symbol (representing “New” network folder setup).
Alt text: Screenshot of HP Smart application’s Network Folder Setup, focusing on the ‘New’ profile icon (person with a plus sign) to initiate setup.
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Step 1: Basic Information:
- Folder Name (Printer Display): Enter a name for this folder as you want it to appear on your printer’s control panel (e.g., “Scan to Folder”).
- Network Path: Paste or enter the Network Path you noted down in step 2.11 (e.g.,
\YourComputerNameScanFolderName). - Click Next.
Alt text: Screenshot of HP Smart Network Folder Setup Step 1, showing fields for ‘Folder Name’ and ‘Network Path’ with example entries.
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Step 2: Authentication:
- Select “Always use the following credentials”.
- Username: Enter the username of the scan user account you created (e.g., ScanUser).
- Password: Enter the password for the scan user account.
- Security PIN: Clear any entries in the Security PIN field if you don’t want to use a PIN for scanning.
- Click Next.
Alt text: Screenshot of HP Smart Network Folder Setup Step 2, highlighting the ‘Always use the following credentials’ option and fields for ‘Username’ and ‘Password’.
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Step 3: Scan Settings (Optional): Configure your preferred scan settings or leave them at the default values.
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Save and Test: Click Save and Test. HP Smart will test the connection to the network folder using the credentials you provided. If successful, you will see a confirmation message.
Alt text: Screenshot of HP Smart application showing a success message after ‘Save and Test’ is clicked for Network Folder Setup, indicating a successful connection.
Congratulations! You have now successfully set up hp printer scan to network folder in Windows 10 using HP Smart. The folder name you entered in Step 3.8 should now appear as an option on your printer’s scan menu when you select “Scan to Network Folder” or similar.
By following these steps, you can easily scan documents directly to a designated folder on your Windows 10 computer, enhancing your productivity and document management.
