Can't Access Brother Printer Scanner

If you prefer to use the built-in drivers from macOS, then

1. Become root in the terminal using sudo
2. cd to /Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/
3. Change group on the Brother Scanner.app:

chgrp -R staff Brother\ Scanner.app

I was able to solve this without any sudo chgrp.

In terminal just

cd /Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/
open Brother\ Scanner.app/

After doing this go back to image capture (will need to have been quit first), and reopen it. The scanner then appears error free.

This worked for other printers too! (e.g. my HP Scanner 3.app had the same problem

Apple has a more elegant interim solution at the following link:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212756

Thank you! I had tried iPrint the other day and like you, it didn’t work. I updated the firmware that same day, but never went back in to try iPrint. I did tonight and like with you, it worked for me. The firmware update must be the trick. At least the scanner can be used again, though I preferred the interface with the print and scan driver interface that stopped working recently. It seems like there some type of security access issue blocking it.

Thanks again. Stay well!

You have to be "root" on your machine. Unless your workplace has you locked down as non-admin on the machine you should be able to do these few steps:

1. Become root in the terminal...

user@macname ~ % sudo -i

Password: (give your account password and you should become root - possibly with warning etc. if you never did this before...)

2. Change directory to /Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/...

macname:~ root# cd /Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/

3. Change permissions on the app + content to allow non-admins (users are by default members of "staff")

macname:~ root# chgrp -R staff Brother\ Scanner.app

4. use ctrl+d or "logout" in the terminal or simply close it

@CircleThree I take it you are not much of a Unix person? :)

Perhaps this is a safer/easier route for you:

In the terminal:

pkwi@pkwi-mbp2021 ~ % open /Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/

In the finder window that pops up, "Get Info" on the scanner app:

Finally, ensure that the 'staff' group has Read only privileges on the app, it should look like this:

( Please do however check that your user is in the staff group, e.g. by the command 'id' in the terminal, should give you output ala uid=502(me) gid=20(staff) groups=20(staff), ..... )

It is NOT an M1 chip issue, works just fine on my M1 MacBook Pro here... :)

Best of luck.

This solved my problem:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212756

A restart is required after this to properly work.

Scottw8 wrote:

I have the same problem but I'm on an MB Pro. That app is for phones & tablets?

I use Brother iPrint&Scan app for scanning on my Mac. It is available in the Mac App Store.

Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, for me, it did not work switching to allow applications from anywhere. With Mac OS 11 it still gives that same error message. My only solution seems to be to use the iPrint/Scan app and it doesn't open from the printer/scanner driver.

OK, I see in other posts a link to a message from Apple that states "This issue is expected to be resolved in a future software update". I will postpone replacing my printer until after the next OS update.

I have a really old, now unsupported, Brother Scanner ADS 1500W.

I tried to follow pwillendrup's answer and it was too complicated for me.

I then followed this YouTube video and it solved the problem with just the first half of the presenter's solution, I didn't have to go on to the second half.

[Link Edited by Moderator]

Tried your suggestion and got errors....

......ids-MacBook-Air Devices % chgrp -R staff Brother\ Scanner.app

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/_CodeSignature/CodeResources: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/_CodeSignature: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/MacOS/Brother Scanner: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/MacOS: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/Resources/Brother sRGB Scanner.icc: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/Resources/BRDS2400N.icns: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/Resources/BRLUTCMALL.DAT: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/Resources/Finnish.lproj/Localizable.strings: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/Resources/Finnish.lproj: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Localizable.strings: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj: Operation not permitted

......

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app/Contents: Operation not permitted

chgrp: Brother Scanner.app: Operation not permitted

Not sure why... any ideas?

Unfortunately did not help to fix the issue.

It did get rid of the error messages.

after: macname:~ root# chgrp -R staff Brother\ Scanner.app

The prompt went back to:

macname:~ root#

So assume it took the command ok... just not working...

Mac M1, 8GB

MacOS: 11.5.2 (20G95)

Is this an M1 chip issue?

The printer scanner is seen in preferences, but upon selection it is just saying: "You do not have permission to open the application “Brother Scanner”.