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

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.

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!

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]

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.

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”.

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

To deal with the scanner driver on an ongoing basis, follow the suggested instructions, then drag the desired driver app file into the dock (I put it right next to "Preview" which is what I usually use to initiate a scan). Then you just click on "Brother Scanner" (or whatever brand you've got) in the dock and then launch your scanning app (for me, Preview).

No need to remember any paths, etc.

Alternatively, you could create an alias to the scanner driver app, and put that alias in your Applications folder.

I have an old Brother MFC-6490CW. It is still in perfect condition and until this OS-related failure to scan was working perfectly. It still prints normally and the "permission" problem is only when I try to scan.

I have installed iPrint&Scan and that still gives the same "permission" error message that I get with other scanning apps.

It looks like there is not a new driver available for this model.

If I try the suggested Terminal tweaks I get :

"The default interactive shell is now zsh. To update your account to use zsh, please run `chsh -s /bin/zsh`.

As a basic user I am not enthusiastic to start playing around with Terminal instructions that are meaningless to me.

Does this mean that my Brother printer that is physically in perfect condition is now rendered obsolete by OS updates? If I bought the current, 2021 version of my Brother printer would that work or would that still have this "permission" problem?

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.

Go to Apple menu > App Store and install the Brother iPrint&Scan app and use it instead of Image Capture.