I cannot make my MacBook Air scan on my brother printer/scanner MFC-J1010DW

I have had this printer scanner (Brother MFC-J1010DW) since last December, but I cannot make it print or scan using the iPrint&Scan software available from the App Store. I have installed it and reinstalled it several times with no success. I know it's on my home wifi network because I was able to update the printer's firmware from the Brother site using my MacBook Air to do so, but the app seems incompatible. The only way I can make it print is the using the command key and the P key. But I really need to scan some stuff, and I have no way to do it. Is there some other software I can use? My MacBook is up to date with OS15.6.1.


I tried getting help from Brother, but they are hard to get info from and insist the software should work. It doesn't! It just says it cannot find the scanner. Thanks for any help you can give me.


MacBook Air 15″

Posted on Sep 13, 2025 5:51 PM

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Posted on Sep 16, 2025 6:57 PM

Have you tried Image Capture, included with macOS? I never use printer-supplied software to scan any more.


See: Image Capture User Guide for Mac - Apple Support


7 replies

Sep 13, 2025 6:12 PM in response to cheeky-monkey

MFC-J1010DW supports TWAIN, which means the macOS Image Capture app probably works.


While the tech specs don’t list AirPrint, Apple does list it, which means vendor drivers are not needed.


Print wirelessly from your Mac to your printer - Apple Support (that’ll also print wired, too)


If you are not running firmware version 1.17 from May 2025, start with a printer firmware upgrade.


https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=mfcj1010dw_us_eu_as&os=10083


Page 423 has the printer firmware update process info:


https://support.brother.com/g/s/id/htmldoc/mfc/cv_mfc1010dw/use/PDF/PDF.pdf


Sep 16, 2025 7:41 AM in response to MrHoffman

I did all that. I can print using the old Mac command to print (Command key + P). But whenever I try to use the Brother iPrint&Scan application, to either print or scan, I get the "Connection Error" warning telling me that I should check for a Network Connection error.


As I said, I know the network connection is fine because I can print without using the app by using the "p" command on the keyboard, but I can't scan. When I try to do it using the printer keys, it asks me where to save it, and then it can't find where to scan to. So basically, the scanner has never worked. Apparently, my Mac can see the printer, but the printer can't see my Mac. Is there a way to SCAN without using their software, like I used the command key code for printing? Because that App will not work at all even though I udated the firmware and the app updates, etc.

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I cannot make my MacBook Air scan on my brother printer/scanner MFC-J1010DW

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