Multifunction printer not scanning with Image Capture

From my experience, what your describing usually isn’t a hardware failure—especially since it happened with two completely different multifunction printers. Instead, the common factor is the scanner service discovery on macOS, which relies on both Bonjour and AirScan (eSCL). When macOS only sees the device as “Bonjour” instead of “Bonjour Multifunction,” the Mac is discovering the printer but not the scanner service. That’s typically caused by a corrupted printer configuration, a network discovery issue, or a macOS printing subsystem glitch.

As such, I suggest the first thing you try is a complete reset of the macOS printing system, and then, re-add the device properly.

• On the Mac, go to System Settings → Printers & Scanners, then right-click in the Printers list and choose Reset Printing System. This removes all printers and scanners and clears cached discovery data. After that, restart the Mac. When the system comes back up, add the printer again using Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax → select the entry that shows “Bonjour Multifunction” or “AirPrint”, not just “Bonjour.” Once added, open Image Capture and verify the scanner appears in the sidebar.

If the printer still appears only as Bonjour, the issue is almost always network discovery blocking the scanner service ... and, if this is the case, check the following items:

• Are you Mac and the printer on the same network subnet and Wi-Fi network?
• Do you actively use a third-party VPN, software firewall, or security software?

Bonjour uses mDNS (UDP 5353), which some routers or security tools suppress. Power-cycle the printer and router as well, since stale Bonjour advertisements can cause exactly this intermittent “scanner appears/disappears” behavior.

Finally, another useful test is to add the scanner via Image Capture directly.

• Open Image Capture → Devices → Shared, then click the + button and see if the printer appears as an AirScan/eSCL scanner. If it does, add it from there. If it doesn’t, installing the HP Easy Start utility or the HP Smart app can sometimes force macOS to register the scanning service correctly, even if you continue using Image Capture afterward.

If you want to go one step deeper diagnostically, have them open System Information → Printers and check whether the device lists Scanning support: Yes. If it shows No, macOS isn’t discovering the scanner service on the network.

Should you need to do any additional troubleshooting, we can advance to using commands in the Terminal. Just let us know.

Well that isn't good.

Let's put on our "troubleshooting" hat and see if we can figure this out. I am suggesting that we use a series of commands in the Terminal to see where the issue may be.

First, open the Terminal (located in the /Applications/Utilities folder), and then, enter the following command, followed by the <enter> key: dns-sd -B _uscan._tcp

This command browses the network for AirScan (eSCL) scanner services, which is what Image Capture uses.

If everything is working correctly, you should see something similar to:

Browsing for _uscan._tcp

DATE: ---Wed 11 Mar 2026---

Add 2 local. HP OfficeJet Pro 8130e

If nothing appears after 10–15 seconds, the Mac is not seeing any scanner service advertisements. That typically indicates:

• Router blocking or mishandling mDNS / Bonjour

• Mac and printer on different VLANs or Wi-Fi bands

• VPN or firewall software blocking discovery

• Printer firmware not advertising scanning services

Press Ctrl+C to stop the command after observing the results.

Next run: dns-sd -B _ipp._tcp

This lists AirPrint/IPP printer advertisements.

If the printer appears here but not in the _uscan._tcp search, that confirms the printer is visible for printing but not scanning, which explains why System Settings shows “Bonjour” instead of “Bonjour Multifunction.”

What the results mean

• Printer appears in both commands → macOS discovery is fine. The issue is likely a corrupted printer configuration. Resetting the printing system and re-adding the device should resolve it.
• Appears in _ipp._tcp but not _uscan._tcp → scanner advertisement isn’t reaching the Mac. This is almost always network/Bonjour filtering.
• Appears in neither → the Mac and printer are likely on different networks or the printer isn’t fully connected.

Let me know the results of these two command.

Ok, then you know the answer to what the culprit is: scanner advertisement isn’t reaching the Mac. This is almost always network/Bonjour filtering.

The most common network issue behind this exact symptom is Bonjour/mDNS filtering on the local network. Printing works because the Mac sees the IPP/AirPrint service, but scanning fails because the AirScan (eSCL) service advertisement never reaches the Mac. When that happens, macOS only lists the device as “Bonjour” instead of “Bonjour Multifunction.” This usually comes from router settings meant to isolate wireless devices.

Check the following router settings for any of the following features and temporarily disable them for testing:

• AP / Client Isolation
• Wireless Isolation
• Guest Network restrictions
• mDNS / Bonjour filtering
• Multicast blocking

If the printer is connected to a guest Wi-Fi network, that’s almost certainly the problem. Guest networks commonly block device-to-device discovery, which breaks scanning. Make sure both the Mac and printer are on the same primary LAN or SSID. Also confirm they’re not split between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks that are isolated from each other on some consumer routers.

Another thing I see frequently is VPN software interfering with Bonjour discovery. Even when not actively connected, some VPN clients install network filters that suppress multicast traffic. VPNs, that are notorious for this are: Cisco AnyConnect, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or similar. Temporarily disabling the VPN or removing its network extension can restore scanner discovery immediately.

One additional step that often stabilizes multifunction discovery is assigning the printer a static or DHCP-reserved IP address in the router.

Once that’s done, you can add the printer manually on the Mac:

1. Open System Settings → Printers & Scanners
2. Click Add Printer
3. Go to the IP tab
4. Enter the printer’s IP address
5. Set Protocol: AirPrint or IPP

No problem, thanks for the update.

Again, you should now know the answer: Printer appears in both commands → macOS discovery is fine. The issue is likely a corrupted printer configuration. Resetting the printing system and re-adding the device should resolve it.

Also, I still recommend that you configure your printer(s) to use static local IP addresses, if you haven't already. You should be able to do so either at the printer or by setting it at the router. If you do so at the printer, be sure that the static IP address you choose is outside the DHCP range that is provided by the router.

How is the printer (or printers) connected to your Mac? Wired USB, WiFi, ethernet?

Did you install the Canon printer drivers or are you relying on Airprint? Did you install the Canon IJ Scan Utility?