Quickbooks Scanner Could Not Be Selected

QuickBooks scanner could not be selected is an error for which there are no official instructions available. That’s why we’re taking the time to look at the possible problems and fix the underlying causes. The error can happen because of a variety of reasons, but the QuickBooks document scanner using old software to power the scanning itself seems to be the cause.

Users have reported that one or multiple of their scanners are grayed out without any reason. Even though this is a long-standing problem with document scanning in QuickBooks, there’s no official response on it.

Causes

Causes of Quickbooks Scanner could not be selected include:

• Nuance software powering document scanning in QuickBooks Desktop.
• Incompatible document scanner
• Outdated drivers for the hardware
• QuickBooks scan manager not configured
• Damaged QuickBooks program files

Solutions

Here’s a list of the solutions for the “QuickBooks scanner could not be selected” error:

• Use the PaperPort utility to resolve the inherited error
• Check your hardware for compatibility with TWAIN
• Update drivers in your system
• Configure QuickBooks scan manager
• Repair or Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop

Prevention

If you want to prevent the “QuickBooks scanner could not be selected” error, then you should:

• check the compatibility of the scanner with TWAIN
• install the drivers related to the scanner on your system
• Properly configure QuickBooks scan manager before scanning documents.

What is the “QuickBooks scanner could not be selected” error?

Users using version 2018 or older of QuickBooks desktop have encountered this error. The scanner doesn’t connect when people want to scan their documents. When you go to select the scanner in the document center, the scanner is grayed out, so you cannot access the option.

To view the grayed out option, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to the Document Center.
2. Click on Scan option.
3. Choose the Scanner.

The option for the scanner is disabled, because it is grayed out. When you click on the scanner to select it, nothing happens, and this is what the main error is.

Note: There’s no official help regarding this error available from QuickBooks. However, our experts have identified the underlying cause and have created steps to fix the QuickBooks scanner could not be selected error.

When talking about QuickBooks, we are only referring to the desktop version. We haven’t noticed any such error in the online version of QuickBooks. And Quickbooks desktop of course refers to all the following:

• Pro
• Premier
• Enterprise

Even when connected to a server, multiple users couldn’t perform the scan option because they could not select the scanner in QuickBooks in the first place. So hosting QuickBooks doesn’t seem to help even a tiny bit.

Causes and Solutions – QuickBooks Scanner Could Not be Selected

While there are many reasons because of which this error can occur, we’re going to look at some of the most prominent ones here.

1. Paperport omniscient

Paperport omniscan was created for documents management. It was a basic document scanner owned by Cofax. Here’s why Paperport is relevant when talking about QuickBooks scanner error.

The 2014 version of Paperport listed scanners that were grayed out, so users could not select these scanners.

Essentially, the Paperport scanner error is exactly like QuickBooks scanner disabled error.

QuickBooks version 2017 and earlier

These versions of Quickbooks used a scanner utility powered by Nuance, the company that owns Paperport. So it looks like the paperport error was inherited by QuickBooks.

Nuance released a Paperport utility to address the problem in the main software. QuickBooks users can use this utility to fix QuickBooks scanner grayed out errors. 

Solution of QuickBooks Scanner with Paperport Utility

While using the PaperPort utility has helped some users to resolve this error, the utility isn’t available anymore on the internet.

Note: if you find a Paperport utility online, scan it before you launch it, because users have reported some fake utilities with malware available on the internet.

And there’s no solution yet to this issue. QuickBooks scanner could not be selected because of the scanner not being supported or because of the incompatibility of download. We’ll explore this further in the topics provided below.

2. Scanner not compatible with QuickBooks

Are you using a scanner compatible with QuickBooks desktop? If not, then the scanner will be grayed out because you cannot use it with the QuickBooks desktop. Make sure that you’re using a scanner that is compatible with your version of QuickBooks Desktop.

Only a finite number of scanners work with QuickBooks Desktop, so you need to select after you do your research.

Solution 1 – Get a QuickBooks Compatible Scanner

Here’s a list of scanners that are compatible with QuickBooks Desktop:

• Canon Lide 600
• Visioneer Strobe XP300
• Lexmark X5650
• Brother MFC 7820
• Fujitsu ScanPartner Fi-5110CU
• HP Laserjet 3030
• HP Deskjet 3050A
• Canon MG5320
• Epson Perfection Scan GT-2500
• Epson Stylus NX430
• Kodak Hero 3.1
• HP Deskjet F4180
• Epson Perfection 2450

Note: Even after you get a compatible scanner, you need to set up the QuickBooks scan manager. So if you’ve a scanner that is already compatible with QuickBooks Desktop, then move to solution 2.

TWAIN Compatible

You can only use TWAIN-compatible scanners with QuickBooks. If your scanner doesn’t appear in the list or you have one of the newer versions of these scanners, then you can simply use the TWAIN compatibility tool to check if your scanner is compatible with QuickBooks Desktop.

You can go to TWAIN’s website and download tools to check for the compatibility of the scanner and its drivers.

Solution 2 – Set up QuickBooks Scan Manager

QuickBooks scan manager is a built-in utility inside QuickBooks Desktop. It isn’t available in QuickBooks for Mac, but we’ll provide you the steps for that too.

Here are the steps to set up QuickBooks Scan manager in QuickBooks Desktop:

1. Launch QuickBooks and log in with an admin account.
2. Go to the icon bar for QuickBooks.
3. Choose Docs.
4. In the Document Center window, choose Scan a Document.
5. Click on New so that you can create a new profile.
6. Input a profile name and hit continue.
7. According to your preferences, set the settings in the scan manager.
8. Click on Save after verifying the settings.
   Note: QuickBooks desktop saves all the scanner documents in the same folder as the company file. To change the location, you’ll have to set up a new location for your company file and move data to that new folder.
9. Click on your Profile to Highlight it. Choose Select.
10. Click on Scanner Setup Wizard in the Select Scanner window.
    Note: Your scanner should be listed here. If it isn’t, then choose Yes and then click on Next to download the latest list of supported scanners.
11. Choose your model.
12. Click on Perform Tests, then Next.
13. Choose the tests through which you want to verify your scanner. Click Next.

You should see a sample document listed in the QuickBooks document center. You can test different modes of document scanning in QuickBooks to find out the customizability provided by your scanner.

3. Scanner driver no longer compatible with windows

To make the scanner compatible with the latest software, the scanner producer may release occasional driver updates to address bugs and enable compatibility with software such as QuickBooks Desktop.

You should check with the seller of your document scanner to get the latest drivers and install them to enable them in QuickBooks. Until you do so, the QuickBooks Desktop scanner will be grayed out.

Although these steps are enough for QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks for Mac. requires a different set of steps to get documents scanned into it because QuickBooks Scan Manager is only supported in the desktop version of this accounting software. These steps are provided below:

1. Go to the Transaction.
2. Choose the Attachment icon.
3. A new scan window will appear.
4. Set your preferences for scanning documents. 
5. Click on Scan.

While this works well in QuickBooks for mac, it doesn’t work if the software is running in multi-user mode and other users are trying to access the attachment. For multi-user mode compatibility you need to set up the Attached Document Library. This utility can be up on a shared drive so that everyone can have access to the attachments.

If you’ve attached documents to QuickBooks for Mac, then you can find them in the center of the attachment. The attachment center provides the following benefits:

• Search: you can easily do a targeted search for your attachments. Apart from searching on the basis of terms, you can use dates and keywords to filter your search and find your attachment quickly.
• View: a preview of the attachment helps you to identify what the attachment is for. The eye icon can preview the attachment in a larger size than the thumbnail.
• Access: If you want to view an attachment, you can simply double click on it to launch it. You can launch images and pdfs directly from the attachment center.
• Access Transaction: you can view and access the transactions that have the document attached to them. 
• Export: if you need the document outside of QuickBooks, then simply export it using the tool.

Repair or Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop

Note: Before proceeding with this step, you can consult our accounting and tech experts via call. Repair and especially upgrading the software can be a difficult decision to make.

The repair function in windows works really well. You don’t have to access the setup of the software. Instead, you can access the repair function from the repair utility provided by windows.

To repair QuickBooks Desktop, follow the steps provided below:

1. Go to the Control Panel.
2. Choose the option Program & Features.
3. Click the options Uninstall/Change a Program.
4. After selecting QuickBooks Desktop, choose repair/uninstall.
5. Choose the Repair option and follow the on-screen instructions provided by the repair utility.
6. Click on Finish.

You can restart your system and then launch QuickBooks Desktop to set up the scanner via the QuickBooks scan manager. After ensuring that the scanner is displayed as available, you can start working with QuickBooks. Once you set up the QuickBooks scan manager, your scanner should be displayed and selectable from the list of scanners.

Upgrading, however, is a whole different thing. You will have to purchase a new license for the new version of QuickBooks if you don’t have a subscription. This can incur huge costs that you may not be willing to pay.

If, despite the cost, you want to upgrade QuickBooks, then you can do so from the Help menu. Simply choose the Upgrade option and select the version of QuickBooks Desktop that you want to upgrade to. After upgrading, you’ll have to set up QuickBooks sync manager to make your scanner selectable.

Conclusion

When a scanner is grayed out in the document center, you cannot use it to scan any document. Clicking on the scanner name won’t select the scanner because it’s disabled. You’ll have to rely on the solutions provided in this post to get through the error.

Note: if you require help with the QuickBooks scanner that could not be selected error, then reach out to our accounting and tech experts via chat or call.

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