Your copier stopped emailing scans. Here is what changed, and the safe fix
Almost every copier sends scans the same way: it signs in to your email with a username and a password. Both Microsoft and Google have been closing that door because a password sent that way is easy to steal. This page says what each company actually did, with dates, what you can safely check in ten minutes, what you should never do to get scanning back, and the three real fixes, with prices.
Your copier is not broken. The way it signs in to email is being retired
A copier is not an email program. To send a scan it borrows a mailbox: you type an email address and a password into its settings, and it signs in to your email service with them every time. Security people call this basic authentication (a plain username and password, with no second step). It is the oldest and weakest way to sign in, and it is the one both big providers are removing. Newer devices can sign in with modern authentication (OAuth), where the device gets a limited key instead of keeping your password.
Microsoft 365. Microsoft already turned basic authentication off for most other ways of reading mail, and says nobody can switch those back on. Sending from a device (the setting is called SMTP AUTH, or client submission) is the last one. Microsoft's timeline was updated in January 2026 (Microsoft Exchange Team blog, January 27, 2026): nothing changes until the end of December 2026; at the end of December 2026 basic sign-in for sending is turned off by default on existing accounts, and an administrator can still turn it back on; new Microsoft 365 accounts created after that do not get it by default; and Microsoft will announce a final removal date in the second half of 2027. That timeline replaced the earlier plan to remove it in March and April 2026. So a copier that stopped scanning today did not stop because of that date.
That matters, because it usually means something else changed. Common causes: security defaults or a policy was turned on in your account, which switches off basic sign-in for sending (Microsoft's own pages say so); someone changed or reset the password of the mailbox the copier uses, or turned on the second sign-in step for it; the mailbox lost its licence when an employee left; or the copier's clock, its encryption setting or its port no longer matches what Microsoft requires, which is port 587 with TLS 1.2 or newer. A device that is set to port 465 cannot connect at all, by Microsoft's own description.
A second Microsoft change touches devices that send without signing in at all (the method called Direct Send). Microsoft's page says most customers do not need it, that mail sent this way can only go to mailboxes inside your own Microsoft 365, that it is treated like anonymous mail from the internet, and that Microsoft is working on an option to disable it by default. Administrators can already block it with a setting named RejectDirectSend, which refuses anonymous mail sent from your own domain unless it matches a connector. If that setting was switched on for security reasons, a copier that used Direct Send stops, and the fix is a proper connector, not turning the protection off.
Google Workspace. Google turned off password-only access (it called these less secure apps) for Google accounts in 2025. For a device that sends over SMTP, Google's own guidance lists three options: set the device up with OAuth, use another way to scan or send from the device, or use an app password. Its printer and scanner page recommends a fourth that fits most offices better: the Google SMTP relay, which trusts your office's fixed internet address instead of a password and is set up once by an administrator. The page also warns that an account with 2-Step Verification will fail from a printer unless an app password is used.
The fix is almost never the copier alone. It is the copier, the sending route and the mail settings agreeing with each other, and writing it down so the next person can repeat it.
The same sender list also decides whether your email lands in spam and whether anyone can send as your company. That is a separate job, covered on the email security page
Safe checks you can do in ten minutes, and what never to do
These steps only read information. None of them changes a setting, and none needs an administrator account.
Read the error the copier shows
Look at the copier's screen or its job log for the exact words, and photograph them. "Authentication failed", "cannot connect to server", "timeout" and "sender not permitted" point to different causes, and the exact wording saves an hour. Do not retype passwords repeatedly: a mailbox can be locked after several wrong attempts.
Check whether only scan to email broke
Scan to a USB stick if the copier has a port, or to a computer folder if it was set up. Check that normal email works for everyone. If scanning to a USB stick works and email from computers works, the scanner and your email are fine and only the link between them is broken. If scanning itself fails, it is the device.
Note when it stopped, and what changed that week
Write down the date, and whether anyone changed a password, turned on the second sign-in step for that mailbox, removed a user, or switched on a security policy. A scanner that stopped on the same day as one of those has told you the cause.
Find the model and the firmware version
The information screen on the copier usually shows the model and the firmware version. Write both down, with the dealer's name and the lease or service contract number from the sticker. That is what a dealer or a technician asks for first, and an old firmware version is often the whole answer.
Then stop, and what never to do
Do not ask anyone to re-enable basic authentication, turn off security defaults or the second sign-in step, make the copier's mailbox an administrator, or use a personal mailbox, to get scanning back. Do not open ports on your firewall or reset the copier to factory settings: its address book and its dealer settings can go with it. Those moves bring the scanner back by making the whole company easier to break into.
Three ways to get scanning back, and which one fits
None of these weakens your security. We choose by what your device can actually do, then write the result down.
Modern sign-in (OAuth) on the copier
If the device's current firmware supports OAuth for Microsoft 365 or Google, it signs in with a limited key and no stored password. This is the best result when it is available. Most copiers need a firmware update first, and the update is the dealer's to supply. $75 per device when we apply it, or the dealer's visit at your cost.
A properly configured relay (connector)
For a device that cannot do OAuth, the office sends through a connector (Microsoft 365) or the SMTP relay (Google Workspace) that trusts the device by its certificate or its fixed internet address, so no mailbox password sits inside the copier. This is the usual fix. From $175 for the first device, $75 for each extra one in the same office.
Scan to SharePoint or OneDrive instead
Many offices only email scans to themselves. Scanning straight into a shared folder removes email from the loop, keeps the file where the team already works and survives the next provider change. $95 per device.
The rate card, including what turns up after the job starts
A quote names its assumptions and the row below that applies if one proves false. Nothing extra is done without your written yes. We do not sell copiers, scanners or parts: you buy the device and any licence from your dealer or a vendor, and we configure and test it (labour only).
| First deviceThe device supports modern encryption, we can reach its settings page remotely or through a person on site, and you are on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. We choose and set up the sending route, configure the device, send a test scan to an address inside and one outside your company, and write the setup down. | $175 |
|---|---|
| Each extra device in the same office | $75 |
| Device has no modern sign-in and needs a sending service (relay)That is the usual fix for an older device. | Included |
| Device software (firmware) needs updating firstPer device, or the copier dealer's visit at your cost. | $75 |
| Scan to a shared folder (SharePoint or OneDrive) instead of emailPer device. | $95 |
| Other systems found using the same old sign-in (business software, alarms, website forms)Each. They show up in the sign-in logs. | $75 |
| An old system that cannot sign its own mailIts mail is routed through a sending service (a relay) that signs for it; the relay's own fee is at cost. | $95 |
| Device too old to send securely at allA written recommendation to replace it instead. You buy the replacement from your dealer or a vendor. | No fix sold |
| The device cannot be reached remotelyVisits in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples only. In Cape Coral and Fort Myers the minimum is 1 hour and there is no travel charge. Visits in Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples have a 2-hour minimum, which covers the drive. Time past the minimum is billed in 30-minute steps. Everywhere else the fix is remote. | $150 an hour |
| Leased copier locked by the dealer's admin passwordYou get the password from the dealer. | No charge while waiting |
Microsoft's change: basic sign-in for sending is off by default on existing accounts at the end of December 2026, administrators can turn it back on, and the final removal date is to be announced in the second half of 2027 (Microsoft Exchange Team blog, January 27, 2026). Nothing here is sold against a date.
Why Appluex for a scan-to-email fix
We fix the mail side and say what is the dealer's
The device, its firmware and its lease belong to your copier dealer. The mailbox, the connector, the sender records and the shared folder belong to your email account. We work on the second list and tell you plainly what the first list needs from the dealer.
Fixed price, written down
$175 for the first device and $75 for each extra one, with every variation priced on this page. You get a setup sheet and a test record, so the next copier or the next person starts from a page, not a guess.
We say when the answer is a new copier
A device too old to send securely gets a written recommendation to replace it, not a fix that leaves a weak sign-in in your office. You buy it from the dealer or a vendor, and we configure and test it.
Documents you can hand to the next technician
The job ends with written evidence, not a verbal all-clear.
Per device
- Setup sheet: sending route, address, server, port and encryption settings
- Test record: scans delivered to an address inside and one outside the company
- Firmware version found and what was done about it
- Replacement recommendation for any device too old to send securely
For the email account
- The connector or relay as created, with who can change it
- List of other systems found using the same old sign-in, and what was done
- Where scans go if you chose SharePoint or OneDrive, and who has access
Copier scan to email. Questions offices ask
Why did our copier suddenly stop scanning to email?
Most often because the sign-in it uses was refused. A copier signs in to your email with a username and a password, and that stops working when a security policy or security defaults is turned on, when the mailbox password changes, when the second sign-in step is turned on for it, when the mailbox loses its licence, or when the device's encryption or port no longer matches the provider's rules. Read the exact error on the copier and note what changed that week; that usually names the cause.
Is Microsoft really turning off the sign-in my copier uses?
On a schedule, not a cliff. Microsoft's January 2026 update says nothing changes until the end of December 2026, when basic sign-in for sending is turned off by default on existing accounts and an administrator can still turn it back on. New accounts after that do not get it by default, and a final removal date is to be announced in the second half of 2027. So a copier that stopped today most likely hit a different change. Expect to move to a supported method during 2027 at the latest.
What happened to Google Workspace and older scanners?
Google ended password-only access, which it called less secure apps, for Google accounts in 2025. For a device that sends over SMTP its guidance is to use OAuth, use another way to scan or send, or use an app password. Its printer and scanner page recommends the Google SMTP relay, set up once by an administrator, which trusts your office's internet address instead of a password. The page warns that an account with 2-Step Verification fails from a printer unless an app password is used.
Can we just turn basic authentication back on to get scanning working?
We advise against it, and on Microsoft's side it is not a fix to rely on: the setting is on a path to removal, and basic sign-in does not work with the security features that protect your mailboxes, such as security defaults. Re-enabling it also leaves a stored password inside a device that is rarely updated. The safe answers are modern sign-in on the copier, a properly configured relay, or scanning to SharePoint or OneDrive.
What are the real fixes, and which one will we need?
There are three. Modern sign-in (OAuth) when the copier's firmware supports it; a relay or connector when it does not, which is the usual case; and scanning to a SharePoint or OneDrive folder instead of email. We pick by what your device can do and what the office uses scans for, then write it down. The first device is $175 and each extra one in the same office is $75. A firmware update we apply is $75 per device, and scan to SharePoint or OneDrive is $95 per device.
Do we call the copier dealer or Appluex first?
Both may be needed, and they own different things. The dealer owns the device: its firmware, its lease or service contract and often its administrator password, and a dealer with a service contract may include scan setup. We own the email side: the mailbox, the connector or relay, the sender records and the shared folder. A fair first step is to ask the dealer for the current firmware and whether it supports OAuth. If the dealer says the device is fine, or the problem is the mail settings, call us.
The dealer locked the copier's admin password. What now?
That is common on leased machines, and it is the dealer's to give or to do. Ask the dealer either for the password or to make the change themselves. We will not try to get around it, and we do not charge while we wait for it. Once we have access, the rest can usually be done remotely. If the dealer is making the change, we can prepare the mail side so their visit is short.
How much does it cost, and do you come to the office?
A fixed $175 for the first device and $75 for each extra one in the same office, plus the variations in the rate card above. When we cannot reach the device remotely, the visit is $150 an hour. In-person visits are in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples only. In Cape Coral and Fort Myers the minimum is 1 hour and there is no travel charge. Visits in Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples have a 2-hour minimum, which covers the drive. Time past the minimum is billed in 30-minute steps. Everywhere else the fix is remote. We do not sell copiers or parts.
Our scanner is old. Can it be fixed at all?
Often yes, through a relay, because a relay does not need the device to support modern sign-in. It does need current encryption (TLS 1.2 or newer) and the right port, and a device that cannot meet those cannot send securely to Microsoft or Google at all. In that case we write a replacement recommendation and sell no fix, because a workaround would leave a weak sign-in in your office. The old-device relay work for other systems is $95 each when needed.
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