Brother scan to email setup (SMTP settings that work in 2026)

Q: “Scan to E-mail” greyed out or missing

Many Brother models hide Scan to E-mail Server until an SMTP server is configured and the firmware's Internet Fax/Email option is enabled in Web Based Management. Configure SMTP first, then re-check the panel.

Q: Error: Authentication failed / “Unable to Send DD”

Usually the username. Scanhive usernames look like prn_ab12cd34, not an email address — Brother's field is labelled “Account Name”, which invites people to type an address. Re-enter the exact username from your dashboard.

These are working scan-to-email settings for MFC-L2750DW, MFC-J series, DCP-L series and most networked Brother MFPs. They point the printer at Scanhive instead of at Gmail or Microsoft 365, so the device no longer needs a mailbox password and isn't affected by either provider withdrawing basic authentication.

The settings

SMTP server	`smtp.scanhive.net`
Port	587 (or 25 on older devices)
Encryption	STARTTLS if offered — plain works for older firmware
Authentication	SMTP AUTH (LOGIN or PLAIN)
Verify server certificate	Off — see the note below
Username	from your dashboard, e.g. `prn_ab12cd34`
Password	shown once when you add the printer (rotate any time)

Turn “verify server certificate” off. Your scan is still encrypted over STARTTLS. That setting only asks the printer to check our certificate against its built-in list of authorities, and Brother firmware ships with old, un-updatable lists that often don't recognise modern certificates — so leaving it on makes some devices refuse to connect.

Step by step on a Brother device

Configure this from Web Based Management — type the printer's IP address into a browser and sign in (default password is often initpass or on a label inside the front cover). The panel can usually do it too, but the browser interface is far quicker and lets you paste the password.

Open Network → Network Config → Protocol, and make sure SMTP is ticked.
Click Advanced Settings next to SMTP.
Set Server Address to smtp.scanhive.net and Port to 587.
Set Server Authentication Method to SMTP-AUTH, then enter your Scanhive username and password.
Set SSL/TLS to STARTTLS (older firmware may call this TLS), and turn Verify Server Certificate off.
On the panel, use Scan → Scan to E-mail Server (not Scan to E-mail, which sends via a connected PC).

Common Brother problems

“Scan to E-mail” greyed out or missing

Many Brother models hide Scan to E-mail Server until an SMTP server is configured and the firmware's Internet Fax/Email option is enabled in Web Based Management. Configure SMTP first, then re-check the panel.

Error: Authentication failed / “Unable to Send DD”

Usually the username. Scanhive usernames look like prn_ab12cd34, not an email address — Brother's field is labelled “Account Name”, which invites people to type an address. Re-enter the exact username from your dashboard.

Sends but nothing arrives

The recipient probably hasn't confirmed yet. Every address must accept a one-time verification email before scans are delivered; unverified scans are held, not lost, and are released the moment they confirm.

Where the scan goes next

Once the printer can send, Scanhive decides what happens to each scan: deliver it to one or more verified email recipients, file it into encrypted storage, push it to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, S3 or SFTP, or post it to another system. That's configured once in the dashboard under Routes and applies to every scan from the device.

Don't have a Scanhive account yet? Create one free — adding a printer takes about a minute and gives you the username and password for the steps above.