To scan over the network with a Canon PIXMA MX340, install Canon’s MP Drivers and MP Navigator EX on a Windows PC, open MP Navigator EX, click Preferences, and set Product Name to the MX340 series entry that says Network. Then choose Photos/Documents (Platen) and click Scan. The printer and the computer must be on the same network first.
The MX340 is an older all-in-one, and Canon’s support page now says the model has been retired and that driver updates are no longer being made. The steps below come from Canon’s own MX340 support articles, and the sections after them explain what that retirement means for Windows 11 and Mac computers.
What You Need Before You Start
- The printer on your network. Complete the machine’s network settings before you set up scanning. If the Wi-Fi lamp is off or the printer has never been joined to your router, connect the Canon MX340 to WiFi first.
- A computer on the same network. Network scanning only works when the PC can reach the printer on your local network.
- MP Drivers. This is Canon’s name for the printer and scanner driver package. The scanner will not appear in Canon’s software without it.
- MP Navigator EX. This is Canon’s scanning program for the MX340. It is a separate item from the driver, which is why many people can print but cannot scan.
Which Computers Canon Still Offers Software For
Check this before you spend time on setup. On Canon’s PIXMA MX340 support page, the Software & Drivers section lists different files for each operating system. When we checked the page, this is what it showed.
| Operating system selected | What Canon’s page listed |
|---|---|
| Windows 10 and Windows 10 (x64) | MX340 series MP Driver Ver. 1.06 and MP Navigator EX Ver. 3.15, plus other utilities |
| Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 | MP Navigator EX Ver. 3.15 names these versions in its title; the MP Driver was listed for Windows 7 (x64) |
| Windows 11 | Four utilities only (My Image Garden, Speed Dial Utility, Easy-PhotoPrint EX, My Printer). No MP Driver and no MP Navigator EX |
| Recent macOS versions | My Image Garden and Canon IJ Network Tool only. No scanner driver |
In short, Canon’s network scanning instructions for the MX340 cover Windows 10 and earlier. The list can change, so select your own operating system on the page and read what appears.
If you still have the Setup CD-ROM, Canon’s instructions are to insert it, choose Custom Install, and select MP Drivers and MP Navigator EX. If you do not have the disc, download both from Canon instead.
- Open Canon’s PIXMA MX340 support page and go to Software & Drivers.
- Under Operating System, pick Windows. Under Version, pick the version on your computer. The page tries to detect this for you, so confirm it is right.
- Find MX340 series MP Driver in the results, select it, and download it. Run the file and follow the prompts. If the installer asks how the printer is connected or asks you to pick a printer, choose the network connection and your MX340.
- Go back to the results and download MP Navigator EX. Run that file and follow the prompts until the installer finishes.
The MP Driver package also includes IJ Network Tool, a utility for the printer’s network settings. Install the driver before MP Navigator EX, because the scanning program needs the driver to find the scanner.
This is the step that most often gets missed. MP Navigator EX can be installed correctly and still fail to scan because it is looking for a USB scanner. Canon’s steps to switch it to the network connection are:
- Start MP Navigator EX. Double-click its desktop icon, or click Start, then All Programs, then Canon Utilities, then MP Navigator EX.
- Click Preferences.
- Open the Product Name list and select the entry that reads MX340 series (Network: XXXXXXXXXXXX). The twelve characters are the printer’s MAC address, which is a unique ID for its network adapter.
- Click OK. The Preferences box closes.
You can now scan over the network. To go back to a USB cable later, open Preferences again and select the plain MX340 series entry with no network label.
Step 3: Scan a Document From Your Computer
- Lift the scanner lid and place the page face-down on the glass. Canon calls the glass the platen.
- In MP Navigator EX, point to Scan/Import and click Photos/Documents (Platen). If the program opens in its small one-click mode, click the Switch Mode button to reach this screen.
- Select a Document Type, such as Color Document, Black and White Document or Color Photo.
- Optional: click Specify to open the Scan Settings box, where you can set the Document Size and Scanning Resolution.
- Click Scan. When the Scan Complete box appears, choose Scan to add another page or Exit to finish.
- Click Save or Save as PDF file, pick a folder, name and file type, then click Save.
A few placement details from Canon’s MP Navigator EX scanning article for the MX340 are worth knowing. For documents, line a corner of the page up with the arrow at the corner of the glass. For photos, leave at least 3/8 inch (1 cm) between the photo and the edges of the glass, or the size and position may be detected wrongly.
To scan several pages into one file, select all of the thumbnails after scanning and choose Save as PDF file, then pick PDF(Multiple Pages). For a stack of loose pages, MP Navigator EX also has ADF options in the document type list. ADF stands for automatic document feeder, the tray on top of the printer.
How to Confirm It Worked
The scanned page appears as a thumbnail in MP Navigator EX as soon as the scan ends. After you save, click Open saved location in the Save Complete box to see the file. The default folder is an MP Navigator EX folder inside My Pictures on Windows 7 and inside Pictures on Windows Vista. Canon’s article does not name the default for Windows 10, so look at the Save in field in the Save box to see where your files are going.
Scan From the Printer’s SCAN Button Instead
You can also start a scan at the printer and have it sent to a computer. This needs one more piece of setup on the PC, described in Canon’s operation panel scanning article for the MX340.
- Check that Canon IJ Network Scan Utility is running. Its icon sits in the notification area at the right end of the taskbar. If it is not there, click Start, then All Programs, then Canon IJ Network Utilities, then Canon IJ Network Scan Utility.
- Right-click the icon and select Settings.
- Select the entry that starts with Canon MX340 ser followed by the MAC address, then click OK.
- At the printer, load the page and press the SCAN button.
- Select PC and press OK, then select your computer’s name and press OK.
- Select Document or Photo and press OK.
- Press Color for a color scan or Black for black and white.
The file is saved using the settings on the Scanner Button Settings tab in MP Navigator EX’s Preferences, which is where you set the file name and the Save in folder. On Windows 7 or Vista, a program selection screen may appear on the PC after you press Color or Black. Select MP Navigator EX Ver3.1 and click OK.
HP printers use a different setup for this. If you have a Photosmart 6510, read how to scan to a computer from the Photosmart 6510.
Limits Canon Lists for Network Scanning
- One person at a time. Multiple users cannot scan at the same moment.
- No Auto scan. The Auto scan document type on the printer only works over a USB cable. Over the network, choose Document or Photo.
- Up to three scanners. IJ Network Scan Utility lets you select as many as three network scanners.
- PDF passwords. If MP Navigator EX is set to save scans automatically, you cannot add a password to a PDF. Choose the option to open the save dialog after scanning if you need one.
Troubleshooting
The Network entry is missing from Product Name
Canon gives three things to check when the scanner is not offered: the MP Drivers are installed, network setup was completed after the MP Drivers were installed, and network communication between the printer and the computer is working. Confirm that the Wi-Fi lamp on the printer is lit and that the PC is on the same network, not a guest network. Then close the dialog box and open it again.
MP Navigator EX is not in the Start menu
It was not installed. A standard printer setup can add the printer driver without the scanning program. Go back to Step 1 and download MP Navigator EX from Canon. Our older walkthrough on how to scan with the Canon Pixma MX340 covers the same program in more detail.
Your computer is not listed on the printer’s screen
The printer only lists computers where IJ Network Scan Utility is running and the MX340 is selected in its Settings. If the LCD shows PC scan standby after you press SCAN, press the Menu button to reach the screen for choosing where the data is saved.
Scans from the feeder are slow to start
The first page can take longer when you scan from the ADF. Choosing Magazine(Color) as the document type also slows things down because it turns on a Descreen filter.
Windows 11 and Mac Computers
Canon’s download list did not include an MX340 scanner driver or MP Navigator EX for Windows 11 when we looked, and no further driver updates are planned. That means Canon does not document a network scanning method for this printer on Windows 11. We can’t confirm that the Windows 10 files install or work correctly on Windows 11, so treat that as unsupported.
What you can do is see whether Windows recognizes the scanner by itself. Microsoft’s guide to installing and using a scanner in Windows says to open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and select Add device. For an all-in-one, select the printer afterward. If Windows detected the scanner, a Scanner settings option is listed. If it is not there, Windows has no scanner driver for the device. For help with those screens, read about adding a scanner to Windows 11 and scanning on Windows 11.
On a Mac, Canon’s article on using the Image Capture driver for scanners says network scanning goes through Apple’s Image Capture app, not MP Navigator EX. You open Image Capture, select the device under SHARED, and select Scan. That article lists Mac OS X v10.6 as the supported system, and Canon’s download page showed no scanner driver for recent macOS versions, so this may not be available on a current Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Canon MX340 scan wirelessly?
Yes. Network scanning works on the MX340 once the printer is on your network, the MP Drivers and MP Navigator EX are installed on a Windows PC, and MP Navigator EX’s Product Name preference is set to the MX340 entry labeled Network.
Why can I print to the MX340 but not scan?
Printing only needs the printer driver. Scanning to a computer also needs MP Navigator EX, and over a network it needs the Network entry chosen under Preferences > Product Name. Scanning from the printer’s SCAN button further requires IJ Network Scan Utility to be running on the PC.
Where do I download MP Navigator EX for the MX340?
From the Software & Drivers section of Canon’s PIXMA MX340 support page. Select your operating system and version first. When we checked, MP Navigator EX Ver. 3.15 appeared for Windows 10 and earlier and did not appear for Windows 11.
Can two computers scan from the same MX340?
Each computer can be set up for network scanning, and the printer’s panel lets you pick which PC receives a scan. Multiple users cannot scan at the same time, so scans have to be done one after another.
Does Canon still support the PIXMA MX340?
No. Canon has retired the PIXMA MX340, ended product support, and stopped making driver and content updates. The existing downloads and manuals remain on the page.
Next Step
Once a test scan saves correctly, open Preferences in MP Navigator EX and set the file name and Save in folder on the Scanner Button Settings tab. After that, scans started from the printer’s SCAN button go straight to the folder you chose.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
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