Fix Scanner Not Working in Acrobat Pro DC on macOS Big Sur
Question details
The user is unable to use their Brother scanner with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC on macOS Big Sur, despite the printer function working normally.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Device & OS
- macOS Big Sur (macOS 11)
- Scenario
- Attempting to scan physical documents directly into a PDF using Acrobat Pro DC.
- Observed behavior
- Acrobat Pro DC fails to recognize the connected Brother scanner, preventing the user from executing direct scans into the application.
Ensure your Brother scanner is powered on, firmly connected to your Mac via USB or Wi-Fi, and verify that it scans properly using Apple's built-in Image Capture app before troubleshooting Adobe Acrobat.
Update Acrobat DC and Install Native macOS Scanner Drivers
Outdated software or incompatible TWAIN drivers frequently cause scanners to drop connections on macOS Big Sur.
macOS Big Sur utilizes strict driver protocols. Adobe Acrobat generally prefers ICA (Image Capture Architecture) drivers on newer macOS versions. Updating both the software and the scanner configuration usually restores the connection.
Open Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. Click on 'Help' in the top menu bar and select 'Check for Updates'. Install any available updates and restart the application.
Go to 'System Preferences' > 'Printers & Scanners' on your Mac. Select your Brother scanner from the list and click the '-' (minus) button to remove it.
Click the '+' (plus) button to add a device. Select your Brother scanner and ensure the 'Use' dropdown is set to the default Apple ICA driver rather than an older TWAIN driver.
Launch Acrobat Pro DC, navigate to 'File' > 'Create' > 'PDF from Scanner', and check if the Brother device is now recognized.
Adjust macOS Privacy and Security Settings
macOS Big Sur restricts applications from accessing external hardware without explicit user permission.
Easily Create Scanned PDFs with WPS Office
If Acrobat continues to have compatibility issues with your macOS hardware, WPS Office provides a reliable, built-in PDF toolkit that easily converts your Mac's scanned images into high-quality PDF documents.
- 1. Scan Using Image Capture: Use your Mac's native 'Image Capture' app to scan documents quickly and save them as high-quality image files to your desktop.
- 2. Launch WPS Office: Open WPS Office on your Mac and click on the 'PDF' section from the home interface.
- 3. Import Scanned Images: Select the 'Picture to PDF' tool and import the images you just scanned from your local drive.
- 4. Export as PDF: Arrange the page order, adjust any required margins, and click 'Convert' to seamlessly merge your scans into a single PDF document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat say the scanner is not connected when it works fine otherwise?
This commonly occurs when Acrobat attempts to utilize an outdated 32-bit TWAIN driver. macOS Big Sur and later versions prioritize 64-bit ICA (Image Capture Architecture) drivers. Ensuring your scanner is added using the ICA driver in Mac's Printers & Scanners settings usually resolves the communication error.
Can I scan multiple pages into a single PDF on macOS?
Yes. When using a scanner equipped with an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), check the option to 'Prompt for scanning more pages' in your PDF software's scan settings. This allows you to append additional pages into one consolidated PDF file.
What is the best workaround if my Brother scanner still won't connect to Acrobat?
If Acrobat refuses to recognize the scanner despite driver updates, the best workaround is to use Apple's built-in 'Image Capture' app to scan your physical documents to your computer as images. Once saved, you can easily combine those images into a PDF using a reliable editor like WPS Office.
