Scan, Device Functions or other buttons are missing from PaperCut MFD app

This article explains how to troubleshoot issues where the Scan or Device Functions buttons are missing from the PaperCut embedded application on a Multifunction Device (MFD).

PaperCut MF maintains a constant line of communication with your MFDs. To manage this efficiently, the Application Server creates individual capabilities files for each device in the server’s data directory. These files act as a “state of mind” for the device, storing its list of capabilities and cached configuration data.

Occasionally, the internal status file that PaperCut MF uses to track the state of a device can become corrupted or out of sync. This can happen due to an unexpected server shutdown, a network interruption during a write process, or disk I/O issues. When this happens, the Application Server might fail to read the data, resulting in a device that looks offline or unresponsive in the web interface.

The following procedures explain how to safely force the system to regenerate that file without re-embedding the device. This effectively performs a reset on the interaction between the device and the PaperCut server by removing the corrupted file and forcing the PaperCut Application Server to create a new one.

If the Scan button is missing…

Is only the “Scan” button missing? That might happen for a couple of different reasons.

• Integrated Scanning not enabled on the device -
  The Scan tile only appears when Integrated Scanning is enabled on the device and at least one scan action is configured and available to that user.
  You can read more about this right here
• User not in an allowed access group for the scan action -
  Even if scan actions exist, if the user is not in a group that’s permitted for those actions, they won’t see the Scan button.
• No email address on the user account -
  If the logged-in user does not have a Primary email address set in PaperCut, the Scan option (e.g. “Scan to self / Scan to Email”) will not be shown at the device at all. Check in Users > [user] that “Primary email” is populated. Sometimes , this ay also manifest in such a way that the device will say that “Integrated Scanning is not enabled” even when it is.
• Advanced scanning is not on the device-
  If the license you are using does not support advanced scanning, you may see a similar symptom. Standard scanning features like Scan to Email, Folder, and Fax (via the Basic Generic SMTP connector) are included in your standard PaperCut MF license. But to access Advanced Scanning capabilities, such as Advanced Scan to Fax (API-based connectors) or custom Advanced scan actions, requires an additional license.
  You can read more about this right here and you can read more about setting up Advanced Scanning actions right here.

If the Device Functions/Access Device button is missing…

If the Device Functions/Access Device button (commonly renamed to “Copy”) is missing, resetting the capabilities files might help.

1. Identify the Device ID

First, we need to find the unique internal ID that PaperCut has assigned to the problematic device.

1. Log in to the PaperCut Admin Interface.
2. Navigate to the Devices tab.
3. Click on the name of the device that is experiencing issues.
4. Look at the URL in your browser’s address bar. At the very end of the URL, you will see a parameter that looks like =l340343004 or =l5550.
5. Write down this number. This is the unique Device ID.

2. Stop the PaperCut Services

To safely manipulate the server data files, you must stop the application service.

Follow the steps in our guide on Stopping and Starting PaperCut Services .

3. Remove the Corrupted Capabilities File

Now we will move the problematic file out of the active directory.

1. Navigate to the device data directory on your Application Server.
   • Windows (64-bit): C:\Program Files\PaperCut MF\server\data\devices
   • Linux/Mac: [app-path]/server/data/devices
2. Look for the file that matches the Device ID you wrote down in Step 1. (e.g., if your ID was 50, look for a file named 50 inside this folder).
3. Do not delete the file immediately. Instead, Cut the file and Paste it onto your Desktop or a temporary folder. This acts as a backup. If something goes wrong, you can simply paste it back.

4. Restart and Verify

Now we bring the system back online to generate the new file.

1. Restart the PaperCut Application Server service (using the same method from Step 2).
2. Wait a moment for the server to fully initialize. During startup, PaperCut will notice the missing file for that device ID and automatically create a fresh one.
3. Log back into the PaperCut Admin Interface and check the Devices tab.

The device should now be accessible, and the previous errors regarding status or configuration should be resolved.

Still having trouble?

If regenerating the status file didn’t clear the issue, there may be a deeper communication problem or a need to fully delete and re-create the device in PaperCut under a new name. Please reach out to your Authorized Solution Center or PaperCut Support with a copy of your Application Server Logs for further assistance .