How to set up a scanner or a multifunctional printer in a virtual machine

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To set up a device like scanner or a multifunctional printer in your virtual machine please follow the procedure corresponding to the type of the device you have - USB or network.

USB device

  1. Plug the cable to your Mac;
  2. You will see a pop up window asking you where you would like to connect the device;
  3. Choose to connect it to your virtual machine;
  4. The device will be attached to Windows and will be recognized there.

If you face any difficulties with using the device, open Device Manager and check your device. It will usually be under the Imaging Devices or Printers.

If there is an exclamation mark next to it, locate the drivers using installation disk that came with the device or download them from the device manufacturer’s site.

Network device

Change the virtual machine networking mode to Bridged (Configuration –> Hardware tab –> Network).

Note: If network connection disappeared after this step, please address the problem to your network provider asking them to provide you with a separate IP address for your new PC (virtual machine). Now Windows will have its own IP address and will be recognized in the network as a standalone PC. From this point you may follow the scanner (also applicable to multifuctional printers) installation guide by Microsoft:

Installing a network scanner

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