How to make the ScanSnap s1300 scanner work on Windows 10

If you are reading this, then you have probably dealt with a lot of the same frustrations I did trying to get my ScanSnap s1300 working on Windows 10.

These instructions will probably also work for other older models of the scanner, like the s1500.

The Problem – The ScanSnap s1300 is Too Damn Old

Whenever I would connect the scanner to my computer, Windows itself would try to install a driver and the blue light on the scanner would just keep blinking. The little S around my scansnap manager would stay red with a cross through it. Its software just didn’t want to play nicely with Windows 10, and even the ScanSnap Support Tool kept telling me something like “Driver is not installed. Install the driver.”

I can’t tell you how many times  I tried re-installing the software just to get the same results. I lost count.

The Solution – Newer Software Exists!

Apparently the problem is that the software for older models is old and unsupported, and Fujitsu isn’t planning on releasing any updates. So the solution is actually really kind of stupid: use the software for a newer model.

I personally had success using the software for the iX500.

There were a few extra steps I took just to be extra careful:

  1. Unplug the scanner (just the USB connection to the computer)
  2. Uninstall the ScanSnap manager software that came with the s1300
  3. Delete everything in C:\Program Files (x86)\PFU
  4. Delete everything in C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\PFU
  5. Restart your computer
  6. Download and install the ScanSnap Installer for the iX500 (direct download link)
    1. Sidenote: I also downloaded the ScanSnap Manager on that page, but it apparently is redundant and unnecessary
  7. Plug your scanner back in
  8. Pray to the gods
  9. Open the scanner lid
  10. Hopefully it now works!

Good luck!

91 Comments

  1. Diarmuid on November 20, 2016 at 3:02 pm

    Super article John – I had spent endless hours trying to get my S1300 up and running in W10 without success until I came across your article. Thanks for sharing it.

    • John on November 20, 2016 at 3:24 pm

      Glad to hear I was able to help!

      • Joan on July 9, 2019 at 2:54 pm

        Ahhhh thank you soooo much for posting this,John! This fix is still needed and still working. You, sir are awesome!



      • aziz on November 4, 2023 at 1:41 pm

        thanks so much it works for me



    • Deb on June 2, 2020 at 6:57 am

      Thank you, I’m up and running too!

  2. GHurst on November 22, 2016 at 5:13 pm

    This fix worked for me too. I haven’t been able to use my ScanSnapS1500M consistently since the windows 10 upgrade. It would work a few times and then it wouldn’t and I would have to spend a long time trying to get it to work. After I uninstalled my ScanSnap software then installed the iX500 installer, it started right up. Thank you for posting this fix.

    • John on November 22, 2016 at 1:37 pm

      Good to hear! I knew I couldn’t have been the only person running into this problem.

  3. Carol J Poirier on December 1, 2016 at 6:18 pm

    Upgraded to windows 10. Scansnap 1300 working but will not recognize e-mail programs. I have spent hours and hours and can’t get it to scan to e-mail Any suggestions?

    • John on December 2, 2016 at 8:15 am

      Are you using the latest version of the software that I linked in the article? If not, I would give that a try first. Otherwise, can you tell me what specific behavior you are seeing and what email program you’re trying to scan to?

      I haven’t run into that issue myself, but I always scan to a PDF first and then attach to email if I need to from there since all my email is web based (gmail).

  4. Louis on December 18, 2016 at 11:51 am

    Thank you! I haven’t been able to scan for some time, and assumed it was a paper feed problem. After looking into it in more detail today, it occurred to me there might be an issue with Windows 10. Your post came up in the search results, and I now have a working scanner again.

    • John on December 18, 2016 at 11:54 am

      Awesome to hear, Louis! I’m so happy that this blog post is helping the exact people I was hoping it would.

  5. Sandy Corcorran on August 8, 2017 at 1:14 pm

    It worked, thanks for posting

    • John on August 8, 2017 at 1:23 pm

      Happy to help!

  6. SHARON on August 15, 2017 at 10:33 pm

    Thank you so much! Got my old S1300 to work! Yippee!

    • John on August 16, 2017 at 6:36 am

      Woohoo!

  7. Güclü Adigüzel on September 5, 2017 at 3:58 pm

    Hey John, my ScanSnap S1300 works actually on W10 in my old Notebook (Toshiba) with his normal driver for S1300; but I bought a new Laptop (Windows Surface) and I have many Problems: actually it works but the Screen resolution is very bad and I can just use the basic funktions… Sould I also try it with your technique to install the driver of iX500? Thank you for your help…

    • John on September 6, 2017 at 8:51 am

      Based on the positive results other people have had using the iX500 drivers, I’m guessing it would be worth trying them, especially if you have access to the old drivers and can revert back to them if you need to. If you do try the new drivers, please let us know how it goes so other people with the same question know if it’s worthwhile. Good luck!

  8. Rochelle on September 17, 2017 at 12:37 pm

    I had no luck computer kept saying failed to install scansnap manager driver

    • John on September 18, 2017 at 10:32 am

      Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you, Rochelle. Did you completely uninstall any old versions of the software before you tried installing the new version?

  9. Kyle on September 19, 2017 at 4:17 pm
    • John on September 29, 2017 at 8:29 am

      Hey Kyle, thanks for the tip! It looks like these are for the s1300i, which I think is different than the s1300, but I imagine the new drivers work just fine.

      Did you try these out yourself and were you successful? I haven’t had a chance yet, but once I do and if they work I’ll be sure to update the article.

  10. Mary Margaret on November 13, 2017 at 8:49 am

    Thank you! It worked and you saved me a ton of time!!!

    • John on November 13, 2017 at 11:01 am

      Great to hear it, Mary, and you’re very welcome!

  11. Leanne on November 20, 2017 at 7:08 pm

    This post was a God Send! Clear and to the point. Worked instantly! Thanks John

    • John on November 21, 2017 at 8:34 am

      Always happy to see these comments and see that this post is helping people who were in the same position I was. Glad you got it working!

  12. Rene Burchell on January 9, 2018 at 1:36 pm

    Thank You John, I have been fiddling with my S1300i for over a year by uninstalling and reinstalling the darn programs! Finally, its fixed!! thank you for this post!

    Rene’-Frisco, TX

    • John on January 9, 2018 at 2:06 pm

      Awesome news, so glad to hear it!

  13. Pete Kouchis on January 17, 2018 at 6:13 pm

    John,
    I tried all these options with no success. After calling Fujitsu Tech Suport and waiting the required 45 min on hold, I reached a level2 tech who helped me via a remote session.

    First, he clarified that they DO in fact still support the S1300 under windows 10, they just no longer sell it. Here are the notes from him regarding the fix:

    Dear Valued Customer,

    Scanner was in Other Devices, right click -> Update Driver -> Browse -> Browse -> C:\Windows\SSDriver.

    Said it found the file but it encountered an error when installing.

    Said “system could not find the specified file”. I ran into this once before.

    I checked setupapidev.log inside of C:\Windows\inf
    Read the log file and it was saying it couldn’t find usbscan.sys inside of C:\Windows\inf. Normally, USBScan.sys is not located there, it is supposed to be inside of C:\Windows\system32\drivers\

    Copied it from there and pasted it into C:\Windows\INF.

    Went back to Device Manager -> Update Driver – > Browse -> Browse -> C:\Windows\SSDriver and it was able to install successfully.

    Thank you for choosing Fujitsu,

    Kenny N
    Technical Assistance Center
    Fujitsu Computer Products of America
    Phone: (800) 626-4686

    • John on January 28, 2018 at 2:30 pm

      Thanks for sharing these details, Pete! Hopefully if anyone else ran into the same issue as you this will help them out.

    • Tony on May 29, 2019 at 10:41 am

      My issue with my s1300i is administrator permission. Everything works correctly until I try to rename a file after its scanned or place it in a folder that is already established within “Organizer”. I get a window stating I need administrator permission and when I click on it I get a screen for PFU that must be answered “Yes” then I can save the renamed file to where ever I want. This is all new from original.
      If I sign in to my computer as administrator the program works fine. However that is limiting and not showing all of my desktop icons I use every day. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
      Tony
      nvalentino65@yahoo.com

  14. Mary on January 28, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    Thanks much for the info! Got it going!

    • John on January 28, 2018 at 2:29 pm

      Awesome! Glad it helped!

  15. Mariana Abeid-McDougall on February 14, 2018 at 5:06 am

    Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!! It worked! I can’t count the amount of times I’ve gotten frustrated with this. I just hope the scanner will work again next time I turn it on, as all the other fixes I tried only worked one time and then the darn blinking light starts again on the next use….

    • johnolek on February 14, 2018 at 8:39 am

      So glad to hear this helped end those frustrations! I remember it being the same way for me, wondering if it was actually going to continue to work the next time, and thankfully I haven’t had any problems since.

      • Mariana Abeid-McDougall on August 15, 2018 at 10:40 pm

        So I bought a new laptop and had to do this fix again. Now the scanner is working, but it doesn’t offer me the option to scan things into Evernote (the reason I got the scanner in the first place…) Is there a fix for this?



  16. Paula on February 26, 2018 at 6:51 pm

    Thank you so very much! This worked for me on a S1300. Just can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for this solution. I had searched and searched.

    • John on February 26, 2018 at 7:11 pm

      I was in the same position as you. Glad to hear you found this post helpful!

  17. Chuck B on March 29, 2018 at 10:23 am

    What everyone else said. I stand amazed that nowhere else in my Googling have I found your solution mentioned. Lot of frustrated people out there. Thanks!

  18. Mike on April 23, 2018 at 12:31 pm

    Hope we’re not boring you with all the accolades. Very grateful for your help. I was starting to pull my hair out trying to get my scanner working again. Thank you.

    • John on April 23, 2018 at 1:03 pm

      Not boring me at all! It’s great to hear that this post has helped so many people.

  19. Dianne Cooper on May 26, 2018 at 9:08 pm

    Hi John. Like so many others that have posted, thank you SO MUCH for posting this solution. I have spent hours trying to fix this problem and was ready to throw the scanner away because I couldn’t get it to work. This has been the only solution that has actually solved the problem. Thanks again.

    • John on May 27, 2018 at 9:02 am

      Always happy to hear I helped another person! This post has pretty much become the main purpose for this website, and I’m okay with that.

  20. robert young on July 6, 2018 at 3:39 pm

    Superhero! Vanquishing the vicious incompetance of Fujitsu! Glad we have you to help us deal with shitty companies.

    • John on July 6, 2018 at 3:54 pm

      That’s me! The lamest superhero in the world. Yet it still feels good to know this post is still helping people.

      I should really get a cape…

  21. Jennifer A. Williams on July 24, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    YOU HAVE SAVED MY SANITY!! Thank you so much.

    I had tried every “fix” and was about to send it flying out the window, but I remembered I just purchased the machine. Seriously, job well done!!

    • John on July 25, 2018 at 9:06 am

      As always, glad to hear this simple post was able to help another person!

  22. twisty on August 4, 2018 at 7:49 am

    Confirm that this works with my ScanSnap s1300 / Win 10 (17713 insider build). Used the iX500 software as suggested. Thanks for the tip!

    • John on November 21, 2018 at 11:51 am

      Of course!

  23. Gary on August 11, 2018 at 6:46 am

    Inspired. Thank you so much. The original post has totally solved my S1500 problem.

    • richie on September 13, 2018 at 10:53 pm

      Thank you so much, also fixed my S1500 which wasn’t recognized with the new software. TYTYTY

      • John on November 21, 2018 at 11:50 am

        So happy to help!



  24. monica on October 23, 2018 at 9:38 am

    thank you John!

    installing iX500 helped with my s1300i for about a month with windows10 then I have to go through the process again. wondering if there’s an update fix. thanks.

    • John on November 21, 2018 at 11:50 am

      Hi Monica,

      Sorry to hear you’re having that problem. I haven’t encountered it before myself or heard of anyone else who’s experienced the same. How does the scanner behave after a month, and is anything changing with the configuration of the scanner or your computer?

  25. Frank on December 4, 2018 at 11:01 pm

    Brilliant, John! One small twist. I have an S1500. For some reason, even with the updated software, the ScanSnap Manager hated where I was attempting to save the files, which was the Windows 10 Documents folder. It kept giving me an error about “specified destination is invalid.” On a hunch, I just redirected the file save location to C:/ProgramData/PFU (because why not) and it worked perfectly. Perhaps not ideal for some, but since that folder contains the SnapScan folder, seems like a pretty nifty fix for the S1500. Never could have done this without your tip about the new software. Bravo and thank you!

    • johnolek on December 25, 2018 at 1:52 pm

      Glad to hear this got you going in the right direction, and thanks for the tip!

  26. Pat on January 10, 2019 at 7:46 pm

    I tried all of the above solutions ix500, S1300i, etc, none were working. I then reinstalled the S1300 file from Fujitsu (around 512 MB file), and it worked. Thank you for all the solutions, eventually it got mine up and working.

    • johnolek on January 11, 2019 at 9:09 am

      Always glad to hear when this post has helped someone get their scanner up and running again, even if my exact solution didn’t end up working for you.

  27. David Ozog on February 12, 2019 at 1:32 pm

    Wow, I never would have tried this, but it certainly fixed the problem. Thanks!

    • johnolek on February 24, 2019 at 2:23 pm

      Happy to help!

  28. Kyle on April 7, 2019 at 12:11 pm

    At first I was excited to see this post, then I realized the fix was to use IX500 software which is the model I am trying to install and it has the same problem. I hate these scansnaps so much.

    • johnolek on April 9, 2019 at 9:35 am

      Sorry to hear this didn’t work for you, Kyle! I don’t have an IX500 so I wouldn’t be able to test this myself, but could you try an even newer version of the software? Maybe the installer for the iX1500 (http://scansnap.fujitsu.com/global/dl/win-ix1500.html)?

      I also hate how difficult it can be to get these things working, but love them once they are. Good luck with yours! Please write back if you find a fix so I can add it to the main post and potentially help other people in your situation.

  29. Derek on May 15, 2019 at 10:44 am

    Thanks a million for this. My S1500 worked for years without a hitch until the latest Windows 10 update. Spent a fruitless hour uninstalling and reinstalling, but then found your IX500 fix. Works! I depend on Scansnap for my work. Thanks to the fix I met an important work submission deadline. Very relieved!

    • johnolek on May 15, 2019 at 11:06 am

      So glad to hear this helped you!

  30. Alex on September 1, 2019 at 2:01 pm

    9/1/19. Thank you. Followed your instructions and installed the new software as you described. Traveling so this was a miracle to get up and running again. Alex

    • johnolek on September 2, 2019 at 10:16 am

      Always happy to see another satisfied customer!

  31. Dave on January 21, 2020 at 8:29 am

    Seems to have fixed my problems and the Scansnap is working once again.. 🙂

    • johnolek on January 23, 2020 at 10:45 am

      Always brings a smile to my face to have another satisfied customer!

  32. David Robottom on June 7, 2020 at 3:30 pm

    Thank you for posting this John. Your method worked a treat.
    Just for information, I didn’t need to do your steps 3 & 4, as it worked perfectly without – or it has so far 🙂
    Best regards
    David R

  33. Kevin Michael Melody on July 23, 2020 at 2:35 pm

    Worked like a charm! Thank you, John. 🙂

  34. Andrew Bate on August 4, 2020 at 3:16 pm

    This also worked for me. Thank you so much!

  35. Nino on August 5, 2020 at 9:37 am

    I could not deal with it any longer and bought an Epson ES-400. Faster than the ScanSnap however the software that came with the ScanSnap is superior in all ways to the Epson.
    I could not find out if the newer ScanSnap s1300 is available or has worked out all the kinks with Windows 10. If anyone knows of this please contact me as that scanner was the best to my knowledge for that price range.

  36. Deborah on August 11, 2020 at 8:11 am

    Thank you so much for this post. I wasted many hours of my life trying to get the S1300 to work with my new computer. Your solution worked great for me!

  37. spiroc0724 on August 19, 2020 at 11:58 am

    TY so much, John!

  38. pam on September 30, 2020 at 10:46 pm

    I just used your post about getting my ScanSnap S1300 to work with Windows 10. IT WORKED AND YOU ARE A GENIUS!! Thank you so much. I was at the point of getting rid of this scanner, but it’s working perfectly.

  39. pam on September 30, 2020 at 10:48 pm

    Forgot to say THANK YOU!!!

  40. Nino on October 3, 2020 at 8:03 am

    It is too old. It worked great however it was not updated for Windows 10. I wonder if I bought one today if it would be compatible with Windows 10. Again it was great and is better than any other scanner. I bought an Epson that does not compare with the ScanSnap S1300 to any degree.

  41. Eli on January 7, 2021 at 5:09 pm

    I’ll add my voice to the chorus of appreciation. You saved me from shelling out $500.

  42. Nige on January 28, 2021 at 6:15 am

    Thank you again !

    S1300 suddenly stopped working (flashing blue).

    Found the driver … and IT WORKED 🙂

    • WENDY HILTON on January 28, 2021 at 11:45 am

      Where did you find the driver? I have tried to download from the above link going through all the steps listed and the blue light is still blinking and nothing is happening.

  43. Sondra on April 14, 2021 at 7:15 am

    Thank you very much. Ive had months of frustration.

  44. andrewdbate on June 2, 2021 at 12:32 pm

    Important update!

    Fujitsu have decided to release a new version of ScanSnap Manager with support for older models. This new version is V7 and can be downloaded from here: https://scansnap.fujitsu.com/global/ssmanagerv7/

    My scanner is the ScanSnap S1500 and I run Windows, not macOS. However, I downloaded ScanSnap Manager for Windows for the ScanSnap iX500 and it works just fine with my ScanSnap S1500.

    I was previously using the latest V6 version of ScanSnap Manager for Windows for the iX500 with my ScanSnap S1500 on Windows 10 (as described in this post), and this worked. However, I had the issue that if the computer went to sleep, after it resumed from sleep, ScanSnap Manager could not connect to my ScanSnap S1500 (the icon in the taskbar would remain grey and not turn to blue when I opened the lid on the ScanSnap). The only option I would have would be to then restart the computer, which was very inconvenient if I had work open.

    This new ScanSnap Manager V7 seems to have fixed this issue. (I have been using it for a day so far.)

    To download the ScanSnap Manager V7 software you will need a serial number from a ScanSnap iX500. (You can find this by Googling, which is what I did.)

    • andrewdbate on June 2, 2021 at 12:34 pm

      Just to clarify:

      If you run macOS and have the ScanSnap S1500, then Fujitsu provide a V7 version of ScanSnap Manager for the ScanSnap S1500, so you can use that version directly. You only need to use the version of ScanSnap Manager for the iX500 if you have a ScanSnap S1500 and run Windows 10.

  45. Mansel Williams on November 1, 2021 at 6:38 am

    Thanks John. Worked fine for my s1300 on Windows 11.

  46. Needlesandy on February 8, 2022 at 9:51 pm

    Neither the new 7-version software nor John’s directions at top have worked for me despite multiple attempts at both.
    I’m attempting to install and use a S1300 on Win10.
    Funny enough the older software and a different s1300 have been running flawlessly at work for me for years.
    But a change at home from Win7 to 10 and this stumbling block just won’t budge.

  47. Needles on February 8, 2022 at 10:39 pm

    Welp – I don’t what I did differently this time but we’re all good over here suddenly.

  48. Silver Surfer 49 on July 21, 2022 at 4:11 am

    Thanks. I was having problems with the transition to Windows 11 and I was on the verge of splashing out on a new scanner.

  49. Cyril Spiro on August 21, 2022 at 11:43 am

    TY, John. Worked perfectly!

  50. kuch3nmann on March 16, 2023 at 4:08 pm

    You sir are a hero! Thanks a lot!

  51. Guy on March 21, 2023 at 3:13 pm

    Thanks John. Difficult to find the ix500 download anymore. Scansnap now use a bloated piece of software they call Home. This doesn’t work. Do not download. Find ScanManager for S1300 from oemdrivers.com and that works.

    • Mike on March 25, 2024 at 1:08 pm

      Thanks for mentioning oemdrivers.com. I decided to go that route, and it worked perfectly for me (S1300 on Windows 11 Pro).

  52. Wim on November 5, 2023 at 5:08 am

    Thank you John, great he is working at last. So happy thank you so much…..

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