Question :
I have a perfectly good USB flatbed scanner, a Canon CanonScan 56000F. It was sold from 2008 to 2013, so it’s about 15 years old, but it still works perfectly. But now I am switching to a new Mac…
Is there any way to use my old Canon CanoScan 5600F scanner on my new MacBook M4 ?
Answer :
The Good News : if you have the right driver installed, your current day Mac will immediately detect the scanner if you connect it to it’s USB-C port.
But Canon itself does not support use of old scanners like the CanoScan 5600F on Macs that do not have Intel processors, but…
The official latest version of the driver released by Canon is available here :
https://www.canon.com.au/support/sims-content?pid=9085ae5c9e6c469ea88ce957f517b290&cid=0109CB956A81455789CF2183D7D13E12&utm_source=copilot.com
Eventhough this version is listed as supporting nothing beyond macOS 10.14 Mojave, this installer can still be used on modern day Macs with silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4/M5) processors running the latest versions of macOS (like macOS 15 Sequoia and macOS 26 Tahoe), but the installer is the main problem, as Rosetta needs to be installed to use this Intel-based installer on a current Mac. So, yes it can be doen, but is is a hassle…
The alternative is to just install the essential components (just 2 small files) :
Canon IJScanner2 – in Image Capture’s Devices folder
CanoScan 5600F.ds – in Image Capture’s TWAIN Data Sources folder
If you want just these 2 files, you can download them here :
Canon CanoScan driver.zip
NOTE : if the file extension of the download is not .zip, you will need to rename the file’s extension to .zip
After having drag&drop-installed both files in the correct folders, your Mac will immediatelyy recognise the scanner when you connect it to your Mac using USB-C.
If you do not have a USB-to-USB-C converter available, you can get a USB-C printer cable (a USB-2B-to-USB-C cable), e.g. from Amazon – even a cheap one should do the trick :
USB-C Printer Cable 2m by Dreaazhi – on Amazon DE
USB-C Printer Cable 2m by Dreaazhi – on Amazon UK
USB-C Printer Cable 6.6ft by AINOPE – on Amazon US
That’s it !
enjoy 😉
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