The Quick Answer
Setting up scan to email on your HP printer with Gmail? A repair tech covers the exact SMTP settings and the 2-Step Verification prerequisite.
Gmail is one of the more particular email providers to configure for scan to email, not because HP's setup process is complicated, but because Gmail has specific security requirements that trip people up in a very specific, avoidable way — usually right at the step where you're supposed to generate a special password and simply can't find where to do it.
Quick Summary
- Enable 2-Step Verification on your Google account first — this is a hidden prerequisite. My uncommon tip.
- Generate a Gmail app password specifically for your printer.
- Enter Gmail's exact SMTP server settings in your printer's configuration.
- Use the app password, not your regular Gmail password, in the printer's authentication field.
- Send a test scan before considering setup complete.
Step 1: Enable 2-Step Verification First (My Uncommon Tip)
Here's the step that causes more confusion than anything else in this entire setup process, and it happens before you've even reached your printer's settings — it's a prerequisite on Google's side that most people don't realize exists until they're already stuck.
Gmail requires an app password for third-party devices like printers to send email on your behalf — this is a separate, dedicated password distinct from your regular Gmail login, and it's the credential your printer will actually use. However, Google will not let you generate an app password at all unless 2-Step Verification is already enabled on your account. If 2-Step Verification isn't turned on, the app password option is either completely missing from your account settings or appears grayed out and unusable, with no clear explanation directly on that screen telling you why it's unavailable — you simply can't find or use the feature you're looking for, and it's easy to assume something's broken rather than realizing a prerequisite step is missing entirely.
To fix this: go to your Google Account settings (myaccount.google.com), navigate to the Security section, and turn on 2-Step Verification if it isn't already active — this requires setting up a phone number or authenticator app for the verification step itself. Once that's genuinely enabled and confirmed, go back to the Security section and look for App passwords — it should now be visible and usable, whereas before it may not have appeared at all.
Why this matters so much: this single prerequisite explains a huge share of "I can't find app passwords in my Gmail settings" confusion. It's not that the feature is hidden in an obscure menu — it's that the feature is deliberately unavailable until you've completed a different security step first, and Google's own interface doesn't always make that connection obvious to someone who doesn't already know to look for it. Confirming 2-Step Verification is active before you go looking for app passwords saves you from searching through menus for a feature that was never going to appear.
Step 2: Generate a Gmail App Password
With 2-Step Verification confirmed active, go to Google Account → Security → App passwords. You may need to select an app type or simply provide a custom label — enter something like "HP Printer" so you can identify it later. Google will generate a 16-character password specifically for this purpose. Copy it exactly, and keep it accessible for the next step, since you typically can't view it again after leaving this screen (though you can always generate a new one if needed).
Why this works: this password is scoped narrowly to just this one application, can be revoked independently at any time without affecting your main Gmail password, and it's exactly the credential type Gmail expects from a device like a printer rather than your actual account login, which Google's security policies now block from this kind of third-party use.
Step 3: Enter Gmail's SMTP Settings on the Printer
Through your printer's control panel or its Embedded Web Server (accessible by typing the printer's IP address into a browser), find the Scan to Email or Email Setup section, and enter Gmail's outgoing mail server details exactly:
- Outgoing (SMTP) server: smtp.gmail.com
- Port: 587 (with TLS/STARTTLS encryption) or 465 (with SSL encryption) — check which your specific printer model supports, since not all printers offer both options
- Encryption: TLS or SSL, matching whichever port you selected
- Username: your full Gmail address
- Password: the 16-character app password generated in Step 2, not your regular Gmail password
Why this works: these are Gmail's standard, publicly documented server settings for third-party device access, and entering them precisely — including the correct port-and-encryption pairing — is what allows your printer to actually establish a connection with Gmail's mail servers in the first place, before authentication with your app password even comes into play.
Step 4: Use the App Password, Not Your Regular Password
Double-check that the password field in your printer's email settings contains the app password from Step 2, not your everyday Gmail login password.
Why this works: even with correct SMTP server settings, Gmail will reject the connection if it receives your regular account password from a third-party device — this is precisely the security policy that made Step 1 necessary in the first place. This is a common point of confusion because both are technically "your Gmail password" in a loose sense, and it's an easy field to fill in with the wrong one out of habit.
Step 5: Send a Test Scan
Once everything is entered and saved, use your printer's scan-to-email function to send a test scan to yourself, and confirm it arrives — checking your spam or junk folder if it doesn't appear in your main inbox within a few minutes.
Why this works: this confirms the entire chain actually functions end to end, rather than assuming success just because the settings were entered and accepted without an immediate error message. Some configuration issues only reveal themselves at the actual sending stage rather than during initial setup.
When to Call a Professional
If you've confirmed 2-Step Verification is active, generated a genuine app password, entered Gmail's exact SMTP settings with matching port and encryption, and used the app password correctly in the printer's authentication field — and scan to email still fails — check whether your specific printer model's firmware is current, since older firmware occasionally lacks support for Gmail's current required encryption standards. If firmware is current and it still fails, contact HP support with your printer's model and the specific error message shown, if any, since a persistent failure despite correct settings on the Gmail side points toward something worth their direct diagnostic attention.
FAQ
Why can't I find "App passwords" in my Google account settings?
This option only appears once 2-Step Verification is enabled on your Google account. If you haven't turned that on yet, enable it first under Security settings, and the app passwords option should then become available.
Can I just use my regular Gmail password instead of generating an app password?
No — Gmail's security policies block third-party devices like printers from authenticating with your regular account password. An app password is specifically required and is the only credential type that will work for this purpose.
What port and encryption should I use for Gmail's SMTP server?
Port 587 with TLS/STARTTLS, or port 465 with SSL — check which options your specific printer model supports, since not every printer offers both, and the port must match the encryption type you select.
My test scan never arrived. What should I check first?
Check your spam or junk folder first, since automated scan emails occasionally get filtered there. If it's genuinely not arriving anywhere, double-check that you entered the app password correctly rather than your regular Gmail password, since this is the most common setup mistake.
Setting up scan to email on an HP printer with Gmail comes down to one prerequisite most guides skip entirely: enable 2-Step Verification on your Google account before you go looking for an app password, or that option simply won't be there. Generate the app password, enter Gmail's exact SMTP settings, and use that app password — not your regular login — in the printer's authentication field. Get that order right, and Gmail setup goes from confusing to completely routine.