With scanner redirection, users can operate physical scanners and imaging devices that are connected to their client computers as virtual devices that perform scanning operations in their remote desktops and applications.

Users can operate their virtual scanners in a way that closely parallels the way that they use the scanners on their locally connected client computers.

  • After the Scanner Redirection option is installed with Horizon Agent, a scanner tool tray icon ( Use the scanner icon to connect a scanner to your remote desktolp ) is added to the desktop. On published applications, the tool tray icon is redirected to the local client computer.

    You do not have to use the scanner tool tray icon. Scanning redirection works without any further configuration. You can use the icon to configure options such as changing which device to use if more than one device is connected to the client computer.

  • When you click the scanner icon, the Scanner Redirection for VMware Horizon menu appears. No scanners appear in the menu list if incompatible scanners are connected to the client computer.
  • By default, scanning devices are autoselected. TWAIN and WIA scanners are selected separately. You can have one TWAIN scanner and one WIA scanner selected at the same time.
  • If more than one locally connected scanner is configured, you can select a different scanner than the one that is selected by default.
  • WIA scanners are displayed in the remote desktop's Device Manager menu, under Imaging devices. The WIA scanner is named VMware Virtual WIA Scanner.
  • In the Scanner Redirection for VMware Horizon menu, you can click the Preferences option and select options such as hiding webcams from the scanner redirection menu and determining how to select the default scanner.

    You can also control these features by configuring scanner redirection group policy settings in Active Directory. See Configuring Scanner Redirection Group Policy Settings.

  • When you operate a TWAIN scanner, the TWAIN Scanner Redirection for VMware Horizon menu provides additional options for selecting regions of an image, scanning in color, black and white, or grayscale, and choosing other common functions.
  • To display the TWAIN user interface window for TWAIN scanning software that does not display the window by default, you can select the Force the TWAIN Scanning Properties dialog option in the VMware Horizon Scanner Redirection Preferences dialog box.

    Note that most TWAIN scanning software displays the TWAIN user interface window by default. For this software, the window is always displayed, whether you select or deselect the Force the TWAIN Scanning Properties dialog option.

Note: If you run two published applications that are hosted on different farms, two scanner redirection tool tray icons appear on the client computer. Typically, only one scanner is connected to a client computer. In this case, both icons operate the same device, and it does not matter which icon you select. In some situations, you might have two locally connected scanners and run two published applications that run on different farms. In that case, you must open each icon to see which scanner redirection menu controls which published application.

For end-user instructions for operating redirected scanners, refer to the appropriate client document.