Canon MF461dw / MF463dw / MF465dw: Multiple Pages Are Not Saved as One PDF but as Separate Files

Last Updated on 14.04.2026 by DriverNew

Applies to models: Canon MF461dw, MF463dw, MF465dw.

If you scan several pages but get multiple separate files instead of one PDF file, this does not necessarily mean there is a problem with the multifunction printer. In most cases, the cause is in the file format settings and the page division setting. For this Canon product line, the relevant settings may be in MF Scan Utility or in the scan settings on the machine control panel, depending on how you start the scan.

How the problem usually appears

• several sheets are loaded into the feeder, but after scanning, several separate PDF files are saved;
• each page is saved as a separate file;
• the user expects one combined document, but gets a set of separate pages instead;
• it is unclear which setting should be changed — on the multifunction printer itself or in the computer software.

Why this happens

For the Canon MF461dw, MF463dw, and MF465dw, the result depends on where the scan is started. If the scan is sent to a computer, the save settings are configured in MF Scan Utility. If scanning is started from the machine control panel, then you need to check the file format and the page division setting in the job settings.

In simple terms: the machine may scan multiple sheets correctly, but then save them differently from what you expected because the setting that divides the result into separate files is enabled.

Where to start

1. Check where you start the scan:
   • from the computer through MF Scan Utility;
   • from the multifunction printer control panel.
2. For testing, use 2 or 3 normal A4 sheets.
3. After changing each setting, run a new test so you can clearly see what helped.

Step 1. If you scan to a computer, check [Data Format] in MF Scan Utility

If you save scans to a computer, MF Scan Utility is what determines how the file is saved.

1. Open MF Scan Utility.
2. Click [Settings].
3. Select the profile you normally use, for example for documents.
4. Find [Data Format].
5. To save everything as one file, select [PDF (Multiple Pages)], if it is available.
6. If your version of the program has an option that splits PDF output into separate files, do not select it.
7. Save the settings and scan again.

This is the setting that most often determines whether you get one multi-page PDF or several separate files.

Step 2. If you scan from the multifunction printer control panel, check [File Format]

1. On the machine control panel, open the scan screen.
2. Go to the job settings.
3. Find [File Format].
4. For one multi-page document, select PDF.
5. If JPEG is selected, the pages will by definition be saved as separate image files.

This is a basic but very important step. One file containing several pages is usually created in PDF or TIFF format, not JPEG.

Step 3. If you scan from the multifunction printer control panel, check [Divide into Pages]

For this Canon product line, there is a separate setting that controls whether the original is split into separate files.

1. On the scan screen, select [Set PDF Details].
2. Check [Divide into Pages].
3. If you need one combined PDF, this setting should not be enabled.
4. If it is set to [On], switch it off and scan again.

If this setting is enabled, the machine intentionally splits the result into separate files. That is why this is the first thing to check if scanning is started from the machine control panel.

Step 4. Remember: for scanning to a computer, the settings are configured in MF Scan Utility, not on the control panel

This is one of the most common sources of confusion. If you start saving to a computer, the save settings cannot be fully configured from the multifunction printer control panel. For this task, Canon explicitly points to MF Scan Utility or ScanGear MF.

So if you change settings on the control panel but the result on the computer does not change, the setting you need is most likely in MF Scan Utility.

Step 5. For several sheets, it is more convenient to use the feeder

If you have standard sheets of the same size, the easiest way to get one multi-page PDF is to load them into the feeder and scan them in one pass.

1. Make sure all sheets are the same size, for example A4.
2. Slide the guides snugly against the paper.
3. Load the sheets into the feeder.
4. Run the scan with the correct save format selected.

This method is usually more reliable than trying to build a multi-page file manually from separate scan sessions.

Step 6. Do not confuse [Scan and Stitch] with creating a normal multi-page PDF from separate sheets

MF Scan Utility has a [Scan and Stitch] button, but it is not intended for ordinary scanning of several sheets into one PDF. This mode is meant for combining parts of one large original that does not fit on the platen glass.

If you simply want one PDF from several normal pages, look not for [Scan and Stitch], but for the correct [Data Format] or [Divide into Pages] settings.

Step 7. Enable [Check scan results] if you want to review the result before the file is saved

If you are not sure how the program is building the final document, it is convenient to enable an intermediate review step.

1. Open MF Scan Utility.
2. Click [Settings].
3. For the profile you need, enable [Check scan results].
4. After scanning, review which data format is selected and how the program is going to save the result.

This is especially useful if you change settings often and want to see in advance what the final result will look like.

Step 8. If the pages are still saved separately, check whether another scanning method is being used

Sometimes the user is sure they are working through MF Scan Utility, but in fact the scan is being started from another Windows application. In that case, different save rules may apply.

1. Check which program you are actually using to start the scan.
2. For a clean test, open MF Scan Utility itself and scan from there.
3. If everything is saved correctly in MF Scan Utility but not in another program, the cause is not the multifunction printer, but the application being used.

When the problem is probably no longer just a save-setting issue

• pages are not just being saved separately, but some sheets are not scanned at all;
• the machine shows an error during scanning;
• the result is different on different computers with the same settings;
• even after checking [Data Format] and [Divide into Pages], the problem does not change.

In that situation, it makes sense to look more broadly at the scan launch method, the Canon driver, and the specific application used for saving.

When to contact support

• you already checked [Data Format] in MF Scan Utility;
• you checked [File Format] and [Divide into Pages] on the multifunction printer control panel;
• you tried scanning directly from MF Scan Utility, not from another application;
• the result is still not being saved the way it should be.

If the problem remains after that, it makes sense to contact Canon support and specify immediately where the scan is started: from the multifunction printer control panel or from the computer.

Brief conclusion

For the Canon MF461dw, MF463dw, and MF465dw, a situation where several pages are not saved as one PDF but as separate files is usually caused not by a malfunction of the multifunction printer, but by the save settings. If scanning is performed to a computer, first check [Data Format] in MF Scan Utility. If scanning is started from the machine control panel, check [File Format] and [Divide into Pages]. In most cases, the issue is resolved without service — you only need to change the correct menu option.