Affected models: Canon imageCLASS, FAXPHONE and imageRUNNER models with fax. It appears as #022 in the job log or on a transmission report.
What This Error Means
Canon files two different failures under code 022, which is why searching for it turns up contradictory advice.
The first is a permission setting. Canon printers have an option called Allow Fax Driver TX that controls whether faxes can be sent from a computer at all. When it's off, the printer accepts nothing from the fax driver — your computer thinks it sent something, the printer refuses it, and you get 022.
The second is a missing address. If you sent to an address book entry or a group, and that entry was deleted while your fax was still queued, there's nowhere left to send it. The same applies to automatic forwarding when the forwarding destination has been removed.
How to tell which you've got: did you send from your computer? Then it's almost certainly the permission setting. Did you send from the machine's own keypad, or was this an incoming fax being forwarded on? Then it's the address.
What Causes It
- PC faxing is switched off on the printer — the Allow Fax Driver TX setting is set to off. On an office machine this is often deliberate policy rather than an accident.
- The address book entry was deleted while the fax was waiting — more common than it sounds with delayed or queued sends.
- A group destination has been emptied — every address inside it has been deleted, so the group points nowhere.
- A forwarding destination was removed — an incoming fax set to forward automatically has nowhere to go.
- A mail box was set as a group destination — Canon lists this as an invalid arrangement that produces the same code.
How to Fix It
Fix 1: If you sent from your computer, turn PC faxing back on
The setting lives on the printer, not on your computer, and the menu path depends on how new your machine is:
- Newer imageCLASS models: Menu → Function Settings → Send → Fax Settings → Allow Fax Driver TX
- Older models such as the FAXPHONE L410: Menu → System Settings → Restrict TX Function → Allow Fax Driver TX
Set it to On and resend.
One caution: if this is a shared office machine, that setting may be off on purpose — some workplaces restrict PC faxing deliberately. Ask before changing it rather than switching it back and wondering why it turns off again next week.
Fix 2: Send from the machine itself instead
A quick way around a blocked fax driver, and a decent test. Put the pages in the feeder and dial from the keypad. If that works, you've confirmed the problem is the computer route rather than the phone line or the recipient.
Fix 3: If it's an address problem, re-enter the destination
- Check whether the address book entry or group you used still exists.
- Register it again if it's gone, or type the fax number in directly this once.
- Resend.
For a fax that failed to forward, register the forwarding destination again. If the document is still sitting in the machine's memory, you can usually forward it without rescanning.
Fix 4: Check what's inside your groups
If you send to a group, open it and confirm it still contains real addresses. A group whose members have all been deleted looks perfectly normal from the outside and fails every time. Also make sure a mail box hasn't been set as a group member.
If None of That Works
The awkward case is a managed office machine where you can't reach the settings menu. Allow Fax Driver TX is a restriction setting, so it may be locked by whoever administers the machine — that's who to ask, and code #022 plus "PC faxing is disabled" is enough for them to act on.
