Scanning documents isn't fun, just nosotros all have to do information technology sometimes. Thankfully, using your Android device, you can quickly scan documents without whatsoever special equipment.

Side by side time you need to digitize a receipt for reimbursement, scan a government class then you can email information technology, or want to save business cards to your estimator, here'south a simple guide covering how to browse documents on Android.

The Simple Android Scanner Method: Google Drive

Android doesn't offer a built-in style to scan documents, so the easiest option is using the Google Drive app. Since it's installed on most every Android device out of the box, information technology'due south as good as a default method.

Scanning with Google Drive also offers several benefits. As it uploads your browse to your Drive account, you don't have to remember to back upward your documents manually. It's also easy to share your scans with family or colleagues past sending them a Drive link.

How to Scan Documents Using the Google Bulldoze App

If you lot don't have the app already, install Google Drive from the Play Store, open the app, and sign into your Google account. On whatsoever of the app's tabs, tap the Plus push button at the bottom-right of the screen to show the Create new panel. Choose Browse once this appears.

If this is your starting time fourth dimension using Google Drive, y'all'll have to grant permission for the app to use your camera. One time you lot've done so, the camera will launch and allow y'all to snap a photo of the document y'all want to browse. Utilise the camera interface as normal to take this picture. Mutual options like zoom and a timer are available, if needed.

You'll see a preview of your photo; tap the redo button to endeavor again, or the Check button if you're satisfied. Later on hitting the Check button, you'll have the option to make several edits to your scan.

Editing Your Scan in Google Drive

Google Drive offers four icons at the lesser of your scan page. From left to right, these are:

  • Redo: Tap the arrow to scan the document again, which is useful if it came out blurry or similar.
  • Color: The palette icon lets y'all choose between four color enhancement options. Black & White and Color are the well-nigh mutual, depending on whether your document has color. But y'all tin try the other two to see if they improve the scan quality.
  • Rotate: Use this to rotate the scan in 90-degree increments.
  • Ingather: Google Drive'south scanner should automatically crop the scan to what it detects as the edges of your document. But in example it didn't become this right, use the Crop tool to suit the edges yourself.

If you desire to add boosted scans, tap the Plus icon in the bottom-left corner to browse another certificate. Finally, there are a few options accessible using the three-dot menu at the peak-right. Use Rename scan to change the generic name that uses the date and time.

At that place are a few options nether Settings worth looking at, as well. Image enhancement lets yous set up the default color enhancement. Paper Size lets yous modify the size of certificate the terminal PDF uses, while Newspaper Orientation can be Landscape or Portrait if you don't like the Automatic option.

Finally, change the Image Quality if yous want higher-quality scans, or to drop the quality for smaller file sizes.

Viewing and Saving Scanned Documents in Google Drive

When you're all washed, tap the Salve push button dorsum on the main scan page. Here, you'll have a gamble to change the certificate title if you haven't already, also as pick which Google Drive business relationship the file goes to (if you have multiple). Pick a Folder, and it will upload to Drive when you tap Salve.

You can view the PDF in your Google Drive anytime. If you desire to access it even without a network connection, tap the three-dot push button on the file and choose Brand bachelor offline. You can also choose Download to save a local re-create anywhere on your phone's storage.

How to Scan Documents on Android Using Microsoft Lens

While scanning documents on Android with Google Drive is piece of cake, you might not like the app for any reason. Peradventure you don't desire to utilise a Google business relationship, or perhaps you don't like the thought of every scan you make uploading to the cloud.

In that instance, there are tons of mobile document scanner apps worth using. We'll highlight 1 of the best: Microsoft Lens. Information technology's a uncomplicated Android document scanner that lets you easily salvage your scans equally local files, which fixes the biggest hangup with Google Drive.

Install Microsoft Lens, so open up it to start. During the brief intro, yous'll see some basic info most the app and will exist asked to grant permission to your photos and camera. Once you've washed this, Lens lets you jump right into scanning.

Microsoft Lens Scanning Modes

Unlike Google Bulldoze, Lens provides modes for scanning unlike types of media. Along the lesser, you can switch to Whiteboard, Certificate, Actions, Business Carte, or Photo. Nearly of these are cocky-explanatory, except for Actions, which houses several tools.

Inside Actions, you tin can utilise the sub-menu to cull from the following OCR tools:

  • Text: Excerpt the text from a motion-picture show so you tin can copy or share it.
  • Table: Grabs a printed tabular array from an image.
  • Read: Speaks text in your image out loud.
  • Contact: Grabs the info from a business card and saves it to a contact on your phone.
  • QR Lawmaking: Scan a QR lawmaking with your phone to open the information it holds. This isn't OCR, but it's grouped into the same menu.

Capturing and Editing Using Microsoft Lens

No matter which style you're using, scanning the document is the same: just point your camera at it and snap a picture as usual. For best results, utilise a groundwork that contrasts with the document yous're scanning, and hold your phone correct above the media for the cleanest capture.

After capturing with Lens, you can arrange the borders in example the app doesn't detect them properly. In one case you hit Confirm, you'll encounter a page with all sort of options.

Add opens the scanner and then you can add more images to the document. Utilize Filters to change the look of the image, and so Crop and Rotate if it doesn't look right.

Under More, you can select Ink to draw on the document, Text to overlay typed text, or Reorder to rearrange the items in a scan. When you're happy, tap Done to move on.

Saving and Uploading With Lens

Now, you can cull where to relieve your scanned file. Adjust the Title at the pinnacle, and then bank check the box for every location you desire to save the file to. Your Gallery is selected by default, which saves the scan equally an image.

But you can as well salve the scan to a PDF in your OneDrive, an OCR document in Word, or other Microsoft apps like OneNote and PowerPoint. These aren't necessary, just if you already use Microsoft Function products, they'll make your workflow more efficient.

Tap Relieve when washed, and your Android browse is consummate. Y'all'll find it in the Office Lens folder on your phone, which should appear in your Gallery app.

Scanning Documents Made Easy With Android

You have a handy PDF scanner right on your Android phone. Next time you take to browse something, save the trip to the library or getting a home scanner. It'south piece of cake to utilise these ii Android document scanner apps to capture and modify documents.

This isn't the only kind of scanning your phone tin can do, though. Did you know your phone can scan barcodes to learn more about them?

The 7 Best Barcode Scanner Apps

Read Side by side

About The Writer

Ben Stegner (1807 Articles Published)

Ben is the Editor in Chief at MakeUseOf. He left his IT task to write full-time in 2016 and has never looked dorsum. He'south been roofing tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more than equally a professional author for over viii years.

More From Ben Stegner