How to Scan Documents with Your Android Phone

Android phones can scan multi-page documents and save them as PDF files using Google Drive, Google Photos, or Samsung's built-in scanner — no separate scanner needed.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Open Google Drive and find the scan button
2.Position your phone over the document
3.Capture the scan
4.Add more pages if needed
5.Save and name the file

Open Google Drive and find the scan button

~15s

Open the Google Drive app. Tap the + button in the bottom right corner. From the menu that appears, tap "Scan" (it may also appear as a camera icon with a document symbol).

Position your phone over the document

~17s

Hold your phone directly above the document, about 12 inches away. Keep the phone steady. The app shows a blue outline around the detected document edges.

Quick Tip

Place the document on a contrasting surface — a dark table under white paper helps the app detect edges more accurately.

Capture the scan

~15s

Tap the white circle button to capture, or wait for auto-capture to trigger when the alignment is good. The app shows a preview with perspective correction applied.

Add more pages if needed

~15s

Tap the + icon in the lower left to add another page. Scan each additional page the same way. All pages will be combined into a single PDF.

Save and name the file

~21s

Tap the checkmark to confirm. Enter a name for the file (like "Insurance Card 2026") and choose a Google Drive folder to save it in. Tap "Save." The PDF is now in your Drive.

Quick Tip

For important documents like insurance cards, passports, or medical records — scan them and save to a dedicated "Important Documents" folder in Google Drive for easy access.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Scan Documents with Your Android Phone

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Scanning documents with your Android phone is faster and more convenient than using a flatbed scanner. You hold the phone over a paper document, and the app automatically detects the edges, corrects the perspective, and saves it as a PDF or image file.

Android has several built-in options for scanning:

Google Drive

: Open the Google Drive app, tap the + button, then "Scan." Position the phone over the document. Drive automatically detects the page edges and takes the photo. You can add more pages for multi-page documents. The result is saved as a PDF in Google Drive.

Samsung Notes

(Samsung Galaxy phones): The Samsung Notes app has a document scanner built in. Open the app, create a new note, tap the attachment icon, and select "Scan Document." Samsung's scanner has excellent edge detection and auto-correction.

Microsoft Lens

(free download): Microsoft's scanning app is one of the best available. It has modes for documents, whiteboards, photos, and business cards. Scans can be exported to PDF, Word, OneNote, or sent to OneDrive.

For clean scans, place the document on a flat, dark-colored surface in good lighting. Avoid scanning near windows where glare is an issue. Most scanning apps have an auto-capture mode that takes the photo when the document is properly framed.

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