How to Scan Documents With an Android Phone: A Step-by-Step Guide

You can directly scan any document from your Android phone using the built-in tool in the Google Drive app.

Advertisement
Written by Dhruv Raghav, Edited by Rohan Pal | Updated: 26 September 2026 12:00 IST
Highlights
  • Google Drive also allows you to edit the document
  • You can directly save the scanned document as a PDF
  • Some handset makers integrate the tool into the camera app

Here's how you can scan document using your Android phone

Photo Credit: Unsplash/apphunter.io

Smartphones have become much more capable over the years, with the ability to replace a laptop or a computer for specific tasks, a camera, a webcam, and an entertainment device. We use them to scroll social media and get our office work done, apart from taking calls. With the cameras on our handsets also improving, you can use them to scan official documents, eliminating the need to own a separate scanner. Apart from helping you save money, scanning documents directly from your phone is also more convenient, as you can save the file in a format of your choice without hassle.

If you are also wondering how you can scan documents using your Android smartphone easily, without downloading a third-party app, here is a step-by-step guide to help you with it.

Advertisement

How to Scan Documents With an Android Phone via the Google Drive App

Step 1: First, open the Google Drive app on your Android smartphone.

Step 2: Then, tap the Camera button, which appears in the bottom right of the screen.

Advertisement

Step 3: Now, adjust your camera's frame to cover all four corners of the document.

Step 4: You will see a blue outline around the document, which indicates the areas where the image will be cropped. Adjust the corners to add or remove parts of the document.

Advertisement

Step 5: Now, tap the capture button to take the image of the document.

Alternatively, you can toggle between Manual and Auto capture if you wish to speed up the process.

Advertisement

Step 6: Once captured, you can adjust the scanned document by tapping the Crop and Rotate button, tapping the Filter button to add a filter, or tapping the Clean button to erase.

Step 7: If you wish to add multiple pages to the same document, click on the Add button.

Step 8: If you are not satisfied with the scanned document, you can tap the Retake button.

Similarly, tap the Delete button to remove a page.

Once satisfied, click on the Done button.

Step 9: To save the scanned document, first name it or select the suggested title.

Step 10: Now, select the format you wish to save the document as, for example, PDF or JPG.

Step 11: Select the folder you wish to save the document to.

Step 12: Now, hit the Save button.

How to Scan Documents With an Android Phone via the Camera App

Some OEMs offer a built-in document scanner in their Android phone's default camera app.

Step 1: First, open the camera app on your phone.

Step 2: Point your phone's camera towards the document. Make sure that the document is placed on a flat surface.

Step 3: Depending on your OEM, you will see a page symbol on either side of your screen in a yellow shade. Tap the page symbol.

Step 4: Here, you can tap the Retake button if you wish to scan the document again.

Step 5: Now, you must tap Save to store the scanned document, which will appear in your gallery app or the Files folder.

FAQs

1. Can I scan a document using my Android phone?

Yes, you can scan a physical document directly from your Android phone using the Google Drive app.

2. Do I need to download an app to scan documents using my Android phone?

No, you can scan documents using the built-in scanner in the Google Drive app or the document scanner in your phone's camera app.

3. Where are the scanned documents saved on my Android phone?

If you scanned it using the Google Drive app, the scanned documents will appear in the default folder in your Google Drive.

 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement
Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale: iPhone 17, Google Pixel 11 to Get Discounts
  2. Vivo V80 May Launch in India Early Next Month At This Price
  3. 10 Years, 15+ Phones: The Complete Oppo F Series Timeline
  4. HMD Vibe 2 Pro Confirmed to Launch in India Next Week; Specifications Teased
  5. Here's How Much the Oppo K14 Plus 5G Will Cost in India
  6. Oppo F35 Series Could Launch in India on This Date: See Expected Price
  1. Magic Eden Investigates Possible Exploit After NFTs Move for 0 ETH
  2. Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026: Early Deals Are Now Live on OnePlus N6x, iQOO Z10 Lite 5G, and More
  3. Marking 12 Years of Make in India, Gov't Targets the Brains Inside Our Smartphones
  4. Google Photos Update Brings Redact Tool, Moods and AI Wardrobe
  5. Halo Studios Reportedly Has Around 30 Employees Left After Layoffs as Activision Takes Charge of Franchise
  6. KelpDAO Sues LayerZero Over $292 Million rsETH Exploit, Claims Bridge Risks Were Not Disclosed
  7. OpenAI Plans to Launch a New Cybersecurity-Focused GPT-6 Series AI Model: Report
  8. Vivo V80 Price in India Leaked Ahead of October 6 Launch: What You Need to Know
  9. Infinix GT NX Controller With Pixel-Level FPS Touchpad, GT NX Station Cooling Dock Unveiled
  10. Bitget Suffers $351.6 Million Security Breach, Exchange Says No Private Keys Were Leaked
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.