How to Scan Documents With Your Phone: Straight, Clean and as One PDF

You do not need a scanner at home to send a clean document. A phone camera is enough, as long as the picture is straightened, the shadows are removed and the pages end up in one file. The free Document Scanner does exactly that in your browser.

Quick answer

Open Document Scanner, add photos of your pages, check the detected corners (drag them if needed), choose colour, grey or black-and-white, then save all pages as one PDF in A4 or at the picture's size.

Why a plain phone photo is not enough

A photo of a page is usually skewed, because you hold the phone at an angle. It has shadows from your hand and the room, a grey-looking paper colour, and background clutter around the edges. It looks unprofessional and is hard to read. A scan fixes each of these problems by finding the paper, straightening it and cleaning the colours.

How to scan, step by step

1. Open the Document Scanner.
2. Add one or more pictures of your pages. You can add up to 20 pages at a time.
3. The four corners of the paper are found automatically. If they are not right, drag the round dots on the corners into place with your finger or mouse.
4. Choose how the page should look: colour, grey, or black-and-white like a photocopy.
5. Choose the page size: A4 or the picture's own size.
6. Save all pages as one PDF, in the order you added them.

Your pictures stay on your device during this process, which is a good feature for private papers such as ID cards.

Taking a good photo for scanning

• Put the paper on a dark, plain surface so the edges are easy to detect. The tool works best when the paper is lighter than the table.
• Use good, even light, such as near a window, and avoid casting your own shadow on the page.
• Hold the phone directly above the page and fill the frame with the paper.
• Keep the page flat. Press down the corners of a book or folded paper.
• Take a sharp photo and wait for the camera to focus.

Choosing colour, grey or black-and-white

• Colour keeps stamps, signatures in blue ink and photographs.
• Grey is a good middle ground and keeps the file small.
• Black-and-white looks like a photocopy and gives the smallest, cleanest text pages.

Typical documents to scan

NID cards, birth certificates, mark sheets, bank statements, receipts, contracts, book pages and class notes all scan well. For an ID card, scan the front and back as two pages of one PDF.

After scanning

• Make the PDF smaller with Compress PDF if a form has a size limit.
• Combine with other files using Merge PDF.
• Get the text out with Image to Text if you need to edit the words.
• Rotate sideways pages with Rotate PDF.

When a phone scan is accepted, and when it is not

Many organisations accept a clean phone scan, including banks for supporting documents, universities for certificates and employers for onboarding papers. Some situations need a flatbed scan or the original document, such as legal filings or notarised copies. Read the instructions and, if in doubt, ask.

Documents and best practices

Lighting and background

Good scans start before you press the shutter:

• Daylight near a window gives even light.
• Avoid your own shadow; hold the phone high and straight above.
• Place the paper on a dark, plain surface so the edges are easy to detect.
• Turn off the flash, which causes a bright spot.
• Wipe the camera lens with a soft cloth.

Keeping files small and organised

1. Scan at colour for important stamps, otherwise grayscale or black-and-white.
2. Save as one PDF per document, with a clear name.
3. Use Compress PDF when a portal limits file size.
4. Combine related documents with Merge PDF.
5. Keep private scans in a protected folder, and remove them from shared devices.

Quick checklist for a good scan

1. Place the paper on a dark, plain surface.
2. Use daylight and avoid shadows.
3. Hold the phone straight above the page.
4. Check the corners in the scanner and adjust if needed.
5. Choose colour only when you must, and save as a single PDF.

A worked example: sending documents for a visa application

Rubel has to send his passport, bank statement, photo and employment letter to a visa centre. He places each document on a dark table by a window and photographs it from above. In the scanner he checks the corners, chooses black-and-white for the letter and bank statement, colour for the passport and the photo page. He adds the pages in the order of the checklist and saves one PDF. The file is 14 MB, so he compresses it to under 3 MB. He then names it rubel-visa-documents.pdf and uploads it. The whole job takes about ten minutes without a trip to a print shop.

Mistakes to avoid

• Photographing documents on a bed or patterned cloth, which confuses edge detection.
• Missing corners, especially on passports.
• Leaving the flash on.
• Sending photos instead of a single PDF when the checklist asks for one.

Frequently asked questions

How many pages can I scan at once? Up to 20 pages at a time, in the order you added the pictures.

What if the corners are detected wrongly? Drag the round dots on the four corners into place.

Are my pictures uploaded? No. They stay on your device while you work.

Does it work for ID cards? Yes. NID cards, certificates, receipts and book pages all work.

Is it free? Yes.

Is a phone scan legally valid? It depends on who requests it. Many organisations accept it, but some require originals or certified copies.

Can I scan both sides of an ID card on one page? Yes. The NID Card to PDF tool lays the front and back out on one page.

How do I get text out of my scan? Use Image to Text or OCR PDF.

Can I scan a laminated card? Yes, but reflections can be a problem. Tilt slightly or use soft light to avoid glare.

How do I scan a book without a shadow in the middle? Press the book flat, use light from both sides and crop in the scanner.

Next step

Open the Document Scanner below, add your photos and create a clean PDF in a minute.