How to scan documents on Android: Google Drive or Doc Scanner
Updated
Here is how to scan a document on Android: open Google Drive, tap Camera and photograph the page, or open Doc Scanner, tap Scan and let automatic edge detection capture, straighten and save the page as a PDF. Both are free to start; this guide walks through each, step by step, on any Android phone.
Doc Scanner by Ginowl (“Doc Scanner: PDF Scan, OCR” on Google Play, Android 7.0 or later) keeps your scans on your phone with no sign-in inside the app, and adds both sides of an ID card on one page (Premium), reusable signatures and password-protected PDFs (Premium). It is on the App Store for iPhone too.
Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Doc Scanner by Ginowl — iPhone & Android · Free to download
How to scan a document on Android with Doc Scanner
Open the camera
Install Doc Scanner from Google Play and open it. There is nothing to sign up for. Tap Scan at the bottom of the home screen, or open the Tools tab and tap Document.
Pick Document or Batch
In the camera's mode bar, choose Document for a letter or form, or Batch for a stack of pages.
Capture the pages
Tap the shutter and hold the phone over the page. The scanner outlines the edges, corrects the perspective and captures automatically. Add the next page and keep going, up to 100 pages in one scan, then confirm.
Clean it up
Open the document: Crop to drag the corner handles or Rotate, Edit to choose Magic Color, Grayscale, B&W, Lighten or Contrast (tap Apply to all pages for the whole file), and Sign to place your saved signature.
Share as PDF or JPG
Tap Share, pick PDF or JPG, set the Quality and Page Size, choose pages with Select pages, then send it to Gmail, WhatsApp, Drive or any app in the share sheet, or tap Print.
Keep it findable
Rename the document and move it into a folder. Later, search finds words inside the recognized text, not only file names.
Scan with Google Drive
Most Android phones already have Google Drive, and its scanner is free and good. Google's help describes these steps:
- Open the Google Drive app and tap Camera at the bottom right.
- Hold the phone over the page. A blue line outlines the document; capture manually or let auto capture do it.
- Use Crop & Rotate, Filter for colour or grayscale, and Clean to erase stains or fingers.
- Tap Add to scan another page.
- Name the file, choose .pdf or .jpg, pick the Drive folder under Location and save.
Drive saves the scan as a searchable PDF in your Google Drive, so it counts toward your Google Account storage. That storage is shared with Gmail and Google Photos, and Google says new accounts created since March 9, 2026 start with 5 GB until a phone number is verified.
If you only need a quick PDF in Drive, that is a fine choice. If you'd rather keep scans on the phone, need a card on one page or want a Word file without a computer (both Premium), use the steps above with Doc Scanner.
Scan with Doc Scanner: what you get
On Android, Doc Scanner's automatic edge detection uses Google Play services' document scanner, so capture feels as quick and familiar as Google's own: edges outlined, perspective corrected, page captured. Here is the full toolkit around it:
- Five camera modes in one bar: Document, Batch, ID Card (Premium), Extract Text (Premium) and QR Scanner.
- Up to 100 pages per scan, then Add page, Reorder or Delete page whenever you like, and Merge for separate scans.
- Six filters per page or for all pages: Original, Magic Color, Grayscale, B&W, Lighten and Contrast.
- Highlighter in four colours, crop with corner handles, rotate and rename.
- Searchable PDFs with an invisible text layer, on the free plan.
- No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up.
Have photos already? In the Tools tab tap Photos to pick several at once, or Import PDF. From your gallery or file manager you can also send images and PDFs to Doc Scanner with Share or Open with. Need the whole stack in one file? See how to scan multiple pages into one PDF.
Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi and other phones
Menus differ between phone brands, but Doc Scanner doesn't: the steps above are the same on a Samsung Galaxy, a Google Pixel, a Xiaomi or any other phone with Android 7.0 or later and Google Play. That makes it easy to help a parent or a colleague over the phone, even if one of you has an iPhone.
Google offers two more scanners worth knowing:
- Files by Google: open the app and tap Scan at the bottom right. Scans are saved automatically as PDFs in a Scanned folder inside Downloads.
- Pixel Camera: on a Pixel, point the camera at a document, wait for the Scan document prompt and tap it, then save, download or share.
Google's newest Drive scanner, announced in June 2026, captures several pages in one camera view, but Google says it is only available on Android devices with 8GB+ RAM. Doc Scanner's Batch mode captures pages one after another, up to 100 in one scan. Want the full app comparison? Read the scanner app for Android page.
Save as PDF or JPG and share
Pick the format the recipient expects before you hit send:
- PDF for job applications, leases, school portals and anything with more than one page.
- JPG when an upload form only accepts images.
- Quality: Low or Medium keeps a long scan small enough for e-mail and chat apps; High keeps fine print crisp.
- Page Size: Letter in the US, A4 almost everywhere else, or Original to keep the scan's shape.
Then share through the Android share sheet: Gmail, WhatsApp, Google Drive or a printer app. Doc Scanner doesn't drop your scans into a cloud folder; you decide where each file goes. For other formats, tap Convert in the document: Word (.docx) and TXT (both Premium, plain recognized text) or PowerPoint (.pptx). Google's help says that to convert PDF and photo files to text with Drive you go to drive.google.com on a computer; Doc Scanner does it on the phone. Mailing it right away? Follow how to scan and e-mail a document.
Scan without a Google account sign-in
You need a Google account to install apps from Google Play, but Doc Scanner asks for no sign-in inside the app. Open it and scan: an account is created for you automatically in the background, and signing in with Google is optional.
Your scans are stored in the app on your phone, not in a Drive folder, so they don't use your Google storage. Files by Google also keeps scans on the phone; Doc Scanner adds saved signatures on top, plus the ID card layout, password protection and Word export with Premium.
When you need more: ID cards, text, signatures
Both sides of an ID card on one page
Google's Drive, Files and Pixel Camera scan help describes page-by-page capture and documents no ID card mode. Doc Scanner's ID Card mode (Premium) scans the front, then the back, and puts both on one A4-style page. Lay the card on a dark surface and tilt it slightly if the laminate shows glare. Here is how to scan an ID card.
Signatures you draw once
Drive and Files let you draw freehand on a PDF. Doc Scanner saves your signature so you can place and resize it on any page in seconds, on the free plan: sign a PDF on your phone.
Copy text and lock files
Extract Text (Premium) copies printed text from a photo or scan with AI-powered text recognition that runs on your phone, even offline. Before you send tax papers or medical forms, turn on Protect with password on the Share screen for AES-256 encryption (Premium); Google's scanning help doesn't offer a PDF password.
Google Drive scan vs Doc Scanner at a glance
Both capture pages well. Choose by where you want the file and what you do with it next.
| Google Drive scan | Doc Scanner | |
|---|---|---|
| Where scans go | Your Google Drive (Google Account storage) | In the app on your phone; share anywhere |
| Sign-in | Google Account | None needed in the app; Google sign-in optional |
| Formats | .pdf or .jpg | PDF or JPG; Word and TXT (Premium); PowerPoint |
| Searchable PDF | Yes | Yes, on the free plan |
| Scan to editable text | On a computer at drive.google.com | On the phone with Convert (Premium) |
| ID card front and back on one page | No ID card mode documented | Yes, ID Card mode (Premium) |
| Signatures | Freehand pen on PDFs | Saved signature, place and resize, free |
| PDF password | Not offered in Google's scanning help | AES-256 (Premium) |
See Doc Scanner in action
Scan your first document in seconds
Doc Scanner is free to download for iPhone and Android. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up required.
Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Frequently asked questions
How do I scan a document on my Android phone?
Open Google Drive, tap Camera at the bottom right and photograph the page, then save it as a PDF in Drive. Or open Doc Scanner, tap Scan, choose Document or Batch and tap the shutter: the page is outlined, straightened and captured automatically, and you export a PDF or JPG from Share.
Can I scan without Google Drive?
Yes. Files by Google has a Scan button that saves PDFs to a Scanned folder in Downloads, and Doc Scanner saves scans in the app on your phone with no sign-in inside the app. You can still send any scan to Drive later through the share sheet.
How do I scan to PDF on Android?
In Doc Scanner, scan the pages, open the document, tap Share and choose PDF. Set the quality (Low, Medium or High) and page size (Original, A4 or Letter), then send or save it. In Google Drive, choose .pdf before you save the scan.
Is Doc Scanner free?
Doc Scanner is free to download and has a free plan for scanning, signing and exporting PDFs. Premium unlocks text extraction, ID card mode, password-protected PDFs and more.
Does it work on Samsung and Xiaomi phones?
Yes. Doc Scanner runs on Android phones with Android 7.0 or later from Google Play, including Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel and Xiaomi models, and the steps are the same on each.
Can I scan both sides of an ID on one page on Android?
Yes, with Doc Scanner's ID Card mode (Premium): scan the front, flip the card, scan the back, and both sides land on one A4-style page you can share as a PDF or JPG or print.
Sources
- Google Drive Help (Android): Scan documents (checked 2026-10-01)
- Files by Google Help: Scan documents (checked 2026-10-01)
- Pixel Camera Help: Scan documents (checked 2026-10-01)
- Google Workspace Updates: Quickly scan multiple pages in Google Drive on Android (June 2026) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Google One Help: How your Google storage works (checked 2026-10-01)
- Google Drive Help (Android): Convert PDF and photo files to text (checked 2026-10-01)
- Google Drive Help: Annotate PDFs on Android (checked 2026-10-01)
- Files by Google Help: Open, manage and edit PDFs (checked 2026-10-01)
Doc Scanner is not affiliated with Google, Google Drive, Files by Google, Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi and WhatsApp. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Related pages
- Android scanner appDoc Scanner is a scanner app for Android phones, Samsung Galaxy included: searchable PDFs, free signatures, offline text recognition. No ads, no sign-up.
- Many pages, one PDFScan multiple pages into one PDF on iPhone or Android: Batch mode captures page after page, then reorder, add or merge. No watermarks, no ads, no sign-up.
- Scan and emailHow to scan and email a document from iPhone or Android: scan, pick PDF, set quality and pages, then send with Gmail, Outlook or Mail. No watermark.
- Scan ID cardsScan both sides of an ID card onto one page with Doc Scanner for iPhone and Android. Front and back on one A4-style PDF or JPG, ready to print or share.
- Sign PDFsSign a PDF on your phone for free: draw your signature once in Doc Scanner, reuse it on any page, export with no watermark. For iPhone and Android.
- Image to textImage to text app for iPhone and Android: Doc Scanner reads text in photos and scans on your phone, offline. Copy it or save TXT or Word (Premium).
- Best for AndroidThe best scanner apps for Android in 2026, ranked: Doc Scanner, Google Drive, Adobe Scan, Genius Scan, CamScanner. Sourced facts on ads, watermarks, OCR.
- Scan on iPhoneStep-by-step: scan a document on iPhone with Notes or Files, or with Doc Scanner for searchable multi-page PDFs, ID cards on one page and more export formats.