What if I don't have a scanner?

No scanner? No problem. Learn how easy to use apps can scan in a snap.

If you don't have a scanner, don't worry. In this article we'll walk you through several other options to scan documents with your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet.

Option 1: Adobe Scan

1. Download the Adobe Scan app
   • Download for iOS: Adobe Scan: PDF Scanner & OCR
   • Download for Android: Adobe Scan: PDF Scanner, OCR
2. Sign in with your Adobe account (sign up at www.adobe.com) 
3. Scan the document
   • Select 'document' at the bottom of the screen
   • Hold the phone over the document and follow the on screen instructions
   • Repeat for additional pages
   • When you've scanned all the pages, tap the accumulated pages in the bottom right
   • Select 'save PDF' in the top right
4. You can use the 'share' option to send the final PDF to your computer

Option 2: Microsoft Lens

1. Download the Microsoft Lens app
   • Download for iOS: Microsoft Lens: PDF Scanner
   • Download for Android: Microsoft Lens - PDF Scanner
2. Scan the document
   • Select 'document' at the bottom of the screen
   • When the box is centered on the document, press the camera button
   • Confirm the page scan
   • To scan additional pages, press the back arrow and repeat the scanning process
   • When you've scanned all the pages, tap the accumulated pages in the bottom right
3. Select 'Done' and export the PDF to your computer

Alternatives

If you are a Dropbox app user, we also recommend their scanning features. You can access this from the 'create' menu, then 'scan document'.

General scanning tips

• Place the document on a dark background, away from edges like the corner of a table or other papers
• Make sure the space is well lit
• Take the photos from as close to directly over the document as you can