How to Scan Documents
Online for Free
A complete, step-by-step guide to scanning, enhancing, and exporting your documents directly from your browser—no app required.
Capture Your Document
Click the Scan Document button on the homepage to access your device's camera. Place your document on a contrasting background (like a dark table for a white piece of paper) for best results. Alternatively, you can click Import Image to upload an existing photo from your gallery.
Automatic Edge Detection
Once captured, our local AI instantly detects the edges of your document and applies perspective correction to flatten it. If the AI missed slightly, simply drag the four corner handles to perfectly align the crop box with your document's edges.
Enhance Your Scan
Apply professional filters to make the text legible and clear. Choose from:
- Original: Unaltered image
- Enhanced: Boosts colors and contrast (best for colored documents)
- Black & White: High contrast, removes all color (best for text documents)
- Grayscale: Removes color but keeps shading
Add More Pages (Optional)
Need to scan a multi-page contract or book chapter? Click the "+" button in the document editor to capture additional pages. You can easily drag and drop pages to reorder them, or delete pages if you make a mistake.
Extract Text via OCR (Optional)
Click the text recognition icon to extract all text from your scanned image. This process runs locally on your device, ensuring complete privacy. Once extracted, you can instantly copy the text to your clipboard.
Export & Share
Once you're satisfied with your document, click the Export button. Choose your preferred format:
- PDF: Best for sharing contracts, forms, and multi-page documents.
- DOCX: Best if you need to edit the document in Microsoft Word.
- Images (JPG/PNG): Best for uploading to web forms or sending via messaging apps.
Pro Tips for Perfect Scans
Use Natural Lighting
Avoid harsh shadows by scanning near a window or in a well-lit room. Flash can cause glare on glossy paper.
Contrasting Backgrounds
Place white paper on a dark desk. The higher the contrast, the better our AI can detect the edges.
Hold Steady
Blurry photos result in poor OCR text recognition. Ensure the camera is focused before tapping capture.
Install the App
Install CamScanner Online as a PWA (via your browser menu) to scan documents offline without internet.
Ready to Scan?
Start digitizing your documents right now. It's completely free and highly secure.
Open Scanner