How to use your phone as a scanner

Instructions on how to use your phone to scan a document and then get the document to your computer.

How to Use your phone as a Scanner

We have heard from a few that you have hard copies of documents, but no way to get them onto your computer, because you don’t have a scanner. We recognize that not everyone has a smartphone, but if you do, you can scan or take a picture of the document. 

There are many apps that can take pictures of documents and turn them into a PDF. One that is free, easy to use, and does not require you to sign in is Microsoft Office Lens. It is available for both Android and iOS and can be found in their respective app stores. The instructions below are for Microsoft Office Lens.

To scan a document with your phone:

1. Place the document you want to scan on a flat surface, like a desk or table.
2. Open Office Lens on your phone.
3. Align the document in the viewfinder and press the shutter button when you are ready.

4. If you have more pages to scan, tap on "Add New" in the bottom left corner.

5. Once you are done scanning pages, tap "Done" in the bottom right corner.
6. Select how you want to save the file. You can save it locally as a PDF or connect your Dartmouth Office 365 account to save the file in different formats.

7. With the settings above, the document will be saved as a PDF file on your device.
8. In "My Files", tap on the three dots in the corner of the file's thumbnail. Tap Share.

9. Choose how you want to share the file.

On your computer:

1. If you emailed the document to yourself or uploaded it to cloud storage, you can download it now.
2. Verify that the document is clear and readable.
3. If you need to upload the document from your computer you can do so now.