How to scan a document on a Xiaomi phone: a detailed guide with photos and videos

Scanning documents via Xiaomi smartphone is a quick way to digitize a passport, diploma, receipt or contract without visiting a copier, POCO And Mi have cameras that are 12 MP, which is enough to make clear scans with legible text, but how to get professional quality, avoid glare and save the file properly in format. PDF or JPEG?

In this article, we will analyze all available methods - from built-in tools. MIUI We'll go to specialized applications, compare them in speed, quality and convenience, learn how to adjust perspective, improve readability and even recognize text for editing, and also how to get around the file size limit when sending scans by mail or messengers.

1. the built-in application "Scanner" in MIUI: step-by-step

Starting with the version MIUI 12, Xiaomi has a standard Scanner app (called Documents on some models) that requires no installation, automatically optimizes images for the format. A4 and maintains the preservation of PDF.

To take advantage of it:

• 📱 Open the Scanner app (the icon looks like a document with a magnifier). If it's not on the home screen, search the system (Swipe down the screen). → enter "Scanner").
• 📸 Point the camera at the document. The app will automatically highlight the boundaries with a green frame. If autodetection doesn't work, press manually and circle the corners with your finger.
• ✅ Confirm the frame with the Save button. If necessary, edit the scan: trim the edges, turn or apply the Black and White filter for better readability.
• 💾 Click "Ready" and select the format: PDF (for official documents) or JPEG (fast-past).

The main advantage of this method is the lack of advertising and integration with the Mi Cloud, but it has limitations:

• ❌ It does not support multi-page PDF (each sheet is kept separate).
• ❌ No text recognition function (OCR) editable.
• ❌ The quality of the scan depends on the lighting – in dark rooms may appear noise.

💡

If the scan is too dark, turn on the Lamp mode in the app, which will illuminate the document without glare.

2. Scanning through Google Drive: a universal way

If your Xiaomi doesn’t have a built-in scanner or prefer cloud services, use Google Drive.This method is suitable for all models, including the outdated Redmi. 4X or Mi A1, It allows you to upload scans to the cloud.

Instructions:

1. Open the Google Drive app (if not, download it from the Play Market).
2. Press «+» → «Scan” (camera icon).
3. Take a picture of the document. Drive will automatically trim the edges and improve contrast.
4. Click "Done" and select the folder to save. The file will be available in format. PDF.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 Automatic sync with all devices where you are logged in to Google.
• 📄 Multi-page support (you can add new pages to existing documents) PDF).
• 🌐 Text recognition (the “Text Retrieve” function in the file menu).

But there are nuances:

⚠️ Google Drive compresses scans to 200 resolution DPI, What might not be enough for notarized copies? For high quality, use specialized applications.

3. Top.-3 Third-party scanning apps on Xiaomi

If the built-in tools are not suitable for functionality, install one of the tested applications. We tested them on Xiaomi 12 Pro, Redmi Note 11 and other devices. POCO X3 Pro - everyone is working stably.

Selection recommendations:

• 📱 For official documents (passport, diploma) choose Microsoft Lens – it retains maximum resolution and supports export to Word.
• 📄 If you want a multi-page PDF With editable text, use Adobe Scan.
• 💼 CamScanner is suitable for business documents (contracts, checks), but be prepared for watermarks in the free version.

Make sure the document is on a flat surface.|

Use natural light (avoid yellow light bulbs)|

Clean your phone’s camera from dust and prints|

Turn off mode "HDR" In camera settings (it can distort colors)-->

4.How to improve scan quality: 5 professional tips

Even with a good application, the scan can be blurred or glare-filled. Follow these guidelines for the perfect result:

1. Lighting. The best option is natural light at the window.

• 💡 Incandescent lamp (gives a yellow hue).
• 🔦 The sun is in the shadows (the shadows are in the light).
• 📱 Smartphone flashes (creates glare on glossy paper).

2. Angle of shooting. Keep the camera strictly perpendicular to the document. If the scan is made with perspective (for example, the edges are "bulled"), use the "Corption" function in Adobe Scan or Microsoft Lens applications.

3. Resolution. In the application settings, select:

• 📄 For text documents: 300 DPI, format PDF.
• 🖼️ For photo/graphics: 150 DPI, format JPEG.

4. Color profile. For official papers, use Black and White mode, which reduces file size and improves readability. For color documents (such as ID cards), choose Color.

5 Post-processing: If the scan is dull, increase the contrast in any graphics editor (e.g. Snapseed or Lightroom Mobile).

5. Scanning multipage documents: a step-by-step guide

If you need to digitize a book, a contract for 10+ Pages or a pack of receipts, use applications that support batch mode. Microsoft Lens or CamScanner is the best for this.

Instructions for Microsoft Lens:

1. Open the application and select the Document mode.
2. Take a picture of the first page. The app will automatically crop the edges.
3. Click on "Add page" (image icon «+») and repeat the shooting for the rest of the sheets.
4. After scanning all pages, click "Done» → «Save in PDF».
5. Select a folder to export (such as OneDrive or local storage).

Important nuances:

• 📌 When scanning books, press pages against the table to avoid curvature of text.
• 🔄 If the document is two-sided, take photos of all odd pages first, then turn the pile over and remove even pages.
• 📱 Use voice commands to speed up the process (CamScanner has a voice-based photo function»).

⚠️ Note: When scanning your passport or other ID, do not save files to cloud services (such as Google Drive or Yandex.Disk) without encryption.

6. Text recognition (OCR): How to make the scan editable

Function OCR (Optical Character Recognition allows you to convert text from the scan to an editable format — DOCX, TXT It's convenient for filling out questionnaires, copying data from documents or translating data from documents.

Recognition methods:

• 📱 Built-in OCR into MIUI: In the gallery, select a scan. → «Edit» → «Text" (available on models with MIUI 13+).
• 🌐 Google Keep: Upload the scan to the note → click "Remove text».
• 📄 Adobe Scan: After scanning, select “Recognize text» → export to Word.
• 🤖 Yandex.OCR: Upload the file to ocr.yandex.ru (supports Russian, English and 10)+ language).

The accuracy of recognition depends on the quality of the scan:

• ✅ 90-100% — clear text on a white background (e.g. printout from a printer).
• ⚠️ 70-80% — print-book.
• ❌ Less than 50% – scan with shadows, low resolution or colored background.

💡

For maximum accuracy OCR Use black and white scanning mode and increase contrast in the application settings.

7. How to send a scan by mail or messenger without loss of quality

When scanning via Telegram, WhatsApp or email, services often compress files, degrading quality.

For email (Gmail, Yandex):

• 📎 Attach the file as an attachment, rather than inserting the image into the body of the letter.
• 🔗 If the scan weighs more than 25 MB, upload it to the cloud (Google Drive, Mail.ru Cloud) and send a link.
• 📄 For official letters, archive PDF into ZIP (It reduces the size without loss of quality).

For messengers:

• 📱 In Telegram, send the file as a “Document” (attach via a paper clip), not as a photo.
• 💬 On WhatsApp, select “File» → «Document" (not gallery).
• 🔵 In Viber, use the “Send File” function».

If the scan is still compressed:

• 📌 Reduce the permit to 150 DPI (This is enough to read, but will reduce the size of the file in the 2-3 once).
• 🖼️ Transform. PDF into JPEG (For example, through the SmallPDF website).

8. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even experienced users sometimes have problems with scanning, and here are the most common errors and solutions:

If none of these methods worked, try an alternative method:

FAQ: Answers to popular questions