How to scan documents on your phone Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Scanning documents with the help of Xiaomi smartphone has long ceased to be a problem – modern models are equipped not only with high-quality cameras, but also with built-in tools for processing scanned files. But not everyone knows that the quality of a scan depends not only on the camera resolution, but also on the right app, lighting, and even save format. MIUI to professional scanners with OCR-text-recognition.

Many people mistakenly believe that scanning a document is enough to take a picture and send it by mail, which in practice leads to distortion of perspective, glare from lamps and the huge weight of the file. We will show you how to avoid these problems, compare popular applications according to 5 criteria (speed, quality, OCR, Free, Integration with Clouds and Disclose the Hidden Function MIUI 14+, which automatically straightens the curves of the images of documents without third-party programs.

If you need to scan your passport for a bank, (contract) for work or lecture materials, this guide will help you do it quickly and with minimal loss of quality. FAQ answering frequent questions, such as, "Why is the scan blurry?" or "How to reduce the size of the scanner?" PDF textless?".

1. Built-in scanner in MIUI: latent

Starting with MIUI 12, Xiaomi has a basic document scanning tool that many users don't notice, integrated into the standard Camera app and doesn't require any additional software to be installed:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Switch to Document Mode (located next to Photo, Video and Portrait).
3. Point the camera at the document – the system will automatically highlight the boundaries of the sheet with a yellow frame.
4. Press the shutter button. After the shoot, you'll see a preview with trimming and perspective correction options.

The main advantage of this method is instant processing: MIUI Automatically straightens curved corners, removes shadows and saves the file in format PDF or JPG (It has its own limitations:

• 🔍 No function. OCR (text-recognition).
• 📱 It does not work on all models (for example, it is not available in Redmi). 9A and old devices on MIUI 11).
• 🖼️ The maximum scan resolution is 12 MP, which may not be enough for fine text.

To check the availability of the Document mode in your model, go to the camera settings → Shooting modes. If you don't have an option, upgrade your firmware or use alternative methods in the following sections.

2.Google Drive: Cloud-Saving Scanning

If you need to not only scan a document, but also upload it to the cloud immediately, use the built-in scanner in Google Drive. MIUI, It doesn't depend on the firmware.

Step instructions:

1. Install Google Drive from the Play Market (if not already installed).
2. Open the app and press the button. + → Scan.
3. Point the camera at the document. Drive will automatically find the boundaries and take a picture.
4. After shooting, you can cut the edges, apply a filter (Color, B/B, Shades of Grey) and add additional pages.
5. Save the file in format PDF Directly to your cloud storage.

Advantages of the method:

• ☁️ Automatic upload to the cloud with the ability (share) on the link.
• 🔎 Basic OCR-recognition (text in PDF Copy can be made, but only in English and the main European languages).
• 📱 It works even on older Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi 5 Plus).

⚠️ Google Drive compresses scans to resolution 2048×1536 pixels, which can be critical for small-print documents (e.g. technical passports). For high quality, use specialized scanners from the next section.

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If a document consists of several pages, you can combine them into one in Google Drive. PDF: After scanning, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select "Combine".

3. Third-party scanners: comparison top-5 applications

For professional scanning (c) OCR, You can also use a customized application to edit text and export it to different formats. We tested 5 popular scanners on the Xiaomi 13 Pro and the X-rays. POCO X3 Pro, evaluating them by key parameters:

For most tasks, we recommend Microsoft Lens — it is free, supports maximum resolution and integrates with office tools (Word, Excel). OCR For Cyrillic, check out FineScanner or CamScanner (in the latter Russian is available in the paid version).

Example of setting up Adobe Scan for optimal quality:

1. Open the app and press. + → Document.
2. Enable the option to Improve the text (in the lower right corner).
3. Select the save format: PDF (search) for text or JPG (high quality) for images.
4. In the settings (⚙️ → Scan quality) install the original instead of compressed.

⚠️ Attention: Apps like CamScanner and FineScanner, in the free version, add watermarks to the scans. To remove them, export the file to the scanner. PDF, and then convert through online services (e.g. ilovepdf.com).

Install an application from the Play Market|Check the camera resolution (at least 8 MP)|Turn off battery savings for the scanner|Set up auto-save to the cloud (if necessary)-->

4. Scanning through Notes (Notes) in MIUI

Few people know, but Xiaomi’s standard Notes app can also scan documents, a method that is convenient for quickly creating scans without installing additional programs.

How it works:

1. Open the Notes app (icon with pencil).
2. Create a new note and click on the icon + → Scan of the document.
3. Take a picture of the document. The system will automatically trim the edges and suggest that you save the result as an image or a picture. PDF.
4. The finished scan can be exported to the Gallery or sent via instant messengers.

Features of the method:

• 📎 Supports multi-page documents (up to 20 pages in one) PDF).
• 🔍 No. OCR, But there's a manual perspective correction.
• 📱 Available on all devices with MIUI 13+.

The main disadvantage is limited quality settings, for example, you can't manually choose a resolution or compression format, but this method is ideal for quickly scanning checks, receipts or short notes.

5. Professional settings: how to improve the quality of the scan

Even with the best app, the scan can be blurry or dark, unless you consider the key parameters of the shooting.

Lighting:

• 💡 Use natural light (near the window) or two lamps on the sides of the document to avoid shadows.
• 🔦 Do not take pictures in direct sunlight – it creates glare.
• 🌑 In a dark room, turn on Night Camera Mode (available on Xiaomi) 11T/12/13).

Position of the cell:

• 📏 Keep your phone parallel to the document at a distance of 20-30 cm.
• 🔄 If the document is curved, use AutoRectification (available in Microsoft Lens and CamScanner).
• 📄 For books or thick documents, turn on Curved Page (in Adobe Scan).

Camera settings:

• 📸 Set the resolution not lower than 8 MP (in camera settings: Resolution) → High).
• 🔍 Turn it off. HDR — It can create artifacts on the text.
• 🎯 Enable Grid (in camera settings) for accurate framing.

To check the quality of the scan, use this checklist:

Text is clear and readable|No shadows on the edges of the document|Colors are the same as the original (for color scans)|The file is not more than 5 MB (for the PDF)-->

If the scan is still bad, try an alternative method: take a picture of the document in Pro mode (in a standard Xiaomi camera), setting:

• ISO: 100–200
• Excerpt: 1/125
• White Balance: Daylight

Then cut and straighten the photo in any scanner (e.g. Microsoft Lens).

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Always use C/B mode to scan your passport or ID, which reduces the file size and improves the readability of text when printing.

Scan processing and conversion

After scanning, the document often needs to be reworked, trimmed, compressed or converted to another format.

Trimming and straightening:

• 🖼️ PhotoScan by Google – Automatically removes prospective distortions.
• ✂️ Crop & Straighten (Play Market) - hand-trimmed with preview.

Compression PDF/JPG:

• 📎 ilovepdf.com - compression PDF No loss of quality (up to 50 MB free).
• 🖼️ Image Compressor (app) – reduces weight JPG 5 to 10 times.

OCR editing:

• 🔎 ABBYY TextGrabber – recognizes text from 60+ languages and exports to Word/Excel.
• 📄 Office Lens – Integration with Microsoft Word to edit scanned text.

Example: If you need to scan a contract for 10 pages and mail it, follow this algorithm:

1. Scan the document in Adobe Scan (format) PDF (search)).
2. Combine the pages into a single file.
3. Squeeze. PDF via ilovepdf.com to a size of 2-3 MB.
4. Send the file via email or Telegram (limit - 50 MB).

⚠️ Note: When converting the scan to DOCX through OCR Check the final text for errors – programs often confuse the letters “c/e”, “a/o” or punctuation marks (especially in handwritten documents).

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even experienced users make mistakes when scanning documents on Xiaomi, and here are the most common problems and solutions:

Problem 1: The scan is blurred

• 📸 Cause: Hand tremors or automatic focusing didn't work correctly.
• 🔧 Solution: Use a delay timer (3 seconds) or an external support (such as a tripod). In the camera settings, turn off Autofocus and set focus manually.

Problem 2: Shadows or highlights on the document

• 💡 Reason: Incorrect lighting (for example, one lamp on top).
• 🔧 Solution: Photograph the document at an angle of 45° Use two sources from different sides or use two light sources from different sides.

Problem 3: Large file size

• 📎 Reason: Keeping in format JPG maximum-resolution.
• 🔧 Solution: Export to PDF with Medium quality setting or use compression via Smallpdf.

Issue 4: Text in PDF copyless

• 🔍 Reason: Scan saved as image, not as search PDF.
• 🔧 Solution: Repeat the scan with the one on. OCR (To CamScanner or Adobe Scan or Convert PDF through online2pdf.com.

Problem 5: The application does not recognize the boundaries of the document

• 📄 Reason: Low contrast between background and document (e.g. gray sheet on white desk).
• 🔧 Solution: Put a dark surface (such as a book) under a document or manually circle the boundaries in the editor.

If none of these methods worked, try an alternative approach: take a picture of the document in Pro mode (with manual settings), and then process it on a PC via Adobe Photoshop or GIMP (perspective → Straighten).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions