How to scan documents with a Xiaomi smartphone: from basic methods to professional life hacks

A document scanner at hand is not a luxury, but a necessity in the digital age. Xiaomi smartphones (be it the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or the flagship Xiaomi 14 series) can replace bulky office devices, turning into a portable scanner with text recognition. But how to achieve perfect scan quality without artifacts, shadows or distortion? This article will reveal all the secrets from built-in MIUI tools to little-known chips of professional applications.

We tested all the current methods on devices with MIUI 14 and HyperOS so you can choose the best option: whether you want to quickly scan a check in the store or create an archived one. PDF-300 dpi, and how to avoid common mistakes, such as why scans are curved when they are automatically pruned 70% of the time, and how to fix it in 10 seconds.

1. Xiaomi built-in features: scan without installing applications

Many users are unaware that their Xiaomi already knows how to scan documents out of the box, a feature hidden in the standard Camera app and available on all devices with MIUI 12 and later, to activate it:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Fly through the shooting modes to the left to the Document item (on some models - Scanner).
3. Hover the lens over the document – the system will automatically highlight the boundaries with a green frame.
4. Press the shutter button. The finished scan will be saved in the gallery in PDF or JPEG format.

Advantages of the method: speed (scanning takes 2-3 seconds) and no need to install third-party software.

• 📱 Low resolution – maximum quality is limited to 150 dpi, which is not enough for official documents.
• 🔍 Autocutting problems – the system often misidentifies the edges of documents with seals or stamps.
• 🌑 Lack of lighting correction – in low light conditions, scans are dark.

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If you're in your version MIUI No Document Mode, Update Camera App via Google Play or Install it APK from the official Xiaomi website.

The POCO F5 and Redmi K60 models have an advanced scan mode via Quick Tools (called by swipeing down the screen), where you can select the save format (PDF, JPG, PNG) and enable text enhancement that improves the clarity of the fine print.

2.Google Drive: a hidden scanner with cloud storage

Few people know that Google Drive has a built-in document scanner with OCR (Text Recognition) function, which is suitable for Xiaomi owners who are actively using Google services.

1. Open the Google Drive app.
2. Press the + button in the lower right corner → Scan.
3. Take a picture of the document. The system will automatically trim the edges and improve contrast.
4. Click Ready – the file will be saved to your cloud as PDF.

Key features of Google Drive:

For Xiaomi 13T and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ models with 200 MP cameras, Google Drive offers the “Enhanced Scanning” option, which uses a neural network to remove shadows and increase sharpness. However, this feature is only available in good lighting (from 500 lux).

3 Third-party apps: TOP-3 scanners for Xiaomi in 2026

If the built-in tools are not good for quality, look for specialized applications. We tested 15 scanners and selected the best for Xiaomi devices based on their hardware features (for example, support for RAW in Xiaomi 14 Ultra).

1. CamScanner (free version with watermarks)

• 📸 Automatic perspective correction – corrects “curve” images.
• 🔍 OCR 60+ languages (including Chinese and Arabic).
• 📱 Optimized for MIUI — No conflicts with energy conservation.
• 🚫 Disadvantages: watermarks in the free version.

2. Adobe Scan (best for PDF)

• 📄 Creating a search engine PDF (copyable).
• 🌈 Manual adjustment of the color profile (black and white, color, shades of gray).
• ☁️ Integration with Adobe Cloud – convenient for working with documents.
• 🚫 Cons: requires registration for synchronization.

3. Microsoft Lens (optimum for office documents)

• 📊 Scanning tables with structure preservation in Excel.
• 🔒 Security – scans are not sent to third-party servers.
• 📱 Support MIUI 14+ bug-free.
• 🚫 Cons: No manual focusing.

Clean the camera lens of your fingerprints |

Turn off the power saving mode for the application |

Set the maximum resolution in the scanner settings |

Check the free space on the device (minimum 500 MB)-->

For models with an infrared sensor (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro), the CamScanner app allows you to scan documents in complete darkness using IR illumination. This feature is available in the paid version (Pro) and requires you to enable permission to use the sensors in Android settings.

4. Professional chips: how to get a scan of 600 dpi quality

If you need to scan a document for official purposes (such as a passport or diploma), standard methods will not be enough. Here are 3 secret techniques that photographers and designers use:

1. Pro mode in Xiaomi camera: Open Camera → Pro. Set ISO 100 and shutter speed 1/125. Save photos in RAW (available on Xiaomi 12S Ultra and later). Process the picture in Lightroom Mobile, increasing sharpness and contrast.

Multiple scanning followed by crosslinking

For A3 documents, take a picture of the left and right sides separately, then combine them in Photoshop Express or PicsArt.

Use of external optics

For models that support Xiaomi Surge C1 (such as Xiaomi 13), you can connect a macro lens (sold separately) to increase the detail of small text.

Critical: When scanning colored documents (for example, a new driver's license), be sure to turn off the "Black and White Mode" option in the scanner settings, otherwise the holograms and security elements will become invisible, which will make the scan invalid.

5. Mistakes That Ruin 90% of Scans (and How to Avoid Them)

Even with the most advanced software, Xiaomi users make typical mistakes that negate all efforts.-5 lapses and ways of eliminating them:

1. Shadows from the hands or light source: ⚠️ Warning: If you're scanning a document with your desk lamp on, place it to the right or left of the device, but not the top. Optimal lighting angle is 45 degrees. Solution: use mode. HDR in the camera or turn on "Auto-exposure correction" in the scanner settings.
2. Blurred hands due to hand trembling: On POCO X4 GT devices and older, activate "Superstabilization" in the camera settings. For other models, use a stopwatch (delay 2-3 seconds before shooting).
3. Perspective distortion (barrel effect): Keep the camera strictly parallel to the document. In applications like CamScanner, turn on Perspective Adjustment with Strict Mode.
4. Low text quality: For small-print documents (such as contracts), increase the scan resolution to 400 dpi and disable JPEG compression.
5. Incorrect format of preservation: ⚠️ Attention:.jpg files are not accepted by government agencies! PDF/A (archive format) or.png without loss.

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To scan books with thin pages (for example, passports), use the Document mode in Google Drive - it automatically removes the effect of "transparency" of the text from the back.

If you need to scan an A3 document, but only a smartphone is at hand, use the method of “mosaic shooting”:

1. Take a picture of the document in parts with a cover of 10-15%.
2. Upload the photo to Microsoft Image Composite Editor (free Windows software).
3. Collect a panorama and export to PDF.

7. Optimization and processing of scans on Xiaomi

Scanning is only half the battle, and in order for a document to look professional, it needs to be processed. On Xiaomi devices, you can do this without a computer.

🎨 Editing at Gallery (Gallery)

• Open the scan in the Gallery → Edit.
• Use tools: Pruning to remove the edges; correction → Perspective to correct the curves; filters → W/B for black and white documents.
• Save the changes to the new file (so you don't lose the original).

📄 Conversion to PDF

If the scan is saved in JPEG, you can convert it to PDF:

• Through Google Drive: Download the file → Open to... → Save as PDF.
• WPS Office: Open the image → Export → PDF
• Through the built-in MIUI printer: Open photos in the Gallery. Click Share → Print → Save as PDF.

🔍 OCR: text-reading

To make the text on the scan editable:

• On Google Drive: Open up PDF → right-button → Open with help → Google Documents.
• In Adobe Scan: After scanning, click Recognise Text.
• In Microsoft Lens: Select the Word option when saving.