How to find a scanner in a Xiaomi phone: search and setup

Owners of smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO Often faced with the need to quickly scan the document, QR-code or barcode, but they can't find the corresponding function in the interface. MIUI And the new HyperOS, the built-in scanner is not always displayed on the desktop as a standalone icon, but instead it's integrated into system applications like Camera or Explorer, or hidden in the Quick Access menu.

Finding this tool can take time, especially if you’ve just moved from another Android brand. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the ways you can activate and use scanning modules that are already built into your device. You’ll learn how to turn your camera into a powerful tool for working with text and code without installing third-party software.

System scanner through the Camera app

The fastest way to find a scanner on your device is to use the standard Camera app. Xiaomi engineers have implemented code recognition algorithms directly into the viewfinder. You don't have to run individual programs, just open the photo module. However, this feature can be disabled by default or hidden in the settings.

To activate, you need to go to More mode at the bottom of the camera interface, and you'll find the Scanner or Scan icon, if you don't, click three dots in the corner of the screen or the gear to expand the full list of available modules, and when you add the icon, you'll see the main shoot menu.

It's important to note that the scanner's algorithm depends on the firmware version. In the new HyperOS updates, the system automatically recognizes the scanner. QR-codes, even if you're in normal Photo mode. Just point the lens at the code, and there's a yellow link in the corner of the screen to click.

⚠️ Note: In some regions (for example, the Chinese version of firmware), the scanner may be called “Scan” and have a logo in the form of a square with dots, rather than text in Russian.

The built-in camera scanner doesn't just have to read links; it translates text in real time, recognizes products in stores, and even identifies plants or animal breeds. Use the top menu in the scanner interface to switch between modes, making the Xiaomi camera a versatile tool for everyday tasks.

Search for scanner in the settings menu and quick access

If you prefer to have a separate scan icon, you can display it to the control center or desktop, and there is a separate system application in the MIUI shell that is often hidden from the user's eyes, and to find it, open the menu of all applications and type the word "Scanner" or "Scan" in the search bar.

Once you discover an app, you can create a shortcut. Press and hold the icon in the app menu, then select Add to Desktop. Now you can access the feature in one click. It's also useful to add the scanner widget to the notification curtain for instant launch.

To add to the curtain:

• 🔽 Swipe from top to bottom to open the control center.
• 🔍 Press the edit button (usually three dots or a pencil).
• 📲 Find the scanner list and drag it to the active area.

This approach allows you to run scans even from a locked screen (if configured) or from any menu without opening the camera, which is especially convenient when working with a large volume of documents or if you need to quickly read code from the computer screen.

Using Google Lens and Google Lens

The Google ecosystem is an alternative to Xiaomi’s built-in solutions, with almost all of the brand’s smartphones pre-installed with Google Lens, integrated into Google’s app, Google Photos, and search bar widget, a powerful tool that often works more accurately than a standard crawler.

To take advantage of this method, open the Google search widget on your desktop. To the right of the input bar, you'll see a colored camera icon. Clicking on it activates visual search mode. The same features are available here: scanning. QR-codes, text translation, copying handwritten text and searching for goods.

The advantage of using Google Lens is that it integrates deeply with search services, for example, when scanning a business card, the system will prompt you to immediately save contact to the phone book, and when scanning text, copy it to the clipboard or send it to Google Docs.

For users who often work with documents, a useful feature is the Documents mode in Google Lens. It automatically aligns perspective, removes glare and increases contrast, making the scan more readable, making the smartphone a full-fledged portable document scanner.

Scanning documents through the Application Explorer

Many users don’t know that Xiaomi’s standard File Manager app also has a scanning feature that focuses on working with files and documents, allowing you to create a new file. PDF-You can find this feature in the Documents section or through the tool menu.

Inside the app, find the scanner section or the camera icon in the top corner, and this module allows you to do multi-page scans, so you can scan the first page, then the second page, and then save it all as one file, which is critical for students and office workers.

The main features of the scanner in the Explorer:

• 📄 Automatic definition of the edges of the document.
• 🖼️ Color filtering (black and white, gray, original).
• 💾 Preservation in formats JPG or PDF.

Using Explorer for scanning is convenient because the scanned file is immediately saved to the corresponding memory folder, and it is easy to send by mail or through the messenger.

💡

Use Black and White mode when scanning text documents through Explorer – this will significantly reduce the file size and improve the readability of the text.

Comparison of scanning methods in MIUI and HyperOS

With the release of the new HyperOS shell, some elements have changed, and owners of older devices with MIUI 12-14 and new ones with HyperOS can have different interfaces, and understanding the differences will help them navigate the menu faster.

As you can see from the table, Xiaomi native solutions benefit in speed and autonomy. However, if you need to recognize complex handwriting or find a product from a photo, you better use Google services. The choice of tool depends on the specific task you are solving at the moment.

HyperOS also improves widgets, so you can put a scanner widget on your desktop, which lets you choose the type of scan (QR, translation, document) before you even launch an application, which saves time and makes the process more convenient.

Third-party applications for professional scanning

If built-in capabilities aren't enough, Google Play offers a lot of customized apps, which provide advanced editing, text recognition (OCR) and cloud storage, but keep data security in mind.

Popular applications like Adobe Scan, Microsoft Lens or CamScanner can automatically find documents on the desk, align them and improve image quality, and are indispensable for businesses that require high-quality digital copies.

⚠️ Warning: When installing third-party scanners, carefully examine permissions. Many free apps require access to contacts and geolocation, which is not necessary for scanning documents and can be dangerous for privacy.

For most home tasks, a built-in scanner in Xiaomi is more than enough: it is free, contains no advertising (in global versions), and is deeply integrated into the system. Installing additional software only makes sense for specific professional tasks, such as batch processing of hundreds of pages or complex table recognition.

💡

Xiaomi’s built-in tools cover 95% of the needs of the average user without requiring any software installation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)