How to scan documents on Xiaomi: from built-in tools to advanced settings

Smartphones are no longer just a means of communication, becoming powerful pocket offices that can replace bulky office equipment. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often wonder how to effectively convert paper to digital format without installing excess software. Fortunately, the shell of MIUI and the new HyperOS already preinstalled powerful tools for working with text.

The process of digitizing paper on these phones is as simple and automated as possible thanks to the introduction of artificial intelligence algorithms. You don't have to look for a flat surface or perfect lighting to get a readable result. The system itself determines the boundaries of the sheet, aligns the perspective and removes unnecessary shadows, making the file suitable for official filing.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available ways to create digital copies, from the standard application to the secret functions of the camera, learn how to save files in the correct format, edit recognized text and adjust the quality of the scan for subsequent printing or sending to government agencies.

Use of the built-in Scanner application

The most obvious and often ignored tool is a standard application called simply the Scanner, which is usually located in the Tools folder on the desktop or in the application system folder. It's not just a reader. QR-codes, as many beginners think, and a full-fledged document scanner with advanced functionality.

To start, start the program and switch to Documents mode via the bottom menu or swipe. Point the camera over a piece of paper, the system automatically determines the boundaries and takes a picture. After that, you can edit the image: crop the excess, change the contrast or turn it into black mode for better readability.

⚠️ Note: When scanning through a standard application, make sure you save the file to a restricted folder or send it straight to secure storage, as some cloud services may default to sync this data.

The main advantage of the built-in solution is deep integration with the system: a scanned file can be instantly sent via Mi Share, saved in notes or copied to the clipboard, which saves time when you need to urgently forward a contract or certificate.

The secrets of the Mi Doc Scanner app

In some regions and global firmware versions, a separate Mi Doc Scanner application is pre-installed, differing from the standard scanner with more advanced image processing algorithms and packet scanning support, and OCR (optical character recognition) is implemented here, which allows you to turn a photo of text into an editable Word or TXT file.

The interface of the program is intuitive: you take a series of pictures of pages of a book or a multi-page contract, and the application combines them into one. PDF-Automatic color correction removes the yellowness of old paper, and the function of removing a finger on the edges of the sheet makes the document clean and neat.

• 📄 Support for batch scanning up to 100 pages in a single file.
• 🌍 Text recognition in more than a dozen languages, including Russian and English.
• ☁️ Automatic upload to Mi Cloud or other services.
• 🔒 Possibility of setting a password for opening scanned documents.

The special attention deserves the "Ballboard" mode, which is ideal for students and teachers. The camera removes the glare from the projector and aligns the geometry of the image taken at an angle, turning the photo of the board into a clear digital slide.

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For better text recognition, try to take pictures in daylight or use an extra lamp pointed sideways to avoid glare from glossy paper.

Scanning through a standard camera

Many users don’t know that you don’t have to open individual apps to digitize quickly. Xiaomi’s standard Camera has a built-in Documents mode. To activate it, you need to open the camera app, click on the mode menu (usually “More”), and select the appropriate icon.

This mode uses a smart shutter: the phone will detect what the text is in the frame, and will prompt you to take a picture when the device is fixed exactly, which allows you to scan documents with literally one hand, holding the phone on weight.

The quality of the images you receive depends on the resolution of your smartphone’s matrix. The flagship Xiaomi and Redmi Note series models provide enough detail to recognize even small print in footnotes. After shooting, the photo is automatically saved to the Documents album in the gallery, where it can be edited immediately.

It's important to note that Documents is often available in real-time translation, so if you point the camera at a foreign document, you can see the translation directly over the image, which is extremely useful when filling out forms abroad.

Third-party apps from Google Play

If built-in capabilities are not enough, Google Play offers a variety of alternatives, with Adobe Scan, Microsoft Lens and CamScanner leading the way, providing more flexible export settings and integration with enterprise ecosystems.

For example, Microsoft Lens is ideal for those who work with Office 365, and it can save scanned tables directly to Excel, keeping the structure of the cells, which is not yet possible with built-in tools, which is critical for accountants and analysts.

• 🚀 Adobe Scan: Automatic Document Type Detection and Background Cleanup.
• 📑 CamScanner: Powerful Annotation and Collaboration Tools.
• 📝 Google Drive: The simplest scanner with instant download to the cloud OCR Google.
• 🎨 vFlat Scan: Perfect for scanning books, removes page curvature.

⚠️ Warning: Free versions of popular crawlers often add watermarks to scanned pages or have limits on the number of scans per day. read the subscription terms carefully before installing.

Using third-party software also gives access to advanced editing features, such as adding digital signatures, stamps and handwritten notes on top of a scanned image, which turns a smartphone into a full-fledged mobile office.

Customization of quality and preservation formats

The quality of the final file depends not only on the camera, but also on the correct export settings. Most Xiaomi applications have a default balance between the quality and the file size.

When saving to PDF, you often have a choice between the original, increased contrast, and black and white color modes. Black and white or grey is best for text documents, as it significantly reduces the weight of the file and improves the readability of the font on the screen.

Image resolution is another important parameter: For archival storage or printing, you should choose 300 DPIs or higher, and if you only need a document to view it quickly on a smartphone screen, 150 DPIs are enough to save storage space.

Frequent errors and ways to fix them

Even with smart algorithms, users sometimes face problems, the most common being the curved edges of a document or the shadows of a hand. To avoid this, keep your phone strictly parallel to a piece of paper. Using a tripod or elbow stop greatly improves the quality of the shot.

Another mistake is that there's not enough light. The built-in flash often creates a bright spot in the center of the frame, making the text at the edges unreadable. Better to use diffuse natural light or two lamps on the sides of the document.

If the text is recognized with errors, check the purity of the camera lens. Fat spots can create a soap effect that OCR algorithms cannot fix.

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The scanning quality is 80% dependent on the lighting and position of the phone, and only 20% on the software’s capabilities.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions