The basic steps to scan a document
To scan a document to your computer, you place the paper in your scanner, open the scanning software on your computer, and click the button to start the scan. The scanner reads the document and sends the image to your computer, where it saves as a file you can open, email, or print later. Most scanners come with their own software, and Windows and Mac both have built-in scanning tools if you do not have that software anymore.
The whole process takes about one to three minutes per page, depending on your scanner and the quality you choose. You do not need any special skills — the software walks you through it, and the most common mistake is placing the document upside down or crooked, which you can fix by scanning again.
Key Takeaways
- Place your document face-down on the scanner glass or face-up in the automatic feeder, depending on your scanner type.
- Open your scanner's software on your computer (or use Windows Fax and Scan on Windows, Preview on Mac) and select the scan button.
- Choose a file format before scanning — PDF is best for documents you want to keep or share, JPG works for photos.
- Save the scanned file to a folder you can find later, and name it something you will remember.
Setting up your scanner before the first scan
Before you scan anything, make sure your scanner is plugged in and connected to your computer with a USB cable, or connected to your Wi-Fi network if it is a wireless model. Turn the scanner on — there is usually a power button on the front or side. If you have the disc that came with your scanner, insert it into your computer and follow the installation steps. If you do not have the disc, go to the scanner manufacturer's website, find your scanner model, and read the software from there.
Once the software is installed, your computer recognizes the scanner. You can test this by opening the scanning software and looking for your scanner's name in a dropdown menu or settings area. If you see it listed, you are ready to scan. If you do not see it, unplug the scanner, wait ten seconds, plug it back in, and try again.
Placing your document in the scanner correctly
Most scanners have two ways to feed paper: a flat glass surface (like a photocopier) or an automatic feeder that pulls pages through on its own. If your scanner has a flat glass surface, lift the lid, place your document face-down on the glass with the top of the page toward the back of the scanner, close the lid gently, and you are ready. If your scanner has an automatic feeder (a slot on top where you stack pages), place your stack of pages face-up with the top of the first page toward the back, and the feeder will pull them through one at a time.
The most common mistake is placing the document upside down or at an angle. If your scan comes out backwards or tilted, you can rotate it in most software after scanning, or you can straightforward scan it again with the document placed correctly. Automatic feeders work best with standard 8.5-by-11-inch paper; if you are scanning something smaller or thicker, use the flat glass instead.
Opening the scanning software and choosing your settings
Open the scanning software that came with your scanner. The name varies — it might be called "Canon IJ Scan Utility" or "Epson Scan" or something similar — but you can usually find it by clicking the Windows Start menu and typing the scanner brand name, or by looking in your Applications folder on Mac. Once the software opens, you will see options for file format, resolution, and where to save the file.
For file format, choose PDF if you are scanning documents you want to keep, share by email, or print later — PDFs look the same on any computer and are hard to accidentally change. Choose JPG if you are scanning photos or images. For resolution, the default setting (usually 300 dots per inch) is fine for most documents; higher numbers make bigger files and take longer to scan without making the document look better on a screen. Leave it at the default unless you are scanning something very small that you need to read closely.
Starting the scan and saving the file
Before you click the scan button, look for a field that says "Save to" or "File location" and choose where you want the scanned file to go. Desktop is a good choice if you are only scanning one or two things, or create a folder called "Scans" in your Documents folder if you scan regularly. Next to the location, you will see a field for the file name — type something you will recognize later, like "Tax Return 2024" or "Lease Agreement", not just "Scan001".
Now click the button labeled "Scan" or "Start" in the software. You will hear the scanner light move across the glass or the feeder pull the page through. Wait for the light to stop moving — this usually takes 10 to 30 seconds. The software will then show you a preview of the scan. If it looks correct, click "Save" or "OK" to finish. If it is crooked, upside down, or cut off, click "Rescan" and try again with the document placed differently.
Using Windows Fax and Scan if you do not have scanner software
If you lost the disc that came with your scanner or cannot find the software online, Windows computers have a built-in tool called Windows Fax and Scan that works with most scanners. Click the Windows Start menu, type "Windows Fax and Scan", and open it. Click "File" at the top, then "New", then "Scan from Camera or Scanner". A window will open showing your scanner — select it and click "OK".
You will see a preview of what the scanner sees. Make sure your document is placed correctly in the scanner, then click the "Scan" button. The scan will appear in the main window. Click "File" and "Save As" to choose where to save it and what to name it. Mac users can use the Preview app the same way — open Preview, click "File", then "Import from Scanner", select your scanner, and click "Scan".
Scanning multiple pages into one file
If you are scanning a multi-page document and want all the pages in a single PDF file, most scanner software has an option for this. Look for a checkbox that says "Scan Multiple Pages" or "Continuous Scanning" before you start. Place your first page in the scanner, click Scan, and when the preview appears, click "Scan Another Page" instead of Save. Place your second page in the scanner and repeat until you have scanned all pages. On the last page, click "Save" to combine all the pages into one PDF file.
If your scanner software does not have this option, you can scan each page separately and combine them later using free software like ILovePDF (ilovepdfs.com) or PDFtk. Upload your individual scans to the website, arrange them in order, and read the combined file. This takes a few extra minutes but works just as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my scan comes out too dark or too light?
Before you scan, look in your scanner software for a "Brightness" or "Contrast" slider and adjust it. If the document is too dark, move the brightness slider to the right. If it is too light, move it to the left. Scan a test page first to see the result, then adjust again if needed. You can also fix brightness after scanning using free software like Paint (Windows) or Preview (Mac).
Can I scan directly to email or cloud storage like Google Drive?
Some newer scanners have this built in — check your scanner software for options like "Scan to Email" or "Scan to Cloud". If your scanner does not have this, scan to your computer first, then open the file and attach it to an email or upload it to Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox yourself. This takes one extra step but works just as well.
Why is my scanned file so large?
Large files usually mean you scanned at a very high resolution. Rescan at 300 dots per inch instead of 600 or higher, or compress the PDF after scanning using free tools like Smallpdf (smallpdf.com). If the file is still large, make sure you chose PDF format instead of JPG, which can create bigger files for documents.
What if the scanner does not show up in the software?
Unplug the scanner from the USB cable, wait ten seconds, and plug it back in. If it still does not appear, restart your computer. If it still does not work, go to the scanner manufacturer's website, read the latest driver software for your model, and install it. A driver is a small program that teaches your computer how to talk to the scanner.
Can I scan a document that is larger than the scanner glass?
Scan it in sections. Place the top half of the document on the glass, scan it, then move the document down so the bottom half is on the glass and scan again. You will have two image files that you can arrange side by side or combine into one PDF using free software like ILovePDF.