How to Scan Something to Email by Using Phones

With home offices being the new normal across many industries, there are bound to be occasions when you need to send a document via a digital channel. 

But, can you do it without a desktop scanner?

Here’s how to send a scanned document to email by using phones.

How to Scan Documents on iPhone

All iPhones have a scan feature on their phone in the pre-installed Notes app. The feature was added in 2017 with the release of iOS 11. The app is easy to use and the process of scanning takes only a couple of minutes.

Step 1: Open the Notes app.

Step 2: Tap on “New Note” in the lower right corner.

Step 3: Tap on the Camera icon.

Step 4: Select “Scan Documents” from the pop-up menu.

Step 5: Position the phone over the document and allow the app to scan it. 

Step 6: Adjust the handles to crop the scan and click on “Save.”

If you don’t like what you see, you can always select “Retake” to scan with your phone again. Once you’ve saved the changes, you can find the document in the “Scanned Documents” folder and share it by tapping on the “Mail” option. 

How to Scan Documents on Android

Android users can scan any document with the Google Drive app. The app is pre-installed on most Android phones, but if not, you can always download it from the Playstore.

Step 1: Open the Google Drive app. 

Step 2: Tap on the “+” button in the bottom right corner.

Step 3: Select “Scan” from the pop-up menu.

Step 4: If this is your first time using the scan feature, you’ll be asked for permission to access the phone’s camera. To do so, click “Allow.”

Step 5: Place the phone above the document.

Step 6: There are options to rotate, crop, and adjust the colours of the scanned version of the document.

Step 7: Once you’re done editing the scan, tap “Save.” Your scan will be automatically uploaded to your Google Drive. 

When scanning on Android, you can tap on “Retake” to scan the document again and you can select “+” if you want to scan more pages. There’s also an option to scan documents to email and forward them directly to a recipient. If you’re sending an email to someone you don’t know, there are several ways to find their email address for free. To share the scan, tap on the three vertical dots next to the name of the document and select “Send a copy.”

How to Scan Documents via Third-Party Apps

Another option to make a digital copy of a physical document is downloading a third-party app. There are many third-party apps designed for scanning purposes. A popular option is Adobe Scan.

The process of scanning the document is similar to that of the Notes and Google Drive apps’ scanning feature; You’ll need to download the app, create an account, find the scanning option in the app, allow camera access, snap a photo, edit it, and save it as a PDF file in your phone or send it via email. 

The downside is many third-party apps, unlike Google Drive or Notes, apply optical character recognition to PDFs automatically. 

Bottom Line

If you’re wondering how to send a scanned document to email by using phones, the answer is simple: both Android and iOS phones have pre-installed apps with a scanner feature. There are also plenty of third-party apps designed for scanning in case you’re using an older version.