2 Ways to Scan and Email a Document on Android Phone
Want to scan a document but don’t have a scanner handy? Don’t worry. You can scan documents like bills, receipts, etc., directly from your Android phone. Once scanned, you can easily send the document as an email right from your phone. Let’s learn how to scan and email a document on Android phones.
Table of Contents
1. Using Google Drive
The pre-installed Google Drive app offers one of the easiest ways to scan and share a document from your Android phone. Google Drive is basically acloud-storage servicethat offers a built-in document scanning feature. So if you don’t want to install any additional app to scan a document, Google Drive is a good choice.
The scanned document will be saved as a searchable PDF in Google Drive. You can send the PDF file as a link or a regular PDF file.
We have divided the steps to scan and email a document using Google Drive into two main sections for better clarity:
Scan a Document Using Google Drive
Follow these steps toscan a documentusing Google Drive on Android phones:
1.Open the Google Drive app on your Android phone.
2.Tap on the floating(+) Addicon and selectScanfrom the menu.
3.The camera viewfinder screen will show up. Point it towards the document that you want to scan and press theCapturebutton.
- If you like the captured photo, tap on theCheckmarkbutton. Alternatively, tap on the Restart button to capture a new photo.
5.By default, Google Drive will convert the picture into a black-and-white document. If you want to change it, tap on theColor Paletteicon and selectNoneto get back the original color. Also, use the other icons at the bottom to rotate or crop the scanned document.
6.Toscan multiple pages into the same document, tap on the(+)icon at the bottom and capture the document.
7.Once you have captured all the pages, tap on theSavebutton at the bottom.
- The Save to Drive screen will show up. Here give a name to your PDF file and select the location and Google account where you want to save the PDF file containing the scanned pages of your document. Press theSavebutton.
Pro Tip:If you have to regularly scan documents from your Android phone, you may add a scanning shortcut to your home screen. For that, long press anywhere on the home screen of your phone. Select Widgets. Find the Drive widget and add the Drive scan widget to your home screen.
Email Scanned Document from Google Drive
Once the scanned document is saved in Google Drive, you’re able to use two methods to email the document from your Android phone:
Method 1: Send Google Drive Link
In this method, you will only be sharing the Google Drive link of the PDF file. The receiver needs to click on the link to view your scanned document.
Follow these steps to generate a link to your PDF document.
1.Open the Google Drive app and go to the folder where you saved the PDF file.
2.Tap on thethree-dot iconnext to the PDF file and selectCopy Linkfrom the menu.
3.The link will be copied to your phone’s clipboard. Open the email app and compose a new email. Paste the copied link in the email and send the mail.
Tip:Another way is to select Share after pressing the three-dot icon in Step 2. Then, change the permission to anyone with the link. Then, copy the link and send it to your email. Also, learn how totransfer ownership in Google Drive.
Method 2: Send PDF File
If you want to email a PDF file directly from Google Drive, follow these steps:
In the Google Drive app, tap on thethree-dot iconnext to your PDF file. SelectDownloadfrom the menu.
An offline version of your PDF will be downloaded on your phone. You will find it in the Downloads folder.
Now, open the email app and compose a new email. Tap on theAttachmenticon and attach the PDF file that you downloaded in Step 2.
Congratulations! You have successfully learned how to scan and email a document from your Android phone.
Tip:Check out thebest PDF editor appsfor Android phones.
Sign the PDF File Before Emailing
If you want to sign or annotate the PDF file in Google Drive, follow these steps:
1.In the Google Drive app, tap on your PDF file to open it.
2.Tap on thefloating pencil iconat the bottom to open the document editor.
3.Use the Pen at the bottom to sign or draw on the document. When done, tap on theSavebutton to replace the original document with the edited document. Alternatively, tap on thethree-dot iconat the top and selectSave copyto create a copy of the document.
Then, use the steps mentioned above to email the document.
Tip:Learn how tosign documents on WhatsApp.
2. Using Microsoft Lens App
If you don’t like the Google Drive app, you may use free third-party apps to scan and email a document from your Android phone. These apps offer additional features like offline saving,
One of the popular apps that you can use is the Microsoft Lens app. Follow these steps to scan and email documents using Microsoft Lens app:
1.Install and open theMicrosoft Lens appon your phone.
2.The camera viewfinder will open directly. Point it towards the document page that you want to scan and press theCapturebutton.
3.Then, adjust the borders of the page using the white border. When done, tap onConfirm.
4.You will get different options to edit the scan like crop, rotate, add filters, etc. Use them as per your need. Or, tap on thethree-dot iconand select Ink if you want to sign the document.
- Tap on theAddbutton to scan another page. Similarly, scan more pages.
6.Finally, tap onDone.
7.The save screen will show up. Rename the PDF file and verify the PDF option is selected. Also, note down the storage location mentioned in the PDF section. Tap onSaveto download the scanned document in a PDF file on your Android phone.
8.You will be taken to the My Scans page where you will see your scanned document. Tap on thethree-dot iconunder the document and selectSharefrom the menu.
- Choose the email app where you want to attach the scanned document. Then, send the email to the person to whom you want to send the scanned document.
Tip:Check out thebest OCR apps for Android phones.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s the difference between a scan and a photo?
Scanned files are usually smaller in size as compared to regular photos. Moreover, scanned documents are in PDF format instead of JPG.
- How to scan documents on Samsung Galaxy phones?
In addition to the above methods, Samsung Galaxy phones offeradditional methods to scan documents. You can use the Camera app or the Microsoft Office app to scan documents.
Combine Multiple Images
That’s how you can scan and email a document on Android phones. Learn how tocombine multiple images into one PDFon iPhone. Also, know how tocombine images without the internet.
Mehvish Mushtaqis a tech lover from Kashmir. With a degree in computer engineering, she’s always been happy to help anyone who finds technology challenging. She’s been writing about technology for over six years, and her favorite topics include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Windows, social media, and web apps. You can also find her work onMake Tech Easier,Guiding Tech, andNerds Chalk
