With the Dropbox mobile app, you can scan documents directly into your account with your iOS or Android mobile device. Now, all of your brilliant ideas scribbled on napkins, mapped out on whiteboards, or collecting dust in file cabinets can be housed in the same place.
8 minute read
Don't waste your time
You can capture information on the go easily and quickly with the document scanning feature of the Dropbox mobile app. You don’t have to waste time transferring your notes, keeping track of receipts, or taking blurry pictures that you can’t read anyway. Doc scan will do the hard work for you.
As part of a Dropbox Business team, you can also search the contents of your scans.
Scanning, editing, adjusting, and saving your stuff
Saving your scan
From the Edit screen, tap Next to enter the Settings view. Name your file whatever you’d like, pick the file type (PDF or PNG), and then decide where to save your document. You’ll notice that the Dropbox doc scanner will suggest file names and folder locations based on your recent scans.
Scanning a document
Once your Dropbox app is open on your mobile device, tap the plus ( + ) button. Choose Scan document and either take a picture of what you want to transform into a document, or select an image from your camera roll. If you do take a picture, point your camera at that object; a border will then outline the shape you’re scanning.
Editing and arranging the document
After scanning a doc, the next screen is the Edit view. The icons on the bottom represent the actions you can take to edit your scan. You can also tap Arrange to reorder the pages of your scan. In the Arrange view, long press a page to drag and reorder it.
Adjusting your scan
From the Edit screen, you can also adjust your scan. Just tap the icon with the three sliders at the bottom of the screen and edit the area of your scanned document by moving the blue dots on each corner of the scan. Tap Filter to decide what format you want the scan in (black and white, whiteboard, or original). When you're finished, tap Done.
Saving your scan
From the Edit screen, tap Next to enter the Settings view. Name your file whatever you’d like, pick the file type (PDF or PNG), and then decide where to save your document. You’ll notice that the Dropbox doc scanner will suggest file names and folder locations based on your recent scans.
Scanning a document
Once your Dropbox app is open on your mobile device, tap the plus ( + ) button. Choose Scan document and either take a picture of what you want to transform into a document, or select an image from your camera roll. If you do take a picture, point your camera at that object; a border will then outline the shape you’re scanning.
Editing and arranging the document
After scanning a doc, the next screen is the Edit view. The icons on the bottom represent the actions you can take to edit your scan. You can also tap Arrange to reorder the pages of your scan. In the Arrange view, long press a page to drag and reorder it.
Adjusting your scan
From the Edit screen, you can also adjust your scan. Just tap the icon with the three sliders at the bottom of the screen and edit the area of your scanned document by moving the blue dots on each corner of the scan. Tap Filter to decide what format you want the scan in (black and white, whiteboard, or original). When you're finished, tap Done.
Saving your scan
From the Edit screen, tap Next to enter the Settings view. Name your file whatever you’d like, pick the file type (PDF or PNG), and then decide where to save your document. You’ll notice that the Dropbox doc scanner will suggest file names and folder locations based on your recent scans.
Search inside your scans
As a member of a Dropbox Business team, you can even search inside your scans. And, if you linked your work and personal accounts, you can also access full-text search on your personal account.
Say you’re looking for that one scan detailing the expense budget you need to turn in today. You can use the search bar on the mobile app or dropbox.com to find the doc that contains “budget” in the file name or even the contents.
Full-text search is only available in certain languages. So, if you use Dropbox in a language other than English and don’t see full-text search, that means the feature isn’t yet available in your language.
