Scan Documents to Create PDFs with Adobe Scan Mobile App

Last updated on September 15, 2026

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to scan documents and get them into your course, have a look at the Adobe Scan app! With the Adobe Scan app, you can use your mobile device camera to scan text books, images, and more. Adobe will then create a PDF document and scan it for text, creating an accessible PDF that you can then edit.

Directions

Note: This video uses an outdated version of the Adobe Scan Mobile App. See the written tutorial for updated directions.

[Length 3:36, CC Available]

Download App and Login

1. Download the Adobe Scan Digital PDF Scanner app to your mobile device.
   1. Download it from the Google App Store.
   2. Download it from the Apple Store.
2. Open Adobe Scan PDF Scanner on your mobile device.
3. Click Sign in at the bottom of the screen under “Already have an Adobe account?”
4. Enter your MSU Denver email address.
5. Sign in with your MSU Denver login credentials.
6. Click Continue on the pop-up that appears.
7. Click OK on the Welcome to Adobe Scan pop-up to grant the app access to your camera.
8. Click Allow on the Adobe Scan would like to access the Camera pop-up.

Scan Documents to Create PDF

1. Swipe on the Capture Screen to select a scan mode
   • Whiteboard: Captures whiteboard text/info.
   • Book: Capture both pages of an open book simultaneously.
   • Document: General boundary-detection scanning, and has the option to enable Fill & Sign after saving.
   • ID Card: Scan the front and back of an ID card to be put together on a single page.
   • Business Card: Scan a business card.
2. Position your camera so the whole document is in the frame and tap the screen once the entire document is on screen.
   • Note: Adobe PDF Scanner will automatically find the borders of the document and begin scanning (be sure to be as steady as possible to ensure a clear scan). 
   • The next screen will show your document with the automatic borders. You can adjust them in this screen if you want to expand (cropping the image can be done on the Edit Screen). 
3. Click Retake at the bottom left of the image to scan the document again.
   • You may also crop, rotate, or reorder your pages on this screen.
4. Click Keep Scanning if you have more than one page to scan.
5. Click Save PDF at the bottom right to save your scanned image as a PDF file.
6. Your file will be saved under All Scans and Recent Scans.
   • If you are on the Capture Screen, click the Home Button in the upper left-hand corner (it looks like a little house). This will take you to your scans. 
   • You can share, export, or edit your files from your phone, or you can follow the steps below to view and edit your PDF from your computer.

Open and Edit Scanned PDF on Computer

1. Open https://acrobat.adobe.com/ on your computer.
2. Log in using your MSU Denver login credentials.
   • Your scanned PDF should appear under Recent
3. Hover over the PDF you just created.
4. Click Edit to edit the PDF. Adobe will automatically turn any text into accessible, selectable text.
   • Accessibility Note: Adobe will automatically turn text into recognizable, selectable text. However, you will need to manually check the tag order, add any alt text for images, and check for any mistakes in the text.
     • For guidance on how to check your PDF for accessibility, view the MSU Accessibility Group page, Use the Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker.
5. Click Convert to convert your PDF into a Word Document, Excel File, Power Point, or JPEG File.
6. Click the download icon to download the file onto your computer.
7. Click Share to share the PDF link to others.

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Have Questions?

Need additional support on this or other teaching and learning topics? Please visit us for drop-in support or try one of our self-help tutorials. 

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