How to scan a document on Windows 11

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Switch on the scanner and add it under Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, Add device. Then open the Windows Scan app, place the page face down on the glass, choose the scanner, the source and the file type, and click Scan. The file is saved in the Scans folder inside Pictures.

Windows 11 has a simple scanning app that works with most scanners and all-in-one printers, without the maker's software. If the Scan app is not on your PC, it is a free download from the Microsoft Store under the name Windows Scan.

These steps are for Windows 11. The pictures are simplified diagrams of the Settings window, not screenshots, so colours and spacing on your PC look a little different.

Step by step

  1. Connect the scanner

    Plug it in by USB and switch it on, or make sure a network or Wi-Fi scanner is on the same network as the PC.

  2. – ▢ ✕SettingsSystemBluetooth & devicesNetwork & internetAppsAccountsTime & languageAccessibilityWindows UpdateBluetooth & devicesDevicesPrinters & scannersPhone LinkCameras

    Add it to Windows

    Open Start, Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners. Click Add device next to Add a printer or scanner, wait for the search, and click Add device next to your scanner. A scanner connected by USB is often added by itself.

  3. Open the Scan app

    Right-click Start, choose Search, type Windows Scan and open Scan.

  4. Place the document

    Put the page face down on the glass, or into the document feeder.

  5. Choose the settings

    Check that your scanner is selected. Under Source, choose Flatbed for the glass or Feeder for the document feeder, or leave Auto-configured. Under File type, choose JPEG, PNG, TIFF or Bitmap. Click Show more to change the resolution, the colour mode or the folder.

  6. Click Scan

    When it is done, click View to open the picture, or Close.

  7. Find the file

    Scans are saved in the Scans folder inside your Pictures folder, unless you chose another place.

Good to know

The Scan app saves pictures, not PDFs. To turn scanned pages into one PDF, use our free tool, which works in the browser without uploading: JPG to PDF. To make the text searchable: OCR PDF.

For text documents, 300 dpi in greyscale gives small, readable files. Use colour and a higher resolution for photos.

No scanner? A phone camera does the job for most paperwork: how to scan a document with an iPhone and how to scan a document with an Android phone.

If the device is not found: how to add a printer on Windows 11 covers the same search for all-in-one devices.

In short: Add the scanner under Printers & scanners, open Windows Scan, page face down, choose source and file type, Scan. Files go to Pictures, Scans.

Sources
  • Microsoft Support: Install and use a scanner in Windows

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.