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How to Scan to PDF on Android (Free)

By DocFila Team · April 26, 2026 · 6 min read

DocFila for Android scans documents to searchable PDFs with edge detection, perspective correction, OCR and multi-page workflows. The scanner works without an account, and the PDF tools have no watermark. Here's the complete guide.

Install DocFila on Android

Download DocFila from the Google Play Store. The app works on Android 7.0 and later. You can start scanning without signing up.

Scan a single page

1. Open DocFila and tap the Scan button (camera icon).
2. Point at the document on a flat surface. Edge detection draws a yellow outline automatically.
3. Hold steady — the app captures when the page is in focus.
4. Drag corner handles if the auto-crop missed the edges.
5. Pick a colour mode: Original, Colour, Grayscale, or B&W Document.
6. Tap Save. The PDF is saved to your library and (optionally) DocFila Vault.

Scan a multi-page document

After the first page, tap + Add Page to keep scanning. DocFila stitches all pages into a single PDF. Reorder pages by dragging, delete the bad ones, or insert new pages anywhere in the document.

Make scans searchable with OCR

DocFila runs OCR on each page after you scan. It adds an invisible text layer to the PDF so you (and Google Drive, Notion, Spotlight, etc.) can search the words inside the file. On-device OCR on Android covers Latin, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Devanagari text; Arabic, Cyrillic and Greek pages can be sent to DocFila's AI service if you are signed in.

Sign and share the scanned PDF

Tap Sign to add your saved e-signature, then share via Gmail, Drive, WhatsApp, or print over Wi-Fi. Combine with PDF compression if the file is over your email size limit.

Tips for crystal-clear scans

• Use natural daylight or an overhead lamp — direct flash creates glare.
• Place the document on a contrasting background so edge detection finds the corners.
• For thick books, hold the page flat with your hand and use Manual Crop.
• For receipts, use B&W Document mode — it kills colour noise and shrinks file size.

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