How to scan documents in Windows

There are two ways to scan photos or documents to your Windows computer: With a dedicated scanner or with a multi-function printer (MFP) containing a scanner.

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Find out how to scan a document or image from an independent scanner or MFP using Windows Fax and Scan software, built into Windows 10, Windows 8 or Windows 7 without other software.

Before we start, we will assume you have attached a scanner or MFP to your computer, and you have checked the connection to confirm that your device is working properly.

Open the Windows Fax and Scan program

How to scan documents in Windows Picture 1

The fastest and easiest way to open Windows Fax and Scan is to just search for it. Just type Windows Fax into Search and you will see it appear in the search results. Click it to open.

In Windows 10, the search bar is located right next to the Start button. In previous versions of Windows, the search bar is located inside the Start button and you need to click Start, before you see the search bar.

If you don't want to search, Windows Fax and Scan is available via the Start menu in all versions of Windows:

1. Windows 10: Start button > Accessories
2. Windows 8: Start screen > Apps
3. Windows 7: Menu Start> All Programs

Use the Windows Fax and Scan program

How to scan documents in Windows Picture 2

Windows Fax and Scan are quite similar on Windows 7, 8 and 10 versions, because Microsoft has not updated the interface of this program, since the program was introduced in Windows Vista. So no matter which version of Windows you use, follow these instructions to scan your MFP scanner or document or photo scanner:

1. Turn on the scanner or MFP, if you haven't done so already.
2. Click New Scan in the blue toolbar. New Scan window will appear after a few seconds.
3. In the Select Device window , click on the scanner you want to use.
4. Click OK.
5. In the New Scan window , change any scanning options (such as the file format you want to save to) to the left of the window.
6. Preview the scan in the window by clicking Preview.
7. Scan the document you need by clicking Scan.

How to use scanned documents?

After your scanner scans the document, it will appear in the document pane in the Windows Fax and Scan window. Scroll up and down in this window to see all scanned documents.

Now you can decide what you can do with this document, by clicking on one of the following options (from left to right) in the blue menu bar at the top of the window:

1. Click Forward as Fax to fax scanned documents to one or more recipients in Windows Fax and Scan.
2. Click Forward as E-Mail to send the scanned document as an e-mail attachment, which you can send to one or more people. After you click on this option, a new mailing window will appear in your favorite email program, with the attachment above, and you can process, enter your content and send mail.
3. Click Save As to open the Save As window where you can save the document by another name, in another graphic file format and / or in another folder.

Even if you don't do anything with the documents or photos you scanned, Windows Fax and Scan automatically saves your scans into a file, so you can view previous scans at any time, when you open the program.

View scanned files by clicking on the document name or image in the file list. The scanned document or image appears in the document window, so you can confirm that the file contains what you expect. You can then perform any sending or saving tasks as mentioned earlier.

See more:

1. Instructions for the easiest way to scan documents into PDF files on Android
2. Instructions for using a computer to perform print and scan tasks
3. Instructions for scanning documents with 3 simple steps