How to Scan Documents on Windows 11 With the Camera App

No flatbed scanner, no third-party app, and it's completely free.

Document mode works on most Windows 11 laptops, tablets, and 2-in-1s with a camera. One honest caveat: the mode only appears when the attached camera supports it — if the Document button doesn't show up, your camera can't do it, and the browser-based fallback at the end of this guide has you covered.

What Windows Camera Document mode can do

• Dedicated Document mode. A Document button on the right side of the Camera app switches to scanning; the capture button becomes Take document.
• Automatic edge detection. A blue box appears around the detected page — keep the document inside it and Windows crops away the desk around the page.
• Whiteboard mode too. The same app offers a Whiteboard mode for capturing boards and flip charts with the same straightening.
• Built-in editing. After capture, adjust zoom, rotate, crop, and delete, and switch filters between Photo, Document, and Whiteboard looks.
• Export to PDF. From the options menu, choose Export to open the Print dialog and save the scan as a PDF — the format receipts, forms, and contracts actually need.
• Copy and file management. Copy puts the scan on the clipboard for pasting anywhere; Open Folder jumps straight to the saved files.

Step-by-step: scan with the Camera app

1. Open the Camera app — press the Start key, type "Camera", and open it.
2. On the right-hand side, select the Document button. The capture button changes to Take document. (If the Document button isn't there, your camera doesn't support scanning — skip to the fallback section below.)
3. Hold the document in front of the camera so it's in focus. On a laptop, hold the page up to the webcam; on a tablet or 2-in-1, point the rear camera down at the desk.
4. A blue box appears where the app detects the document — make sure the whole page sits inside it.
5. Select Take document. The scan appears as a thumbnail in the Camera roll at the bottom-right of the app.
6. Select the thumbnail to review the scan. Use the icons at the top to zoom, rotate (90° clockwise each tap), crop (drag the square, then Done), or switch filters between Photo, Document, and Whiteboard.
7. Select the ellipsis (…) in the top-right for more options: Copy to the clipboard, Open Folder to find the file, or Export to save it as a PDF through the Print dialog.
8. To keep editing, select the Photos app icon in the top-left to open the scan in Photos.

Edit and export your scan

The quickest path to a finished PDF: after capturing, open the thumbnail, tap Crop to tighten the edges, and choose the Document filter for high-contrast black-and-white text. Then hit the ellipsis and Export — in the Print dialog, pick Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer and save. Your scan is now a proper PDF you can email, upload, or archive.

For multi-page documents, scan each page the same way and combine the PDFs afterwards — or skip the assembly work entirely with a browser scanner (below) that exports all your pages as one PDF in a single step.

Tips for better scans with a laptop webcam

• Move the page, not the laptop. Keep the laptop steady and hold the document up to the webcam — laptop cameras are fixed, so you do the aiming.
• Use both hands and brace your elbows. Shaky hands are the top cause of blurry webcam scans.
• Light the page evenly. Face a window or a bright room; avoid holding the page under a single harsh lamp, which creates glare the blue-box detection can't see through.
• Give it a dark background. White paper on a dark desk helps the edge detection lock on — the opposite of what feels natural.
• Keep some distance. Most laptop webcams focus best at 25–35 cm. Too close goes soft; too far makes text unreadable.

If the Document button is missing

Some cameras — especially older or very basic webcams — don't expose the scanning capability, so Windows hides the Document button. That's a camera limitation, not a Windows bug. The workaround is a browser-based scanner: open Scanner.cam in Edge or Chrome, allow the webcam when asked, capture each page, and export a single multi-page PDF. It works with any webcam, runs entirely on your PC so documents stay private, and needs no install.

FAQ

How do I scan a document on Windows 11 without a scanner?
Open the Camera app, select the Document button on the right side, hold the page in front of the camera so it sits inside the blue detection box, and choose Take document. Crop or rotate if needed, then use the ellipsis menu → Export to save it as a PDF.

Why is there no Document button in my Camera app?
Microsoft only shows the Document button when the attached camera supports scanning. If it's missing, your camera can't do it — use a browser-based scanner like Scanner.cam instead, which works with any webcam.

Where do Windows Camera scans save?
Scans appear in the Camera roll — the thumbnail at the bottom-right of the Camera app. Use the ellipsis menu → Open Folder to jump to the saved files, or the Photos app icon (top-left) to open the scan in Photos.

Can the Windows Camera app scan a whiteboard?
Yes — the same app includes a Whiteboard mode next to Document mode. Point it at the board, select Take Whiteboard, and it captures and straightens the board like a document.

How do I make a PDF from a Windows Camera scan?
Open the scan in the Camera roll, select the ellipsis (…) in the top-right corner, choose Export, and use the Print dialog (Microsoft Print to PDF) to save the scan as a PDF file.

Related guides

• Can I Scan Documents With My Laptop Webcam?
• How to Scan Documents on Mac Without a Scanner
• How to Scan Documents on a Chromebook With the Camera App
• How to Scan Documents With Google Drive's Built-In Scanner
• How to Scan Multi-Page PDFs Online Free
• Is It Safe to Scan Documents Online? Privacy Explained