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How to Fix Adobe Scan Scanning Only in Black and White

Aamir Naveed Akram Oct 19, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to restore color scanning in Adobe Scan because the application is exclusively capturing documents in monochrome.

How to Fix Adobe Scan Scanning Only in Black and White

Product: Adobe Scan
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Scanning physical documents using the mobile device camera through the Adobe Scan application.
Observed behavior: The captured pages are processed in black and white or grayscale, completely removing the original colors of the physical document.

Before you start

Open your device's default camera app to verify that the camera hardware is functioning properly and capturing colors accurately before adjusting any specific app settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust the Scan Filter Settings

The most common reason for monochrome scans is an automatically applied black-and-white or grayscale filter within the app.

Adobe Scan often defaults to a monochrome filter to enhance text contrast. Changing this filter back to color during the preview stage will resolve the issue.

Capture a document

Open Adobe Scan and capture a physical page as you normally would.

Open filter options

Tap on the 'Filters' icon located in the bottom menu bar of the scan preview screen.

Select a color filter

Choose 'Original color' or 'Auto color' instead of the 'Black & White' or 'Grayscale' options.

Save as default

Toggle on the 'Save as default' switch (if available on your version) so future scans automatically retain their original colors.

Filter Applied: Once the original color filter is set as default, subsequent pages added to the document will also be captured in color.

Solution 2

Update the App and Verify Camera Permissions

Outdated application versions or restrictive camera permissions can sometimes cause unexpected scanning behavior.

Built-in Mobile Scanner

Scan Documents in Full Color with WPS Office

If standalone scanning apps are giving you trouble, try the built-in document scanner in the WPS Office mobile app. It seamlessly captures high-quality color documents, extracts text with OCR, and saves them directly as highly compatible PDFs or Word files.

1. Open WPS Office: Launch the WPS Office mobile app and tap the '+' or 'Create' button on the home screen.
2. Access the scanner: Select the 'Scanner' tool to activate your device's camera.
3. Capture the document: Point your camera at the physical document and tap the capture button.
4. Apply color filters: Select the 'Color' or 'Original' filter from the bottom menu to ensure your document retains its true colors.
5. Export to PDF: Tap 'Done' or 'Export to PDF' to save your newly scanned color document directly to your device.

High-quality color and original document scanning.Built-in OCR technology to extract text from scanned images.Directly export scanned documents to highly compatible Microsoft Office formats like Word or standard PDFs.All-in-one free app for scanning, editing, and sharing documents on the go.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my scanner app automatically apply a black and white filter?

Many mobile scanner apps default to black and white or grayscale to enhance text readability, increase contrast for printed documents, and significantly reduce the final file size.

Can I change a saved black and white scan back to color?

If you have already saved and exported the scan as a flattened PDF, you generally cannot revert it to color. You must change the filter options in the scan preview stage before finalizing and saving the file.

What should I do if my phone's native camera is also shooting in black and white?

If your device's default camera app is only capturing monochrome images, check if a global color filter or an accessibility setting (like grayscale mode) is enabled in your phone's system settings. If settings are correct, it may be a hardware defect requiring manufacturer support.

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