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Why You Can't Scan Directly in Adobe Acrobat Mobile and How to Fix It
Question details
The user is unable to scan documents directly within the Adobe Acrobat mobile app and is automatically redirected to a separate scanning application.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Mobile
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to use a smartphone or tablet to scan a physical document into a digital PDF format.
- Observed behavior
- The Adobe Acrobat application delegates the scanning task, prompting the user to install or open the Adobe Scan app instead of utilizing an in-app camera tool.
Ensure your mobile device has a working camera and an active internet connection to download the required companion application from your app store.
Install and Use the Adobe Scan Companion App
Since Adobe Acrobat mobile relies on a dedicated scanner app to process physical documents, installing Adobe Scan is the primary way to enable this functionality.
Adobe has modularized its mobile experience to optimize app performance. Scanning capabilities, including image enhancement and text recognition, are specifically handled by the Adobe Scan app. Once the document is captured, it seamlessly integrates back into Acrobat.
Open the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) on your mobile device, search for 'Adobe Scan', and install the application.
Launch Adobe Scan and sign in using the exact same Adobe account credentials you currently use for Adobe Acrobat.
Tap the camera icon within Adobe Scan, hover your device over the physical document, and let the app automatically capture and crop the page.
Adjust any borders or apply color filters if needed, then tap 'Save PDF' in the top right corner to finalize the document.
Tap the 'Open in Acrobat' button located directly below your newly saved file in Adobe Scan to resume viewing, editing, or sharing.
Use an Alternative Mobile Scanner App
If you prefer not to install Adobe's dedicated scanning app, you can use built-in mobile scanning tools and manually open the resulting files in Acrobat.
Scan and Edit PDFs Directly in One App with WPS Office
If you want to avoid downloading multiple companion apps just to scan and edit documents, WPS Office offers a powerful, all-in-one solution. You can capture, convert, and fully edit PDFs without ever leaving the application.
- 1. Launch WPS Office: Open the WPS Office mobile app on your Android or iOS device.
- 2. Access the Scanner: Tap the '+' (Create) button located at the bottom of the home screen and select 'Scanner' from the available tools.
- 3. Capture Document: Align your physical document within the camera viewfinder and tap the shutter button to take the scan.
- 4. Adjust and Enhance: Drag the corner handles to adjust the document borders, then apply filters like 'B&W' or 'Enhance' to improve text legibility.
- 5. Export and Edit: Tap 'Export to PDF'. The file will instantly open within the WPS Office PDF editor, ready for you to add text, signatures, or highlights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Adobe separate the scanning feature from the main Acrobat app?
Adobe decoupled the scanning feature to create Adobe Scan, an application specifically optimized for optical character recognition (OCR) and image processing. This keeps the primary Adobe Acrobat app lighter and more focused on PDF reading and editing.
Do I have to pay to use the Adobe Scan application?
No, Adobe Scan is completely free to download and use for standard scanning tasks. However, advanced features like exporting scans to Microsoft Word or combining multiple scans into a single large file may require a premium Adobe Acrobat subscription.
Can I edit the text of the physical documents I scan on my phone?
Yes, provided the scanning app utilizes Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Adobe Scan automatically applies OCR to recognized text, which makes the text selectable and editable once you open the finalized PDF in a compatible editor.
Where are my scanned documents stored on my mobile device?
By default, documents scanned via Adobe Scan are securely uploaded and saved to your Adobe Document Cloud. You can find them by opening Adobe Acrobat, navigating to the 'Files' tab, and checking the 'Document Cloud' folder.
