Why it's awkward with the built-in tools
- Windows Fax and Scan isn't installed on many Windows 11 PCs, and it saves scans as image files rather than PDFs. See Windows Fax and Scan missing in Windows 11.
- The basic scanning app in the Store has long been unable to put several flatbed pages into one PDF - a question with dozens of "same here" votes on Microsoft's own help forum.
- Microsoft Lens, the phone scanning app many people used instead, was retired in 2025.
Step by step with a flatbed
- Install Metre2 Scanner free from the Microsoft Store and open it.
- Pick your scanner. USB and network scanners that Windows knows about are listed; network printers can also be added by their address.
- Choose colour, grey or black and white, the resolution and the page size (see the table below).
- Put the first page on the glass and scan. It appears in the page tray, straightened and cropped.
- Turn the page over or put the next one on and scan again. Repeat for every page.
- In the tray, drag pages into order, rotate any that are upside down (R), delete mistakes and rescan a page in place if it's crooked.
- Save as PDF. Every page goes into one file.
Using a document feeder, and both sides
If your scanner or all-in-one printer has a document feeder, choose it as the source and load the whole stack. Where the scanner supports duplex, choose both sides and it scans the front and back in one pass. Turn on skip blank pages so the empty backs of single-sided sheets are left out.
Settings that matter
| Document | Colour mode | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Letters, contracts, typed forms | Black and white | 300 dpi |
| Forms with a blue signature or a red stamp | Colour | 200 to 300 dpi |
| Receipts and faint print | Grey | 300 dpi |
| Photos | Colour | 300 to 600 dpi |
| Drawings with fine lines | Grey or black and white | 300 to 600 dpi |
Black and white at 300 dpi gives small, sharp files for text. 600 dpi colour is rarely needed for documents and makes very large files; if a PDF comes out too big, Compress PDF can shrink it afterwards.
If your scanner doesn't show up
- Check it's on, connected, and listed in Windows under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Install the maker's scanner (WIA) driver if Windows only set it up as a printer.
- Network printers made since about 2015 can usually scan without a driver (often called AirScan, Mopria or eSCL). If it isn't found automatically, type the printer's network address into the app.
No scanner? Use photos of the pages
The browser edition can't reach scanners - no web page can - but it turns photos of pages from your phone into one tidy PDF: straightened, cropped and in the right order, with nothing uploaded.
Scanner Pro, a one-off upgrade in the Windows app, adds searchable PDFs (text recognition on your PC), splitting a stack into separate files, automatic file names, saved scan profiles and scanning from your phone over your own Wi-Fi.