How to Scan to PDF on Windows [3 Ways]

Scan to PDF can facilitate your document storage and management, especially for documents with much text and plenty of images.

For Windows users, luckily, there are several ways to achieve it. In today’s post, we’ve explored some of the most practical and easy-to-use methods for you, helping efficiently get a file scanned and converted to PDF.

How to Scan to PDF on Windows with a Scanner

You may need to scan printed documents such as medical records or insurance policies into PDFs. If you have a printer with a scanner, you can do this quickly and easily in just a few steps.

Step 1. Install the necessary drivers and software for your scanner from its official website.

Step 2. Connect the scanner to your computer using a USB or Wi-Fi. Turn on the scanner and launch the software on your PC.

Step 3. Depending on your scanner model, place the document you want to scan face-down on the scanner glass or face-up in the document feeder.

Step 4. In the software, click the “Scan” button in the software to start scanning.

Step 5. After the scan is completed, choose the scan settings, such as color mode, resolution (DPI), and paper size. Select the File Type as “Basic PDF” and click “Save” or “Save as PDF.”

It’s frustrating if the scanner or printer only scans documents to image formats, instead of a PDF. But fear not, this can be easily solved by using PDFgear Image to PDF Converter.

PDFgear offers both an online converter and software to convert images to PDF files. With advanced OCR technology, the converted files are high-quality and retain their original formatting. This PDF editor and converter works on Windows 10 and 11, supporting conversions from PNG to PDF, JPEG to PDF, PSD to PDF, and more.

How to Scan to PDF on Windows with Window Fax and Scan

Besides using the scanner’s software, you can also try the built-in feature Windows Fax and Scan on your computer. It’s available on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11.

Here’s how to scan to PDF using this tool:

Step 1. Enter Windows Fax and Scan in the search box and open it. Click “New Scan” in the toolbar.

Step 2. Choose your scanner by clicking the “Change” button if needed.

Step 3. In the profile section, select either “Document” or “Photo” as the file type, and adjust any other settings as needed.

Step 4. Click the “Scan” button to start scanning the document. After the scanning, go to “File” > “Print” > Choose “Microsoft Print to PDF” to print the new file to PDF.

How to Scan to PDF on Windows with Adobe Acrobat Pro

If the methods above don’t work for you, you can use third-party software like Adobe Acrobat Pro to scan documents into PDF. This is a powerful PDF editing tool that provides many advanced features for file management.

However, you’ll need to sign in and subscribe to it before scanning a file with it. If you’re already an Adobe member, you’re good to go.

Step 1. Launch Adobe Acrobat Pro on your computer.

Step 2. Click on the “Tools” tab in the upper-left corner > Select “Create PDF” > Choose “Scanner.”

Step 3. Choose your scanner from the list > Set up for scanning (select color mode and resolution.)

Step 4. Place your document in the scanner > Click “Scan” to start scanning the document. If you want to scan multiple pages, follow the prompts to add additional pages.

Step 5. After scanning, a preview of the document will appear. Click “Save” or “Save As > Choose the location and name for your PDF file and click “Save.”

FAQs

Is there a free way to scan to PDF on Windows?

Yes. As mentioned in this post, the scanner and Windows Fax and Scan are both free-to-use methods to scan a document to PDF on Windows. Windows Fax and Scan is a built-in feature that allows basic scanning on Windows.

Can I use OCR to scan to PDF on Windows?

Yes, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) allows the conversion of scanned documents into editable and searchable text within PDF files. Many scanners and scanner software, such as Adobe Acrobat DC, use OCR to improve scanning accuracy.

Can I scan multiple pages into one PDF on Windows?

Yes, you can scan multiple pages into one PDF on Windows using third-party software like Adobe Acrobat, and Windows Scan. They allow you to scan each page sequentially and then merge them into a single PDF document.

How do I scan documents to PDF with Microsoft Office on Windows?

You can use the Microsoft Office Lens app to scan documents to PDF with Microsoft Office on Windows. Open the Microsoft Office Lens app > Select “Document” and scan each page > After scanning, choose “PDF” as the file format and save the document.