# Scan documents with DirectScan

Scan paper straight into Content Central from your browser — connect the scanner the first time, choose where the document goes and when you'll fill in its fields, and run the scan.

Product: content-central · Versions: 7.x · Audience: user · Time: 10 minutes (plus a one-time setup) · Last verified: 2026-09-04

Canonical: https://help.ademero.com/content-central/capture/scan-documents-with-directscan

**At the end of this guide you'll have scanned paper into Content Central from your browser: the scanner connected, the document headed to the right catalog, and a clear choice about whether you fill in its fields now or later.**

## Step 1: Open the DirectScan page

In the sidebar, open **Capture New** and choose **DirectScan**.

## Step 2: First time only — connect your scanner

The first visit walks you through connecting, one panel at a time. Two moments matter:

1. **"Connect to your scanner"** — click **Connect**. Your browser will ask whether this page may reach software on your computer: choose **Allow**. Until you do, everything else looks broken even when it isn't.

2. **"DirectScan is not set up on this computer"** — click **Install DirectScan** and run the installer. The panel shows *"Waiting for DirectScan…"* — finish the installer and the page carries on by itself.

*[Screenshot: When DirectScan is missing or not yet approved for your site, the panel says exactly which it is; Install DirectScan downloads the installer from your own server, which approves the site automatically.]*

> **NOTE:** Always install from **this page** (or from **Downloads** > **Desktop Applications** > **DirectScan Agent**) rather than an installer someone saved earlier — the copy from your own server automatically trusts your server and is guaranteed current.

**What you should see:** the setup panel disappears and a **Device** dropdown lists your scanner. If it says **"No scanner detected"** — switch the scanner on, check the cable, and click **Look again**.

## Step 3: Say where the document goes

1. Choose the **Catalog** and **Document Type**.

2. Under **Document Properties**, choose when you'll fill in the document's fields:
   
   | Choice | What happens |
   |---|---|
   | **Provide now** | Fill in the fields on this page; the document files directly |
   | **Provide later in Coding Queue** | Scan now, fill in fields later from the Coding Queue |
   | **Provide some now, some later** | Fill some fields now; a **Destination** choice sends the rest to **Your Queue** or **Shared Queue** |
   | **Provide only Catalog & Document Type** | Just the destination — everything else waits in the queue |

3. If you chose to provide fields now, complete the **Required Fields** (and any **Optional Fields**). An **Approval Process** selector appears when the document type has processes to choose from.

## Step 4 (optional): Adjust scan settings

Open **Options** to change how the scan itself runs:

- **Resolution**, **Page Size**, **Color Mode**, **Input Source**, and **Duplex Mode** — the choices come from your scanner
- **Use fixed page count** — split a stack into documents of exactly N pages
- **Use Device Software** — hand control to your scanner's own dialog instead (hides the settings above)

> **NOTE:** The defaults are fine for most office paperwork. Change **Duplex Mode** when your pages are double-sided — that's the one people forget.

## Step 5: Scan

1. Load the paper and click **Start Scan**. Pages appear in the preview as they come in; the counter shows **Pages: n**. Click **Stop Scan** to end early, or **Clear All** to start over.

2. Click **Finish**.

**What you should see:** a message that your pages were *submitted for capture processing*. Processing runs in the background, so the document appears in Content Central shortly — not instantly. That's expected, not an error.

If you chose to provide fields later, your scan is waiting under **Work Areas** > **Coding Queue**.

## When scanning won't start

Almost every DirectScan problem is one of three layers — the scanner's driver, the DirectScan software on this computer, or the connection to your server — and each fails with a different message. [DirectScan can't see your scanner or reach the server](/content-central/capture/directscan-cant-see-scanner-or-server) walks the layers in order; start there before reinstalling anything.

## What's next

- [DirectScan can't see your scanner or reach the server](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/capture/directscan-cant-see-scanner-or-server)
- [Backup, export, or audit trail? Getting data out of Content Central](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/backup-export-or-audit-trail)