# Scan multiple pages into one searchable PDF

Capture every page in one continuous scan, fix and reorder them on the review screen, and export a single PDF whose text any app can search — all on your phone.

Product: document-scanner · Audience: user · Time: 5 minutes · Last verified: 2026-08-30

Canonical: https://help.ademero.com/document-scanner/using-the-app/scan-multiple-pages-into-one-searchable-pdf

**At the end of this guide you'll have a single PDF containing every page you scanned, in the right order, with text inside that any PDF app can search.**

> **NOTE:** Everything happens on your phone. Page cleanup, text recognition, and PDF creation all work offline — your documents are never uploaded.

## Before you start

Install the free **Document Scanner by Ademero** app (publisher: Ademero, Inc.) from Google Play or the App Store. Once installed, the icon on your home screen is labeled **Scanner**.

> **NOTE:** You can scan `3` pages before the app asks you to sign in. A free Google or email account unlocks unlimited scanning — the account never contains your document content.

## Capture every page

1. Open **Scanner** and tap **Scan** on the main library screen.

*[Screenshot: Main library screen with the Scan button highlighted.]*

2. Point the camera at your first page and hold steady. Capture is automatic by default — the **Auto**/**Manual** toggle in the camera view controls this.
   
   **What you should see:** on-screen prompts coach you (`Point at a document`, `Hold steady`, `Page found`), then `Captured — place the next page`.

3. Place the next page and repeat until you've captured them all. In **Auto** mode the app keeps capturing continuously — you don't tap anything between pages.

*[Screenshot: Camera view showing the "Captured — place the next page" prompt.]*

> note: A prompt like `Move closer`, `Reduce glare`, or `More light needed` isn't an error — adjust, and the app captures as soon as the page looks good.

4. Tap the green **Done** button next to the shutter.

## Review, fix, and reorder

1. On the review screen, check each page. The per-page tools are **Rotate**, **Crop**, **Retake**, **Move**, and **Delete**, plus appearance choices (**Auto**, **Color**, **Gray**, **B&W**, **Original**).

*[Screenshot: Review screen with the per-page toolbar visible.]*

2. To change page order, tap **Move** on a page and choose **Move earlier** or **Move later**.
   
   > important: The order you see here is the page order in the finished PDF. Reorder now, before exporting.

3. Tap **Done** in the top bar.

## Export as one searchable PDF

1. On the document screen, tap **Export** (Android) or **Share** (iOS).

*[Screenshot: Document screen with the Export or Share button highlighted.]*

2. Check the header of the export sheet. Searchable PDF is already the default whenever the app recognized text — there's no option to hunt for.
   
   **What you should see:** a header like `3 pages · searchable PDF` and a confirm button reading **Prepare searchable PDF**.
   
   > note: Want something different? Tap **More options** to change **Format** (searchable **PDF**, **PDF (image only)**, **JPEG**, or a ZIP of images), **Quality** (**Small**, **Balanced**, **High**, **Max** — an `About …` line estimates the file size), and **Page size** (**Auto**, **Letter**, **A4**).

3. Tap **Prepare searchable PDF**.
   
   **What you should see:** a progress line reading `Preparing page X of Y…`.

4. Save or share the finished file:
   
   - **Android:** tap **Save** to pick a location on your phone, or use **Share**, **Print**, or **Open**.
   - **iOS:** tap **Share**, then choose where to send or save it.

*[Screenshot: Finished-export screen with the Save and Share buttons.]*

## What "searchable" means

The PDF carries an invisible text layer embedded behind each page image. The pages still look exactly like your scans, but any PDF app can now find, select, and copy the words in them.

> **NOTE:** Text recognition currently reads Latin-script languages (English, Spanish, French, and similar). Pages in other scripts still export fine — their text just may not be searchable yet.

## If something goes wrong

- **A page came out badly?** Go back to the document, open review, and use **Retake** on just that page — no need to rescan the rest.
- **Deleted a document by mistake?** It moves to Trash and stays recoverable for `30` days.
- Still stuck? Contact Ademero support and include your phone model, app version, and what you saw on screen.