Can I scan documents without an internet connection?

Yes. Scanly captures, edits, reads text and exports PDFs with no connection. It only uses the internet for optional update checks and links.

Does an offline scanner still read the text on a page?

Scanly runs text recognition with an on-device model, so the text is read on the phone and nothing is uploaded. You can then search your scans by the words on the page and copy or share the recognised text.

Will I lose a scan if the signal drops in the middle of a session?

Scans are stored on your phone, so losing signal does not interrupt capture, editing or export. Nothing in those steps waits on a server.

Do I need an account to use Scanly offline?

No. Scanly does not require an account or sign-in, so there is nothing to verify before you start scanning.

How do I move a scanned PDF off my phone when I have no internet?

Export the PDF and save it to Downloads/Scanly or a folder you choose, then move it with a method that works where you are, such as a cable or a local network app. The Android share sheet passes the file to whichever app you pick, so use an online app only when you have a connection.

Offline document scanner

An offline document scanner for Android that works without internet

Short answer: Scanly is an offline document scanner for Android. Once it is installed, it captures, edits, searches and exports documents entirely on your phone, so a weak signal or airplane mode does not stop you from scanning.

A scanner that depends on a connection tends to fail at the worst moment: in a basement office, on a train, at a counter with no signal, or on a flight. An offline document scanner avoids that by doing the processing on the device, rather than sending each page to a server to be cropped and converted.

Scanly is built that way from the start. Edge detection, perspective correction, filters, text recognition and PDF creation all happen on your phone. This page sets out what works with no connection, what does need one, and where the limits are.

Install Scanly free on Google Play (Android 10+, no account, no ads)

What works with no connection

Capture with live edge detection and auto-capture, or the manual shutter.
Crop, perspective correction, rotation and all 10 filter presets.
Text recognition on your pages, used for search and for copying or sharing the text.
Creating, merging, compressing, signing and password-protecting PDFs.
Exporting to PDF or to a ZIP of JPEG images, and saving to Downloads/Scanly or a folder you choose.

Why on-device processing matters

Many cloud scanners upload each page to be cropped and enhanced, then download the result. That round trip needs a connection, and it means a server handles your document. Scanly uses an on-device model for page detection and a bundled text recognition model, so the work happens locally.

Your original photo stays on the phone as well. You can change a crop or a filter later without photographing the page again.

Preparing before you go offline

Install the app while you still have a connection. The app needs the internet only for optional update checks and links.
Scan and export a test page before a trip, so you know the workflow on your own phone.
Check that you have enough free storage, because scans and PDFs are kept on the phone.
Before you lose signal, save a copy to a folder you can reach from another app. There is no cloud sync to do this for you.

Limits to know about

Offline also means there is no sync. Your library lives on a single phone, there is no web or desktop app, and there is no iPhone version. Anything you need on another device has to be exported and sent by you.

Search only finds words that the on-device text recognition has read, so a page the recogniser could not read will not show up when you search for its contents.

Questions people ask

Can I scan documents without an internet connection?: Yes. Scanly captures, edits, reads text and exports PDFs with no connection. It only uses the internet for optional update checks and links.
Does an offline scanner still read the text on a page?: Scanly runs text recognition with an on-device model, so the text is read on the phone and nothing is uploaded. You can then search your scans by the words on the page and copy or share the recognised text.
Will I lose a scan if the signal drops in the middle of a session?: Scans are stored on your phone, so losing signal does not interrupt capture, editing or export. Nothing in those steps waits on a server.
Do I need an account to use Scanly offline?: No. Scanly does not require an account or sign-in, so there is nothing to verify before you start scanning.
How do I move a scanned PDF off my phone when I have no internet?: Export the PDF and save it to Downloads/Scanly or a folder you choose, then move it with a method that works where you are, such as a cable or a local network app. The Android share sheet passes the file to whichever app you pick, so use an online app only when you have a connection.

Last checked 2026-10-22. Markdown version