Documentation / Desktop / Upload files Cameras

Scan a document

The scanning interface

The scanner opens straight on the Scan tab with the camera live. Allow camera access when the browser asks.

Scan
Scanner with a live camera preview and an ID card under the camera, frame corners marking where to place the document, an autofocus button at the top-right of the preview, and a capture row with a camera settings gear, a blue SCAN button and a document type button. A scan history panel sits to the right
  1. Place the document under the camera, MRZ side up.
  2. Fit the whole document inside the frame corners.
  3. Click SCAN.

The result appears in the scan history on the right.

Tabs

Along the top: Scan, Upload, Scan Guide and Get a Cam.

  • Scan: the live camera, described on this page.
  • Upload: process files you already have, see Upload files.
  • Scan Guide: a short in-app refresher on placing documents, plus answers to the most common questions.
  • Get a Cam: the recommended document camera, see Cameras.

The capture row

  • Gear (left): camera settings, to pick a different camera. See Cameras.
  • SCAN (centre): capture and read.
  • Document type (right): Auto, ID Card, Passport or QR. Leave it on Auto. Force a type only if a document isn't being detected.

To refocus, click anywhere on the preview or use the autofocus button at the top-right of it. When the scanner recognises the document type, the guides show where the MRZ should sit.

The status pill

A pill appears over the preview while something is happening: Reading document…, Complete ✓, Read failed ✗, or QR detected, hold still when a MiDNI or other QR code comes into view. QR codes are read automatically, no need to press SCAN.

Scan history

Every capture lands in the panel on the right, newest first, with a running count of successful and failed reads at the top. Each card shows the document type, the holder's name and the time. Green means a clean read, red means the read failed. The chevron collapses the panel when you need more room for the camera.

Scan history
Scanner after a successful capture. The scan history on the right shows a green card reading "ID Card", the holder name, the time and "Valid read", with a green check counter of 1 in the panel header

The result

Click a green card to slide open the result. The captured image is at the top and the extracted fields below it, grouped into Document (type, number, support number, country, issue and expiry dates), Personal (name, nationality, birth date, gender) and Address. Close it with the × or the Esc key.

Scan result
Scan result drawer sliding over the camera: a "✓ Valid" badge and "ID Card" title, the captured image of the card, then the extracted fields grouped under Document, Personal and Address, with a "Something wrong? Report this scan" link at the bottom

If your DocuGuest account is connected to a PMS or other system, the drawer also reports whether the document was sent, and offers a Retry if the send failed.

Report an error

When a read fails, the status pill turns red and the scan lands in the history as an Unreadable document card.

Failed read
Scanner showing a red "Read failed ✗" status pill over the preview, and a red "Unreadable document" card at the top of the scan history above the earlier successful scan

Click that red card to open the report form. It sends the captured image and the raw OCR text so the team can see exactly what the scanner saw, and you can add a short note describing what went wrong (misread fields, document not recognised, image quality issue). Click Send Report to submit.

Report this scan
Report drawer for a failed scan: a "✗ Read failed" badge, the time and status of the scan, a notice explaining that the scanned image and OCR text will be sent, an optional notes field, and Cancel / Send Report buttons

You can report a successful scan too, from the Something wrong? Report this scan link at the bottom of the result drawer. Use it when the document was read but a field came out wrong.

Reports help us improve detection over time. They're especially useful for unusual document layouts or edge cases that aren't yet handled well.

If a document isn't detected

  • Fit the whole document inside the frame corners.
  • Make sure the MRZ is sharp and well-lit.
  • Force the document type (switch from Auto to ID Card or Passport).
  • Click the preview to refocus and adjust the distance if it looks blurry.