The camera will not capture my page: what should I try?

Auto-capture waits until it can see a whole, well-lit, steady page. The message above the camera view tells you what it is waiting for. Work through these in order.

1. Read the message. "Fit the whole page inside the frame" means move the sheet back or centre it. "Too bright or too dark - adjust lighting" means the room light is at an extreme.
2. Check what is behind you. If the message says "Too much light behind the page", turn your chair so the window or lamp is in front of you and lighting the page. Strong backlight is the most common cause of capture issues.
3. Check what is behind the page. If the message says "Background is as bright as the page", hold the sheet against something darker than white paper, such as a cupboard door or your jumper.
4. Hold the page by the sides. Hands over the top or bottom edge hide part of the page. Keep it flat and still.
5. Use the newest printout. Sheets printed from ALTR carry a QR code in the top corner. A copy of an old sheet, or a sheet printed very small, will not have a readable QR code and is much harder for the system to match.
6. Try your phone. Click "Scan from phone". Phone cameras are sharper and handle mixed lighting better than laptop webcams. See How do I scan test sheets from my phone?.
7. Use the photocopier. Click "Upload scanned PDF" and feed the pile through the copier instead for a much quicker solution! See How do I upload test sheets I scanned on a photocopier or scanner?.
8. Still stuck? Open Live Chat and tell us. If you see an "Enable debugging" link in the Last scan panel, click it before you try again; it records what the camera is seeing so we can help.

Recommended reading: How do I scan test sheets with my webcam? / How do I scan test sheets from my phone?

Updated on: 11/09/2026