Scan any math problem. Solved.

What a math scanner can solve from a picture

Short answer: a math scanner reads printed worksheets, textbook photos and clear handwriting reliably, and simple graphs and labeled diagrams most of the time. The picture matters more than the math: one problem per scan, straight-on, evenly lit, nothing cut off. Open the photo in a browser tab, drag a box around the problem, and check what the scanner read before you trust the steps.

How to scan a math problem from a photo

1. Get the picture onto your screen. Math.Photos is a browser extension, not a phone camera app. Take the photo on your phone, then open it on your computer: Google Photos, Google Drive, or an email to yourself all work.
2. Start a scan. Press Ctrl+Shift+S (⌘+Shift+S on a Mac), or right-click the page and choose Solve with Math AI.
3. Box one problem. Drag around a single problem and its instruction line.
4. Check the reading. The side panel shows the problem as it read it, then the steps. If a sign or exponent is wrong, rescan a tighter, sharper crop.

If the problem is already on a web page, such as Canvas, IXL or a PDF, you can skip the photo. The screenshot math solver page covers that flow.

Which images work, and how well

• Printed worksheets and textbook pages: the most reliable. Clean type and standard notation read almost every time.
• Handwritten work: good when the writing is reasonably spaced and the photo is sharp. Watch for x vs ×, 1 vs 7, and exponents that drift onto the baseline. The handwriting math solver page covers this in detail.
• Whiteboard and lecture photos: usable when you crop close. Glare and shooting at an angle are the usual failures.
• Graphs and coordinate planes: the scanner reads labeled points, axis values and the equation if one is printed. Values it has to estimate from an unlabeled curve are approximate, so add them to the problem when you know them.
• Geometry figures: reads marked lengths and angles. If the answer depends on a relationship you can only see (two lines that look parallel), state it in the problem.

Tips for a clean scan

• Shoot straight down. An angled photo skews fraction bars and exponents, and their position is what tells the scanner what they mean.
• Light from the side. Your own shadow on the page, or flash glare on glossy textbook paper, causes most failed reads.
• Zoom in before you scan. Make the problem large on screen. A tiny problem in the corner of a full-page photo gives the scanner very few pixels.
• One problem, whole problem. Include integral bounds, the dx, the answer choices for multiple choice, and the instruction line. Leave out the neighbouring problems.

Honest limits

• No phone app. It runs in Chrome, Edge and Firefox on desktop and Chromebook. It does not use your camera directly, and Safari is not supported.
• Files opened from your disk are blocked. The browser does not let extensions read pages whose address starts with file://. Upload the photo to Google Drive or Google Photos and open it there.
• Blurry or tiny images fail more often than messy math does. Retake the photo before you rescan.
• Diagram-heavy problems remain the hardest case for any AI scanner.
• Free plan: 20 free solves with a free account, no credit card.

FAQ

Is this a math solver from a picture or a photo?

Both. Any image you can open in a browser tab works: a phone photo, a scanned page, or a picture inside a document or website.

Can I scan a problem with my phone camera?

Not directly. Take the photo with your phone, open it on your computer, then scan it there. Your phone's photo backup (Google Photos) makes this one step.

Can it check my answer instead of solving?

Yes. Scan your own worked solution and compare it with the steps. The math checker page explains that workflow.

How does it read the image?

A vision model turns the pixels into math notation, then the problem is solved step by step. See how screenshot math solving works.