How to scan a document on iPhone (and save it as a PDF)

Notes or Files: which should you use?

Both apps use the same scanner. The difference is where the scan ends up. The Files app saves a PDF straight into a folder on your iPhone or in iCloud Drive, which is best when you need a file to upload to a website or attach to a form. The Notes app keeps the scan inside a note, which is handy for receipts and paperwork you want to find later by searching your notes. You can share either one as a PDF.

How to scan a document on iPhone, step by step

1. Put the page on a flat, dark surface in good light.
2. Open Files, go to a folder such as On My iPhone or iCloud Drive, tap the ••• button and choose Scan Documents.
3. Hold the iPhone directly above the page. A yellow box shows the edges it found. In Auto mode it takes the picture when the page is steady.
4. If it does not capture, tap Auto at the top to switch to Manual, then tap the shutter button yourself.
5. After each capture you can drag the corners to fix the crop. Tap Keep Scan.
6. Scan the next page the same way. When you are done, tap Save.

In Files, the PDF gets a name like Scanned Document. Press and hold it and tap Rename so you can find it later.

Color, grayscale or black and white

While scanning, tap the filter button at the top of the camera view. Color keeps everything as it looks. Grayscale and Black & White make text crisper and the file smaller, which helps for contracts and tax forms. Photo keeps it looking like a picture. You can change the filter for each page after scanning too.

Edit, reorder or add pages later

In Notes, tap the scan inside the note to open it. You can crop, rotate, change the filter, or tap the add button to scan more pages. To change the order, tap the thumbnails at the bottom and drag them. To delete a page, open it and tap the trash icon.

In Files, a scan is a normal PDF. Open it and swipe from the left edge or tap the sidebar button to see page thumbnails. Press and hold a page for options to rotate, delete, insert a blank page or Scan Pages to add more. Exact options can differ slightly by iOS version.

Sign or fill in a scanned form

1. Open the scan in Files, or in Notes tap the scan and then the Share button and choose Markup.
2. Tap the + button and choose Add Signature. Sign with your finger and tap Done.
3. Drag the signature into place and resize it.
4. Tap Add Text to type a name or date in a blank field.
5. Tap Done. The PDF is saved with your changes.

Newer iOS versions can also detect form fields in a PDF and let you tap to fill them. If that does not appear, Add Text works on any scan.

Share or send the scan

Tap the Share button and choose Mail, Messages, AirDrop, WhatsApp or Save to Files. From Notes, choose Send a copy so the other person gets the PDF and not a shared note. If an upload form says the file is too large, use a black and white filter or fewer pages. Our guide to turning photos into a PDF covers files you already took with the Camera.

Copy text from a scanned page

iPhones with recent iOS versions recognize text in images through Live Text. Open the scan, press and hold on a word, and drag to select the text you need. You can copy it, look it up or translate it. Notes also makes text in scans searchable, so searching your notes for a word on a receipt can find the scan.

Other free scanner apps

• Google Drive: tap the + button and choose Scan. It saves the PDF straight into Drive.
• Adobe Scan: free with an Adobe account and good at text recognition. Some features need a paid plan.
• Microsoft Lens: its features have been moving into the OneDrive app, which also has a scan button.

For most people the built in scanner is enough. A separate app makes sense if you want scans saved straight into the cloud service your work uses.

Scan not working?

• If Scan Documents is missing in Notes, the note may be stored in a Gmail or other non iCloud account. Create the note under iCloud or On My iPhone.
• If the yellow box does not appear, add more light and use a darker surface so the page edges stand out.
• If the scan is blurry, clean the camera lens and hold the iPhone still for a second.
• If the camera shows black, see camera not working.

Is a phone scan good enough?

For most uses, yes. Banks, schools, employers and many government offices accept phone scans as long as every edge of the page is visible and the text is readable. Some agencies still ask for originals or certified copies, so check the instructions before you send something important. For sensitive papers like tax forms or IDs, save them in a folder you control and delete copies from shared chats afterward.

Scan from Control Center or Lock Screen

If you scan often, add a shortcut. On recent iOS versions you can add a Scan Document control to Control Center: open Control Center, press and hold an empty area, tap Add a Control and search for Scan. It opens the Notes scanner directly and saves the result in a new note. Some versions also let you put the control on the Lock Screen. If you do not see the option, your iOS version may not have it, and the Notes or Files steps above still work.

Scanning ID cards and receipts

For small items like a driver's license or a receipt, switch to Manual so the scanner does not grab the table edge. Place the card on a plain dark background and fill most of the frame. For an ID, scan the front, then flip it and scan the back as a second page so both sides end up in one PDF. Long receipts may need two scans that overlap; there is no stitching tool, so keep them as two pages.

Where are my scans saved?

Scans from Files stay in the folder you were in when you started, such as iCloud Drive or On My iPhone. Scans from Notes stay inside that note and sync with iCloud if your notes use iCloud. Scans are not added to the Photos app. To find one, search in Files for Scanned Document, or search in Notes for a word on the page.

Scanning on iPad

The steps on iPad are the same. Because the iPad is larger, holding it level over a page is harder, so lay the page on a table and stand up if needed. Many people find Manual capture easier on an iPad.

If you want more control over file size or need to combine photos you already took into one file, our QR code scanning guide and the PDF guide above cover the other camera tools on iPhone.