How to Scan a Document Into the Notes App on Your iPhone or iPad

The Notes app can scan documents directly without a separate scanner app

Apple's Notes app has a built-in document scanner that works on iPhones and iPads running iOS 13 or later. You point your camera at a document, tap a button, and the app captures it as a photo, crops it automatically, and stores it in a note. The scanned image stays in Notes — it does not create a separate PDF file unless you export it.

This method works well if you want to keep scans organized inside Notes alongside your written notes, or if you need a quick scan without opening another app. The trade-off is that Notes stores scans as images within notes rather than as standalone documents, so finding a specific scan later means scrolling through your notes or searching by text you remember writing nearby.

Key Takeaways

• Open Notes, start a new note or pick an existing one, tap the camera icon, and select "Scan Documents" to begin scanning.
• The app automatically detects the document edges, crops the image, and applies a filter that makes text darker and backgrounds lighter.
• You can scan multiple pages into a single note by tapping the shutter button again after each page.
• Scans stay inside Notes as images; to save one as a PDF or image file on your device, you must export it using the share menu.

Step-by-step: scanning a single document in Notes

Open the Notes app and either create a new note or open an existing one where you want the scan to appear. Tap the camera icon at the bottom of the keyboard (it looks like a small square with a camera symbol). A menu will pop up with three options: "Take Photo or Video," "Photo Library," and "Scan Documents." Tap "Scan Documents."

Your camera will open and frame the document on your screen. Position the document so it fills most of the frame and the edges are visible. The app will detect the document automatically — you will see a yellow border appear around it. When the border turns green and the document is in focus, tap the shutter button (the white circle at the bottom center). The app will capture the image, crop it to the document edges, and explore a filter that darkens text and lightens the background.

After the capture, you will see the scanned image on your screen with adjustment options. You can tap "Retake" to scan again, "Keep Scan" to accept it, or adjust the filter using the icon in the bottom right corner. Once you tap "Keep Scan," the image appears in your note.

Scanning multiple pages into one note

If your document has more than one page, you can add all pages to the same note without closing the scanner. After you tap "Keep Scan" on the first page, the camera will stay open and ready for the next page. Position the second page in the frame and tap the shutter button again. Repeat this for each page.

When you are finished scanning all pages, tap "Save" at the top right of the screen. All pages will now appear as separate images in your note, stacked vertically in the order you scanned them. You can rearrange them by tapping and dragging, or delete individual pages by swiping left on the image and tapping the trash icon.

Adjusting the filter and image quality

After each scan, you can change how the image looks before saving it. Tap the filter icon (it looks like three overlapping circles) in the bottom right corner of the preview screen. You will see options like "Original," "Grayscale," "Black and White," and "Color." "Black and White" makes text stand out the most and is useful for documents with light backgrounds. "Grayscale" preserves some shading and works well for photos or colored documents. "Original" keeps the image as your camera captured it.

The Notes app does not let you adjust brightness, contrast, or resolution before saving. If you need more control over the image quality, you may want to use a dedicated scanning app instead. However, for most documents with decent lighting, the automatic filter produces readable scans.

Exporting scans as PDF or image files

Scans live inside Notes as images, but you can save them to your device as separate files. Open the note containing the scan, tap and hold the image, and select "Copy." Then open Files, navigate to where you want to save it, tap Edit, and paste. This creates an image file you can move, email, or back up separately.

To export multiple pages as a single PDF, open the note, tap the three dots at the top right, and select "Collaborate" or "Share Note." Then tap "Share" and choose "PDF." This converts all the scanned images in that note into one PDF file, which you can save to Files, email, or send to another app. The PDF will include everything in the note — text, scans, and images together.

When Notes scanning works well and when it does not

The Notes scanner works best for documents with clear text on a plain background — receipts, letters, contracts, forms. It handles pages that are slightly tilted or off-center because it auto-crops. The automatic filter usually produces readable text even in dim lighting.

The scanner struggles with glossy or reflective surfaces, very small text, or documents with colored backgrounds. If your document has a photo or complex layout, the filter may make some parts harder to read. If you need to search inside the scanned text later, Notes cannot search the text in images — it can only search the words you type in the note itself. For that reason, some people type a summary or keywords in the note alongside the scan.

Organizing and finding scans in Notes

Because scans stay inside notes, organization depends on how you structure your notes. You might create one note per document, or group related scans in a single note with typed labels. You can also create a folder in Notes called "Scans" and move notes into it using the folder menu.

To find a scan later, use the search icon at the top of Notes and type a word you remember from the document or from text you typed near the scan. Notes will search your note titles and typed text, but not the text inside scanned images. If you need to search the actual text in scans, export them as a PDF and use a PDF app that supports text search, or use a dedicated scanning app with optical character recognition (OCR).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I scan directly to a PDF in Notes?

No. Notes stores scans as images inside notes. To create a PDF, scan the pages into a note, then use the share menu to export the entire note as a PDF. This works only if all the pages you want are in the same note.

What if the app does not detect my document?

Make sure the document is fully visible in the frame and the lighting is adequate. If the edges are in shadow or the document is very small, the app may not recognize it. Try moving closer, adjusting the angle, or improving the light. You can also tap the shutter button manually even if the border has not turned green.

Can I edit or crop a scan after I save it?

You cannot edit the image itself in Notes. You can delete it and rescan, or export it to a photo editing app. If you export as a PDF, some PDF readers let you crop or annotate pages.

Does Notes keep scans if I delete the note?

Yes, if you use iCloud Notes. Deleted notes go to a "Recently Deleted" folder for 30 days before permanent removal. If you do not use iCloud, deleted notes are gone when ready. Check your Notes settings to see if iCloud sync is on.

Can I scan a document that is longer than one page?

Yes. Scan each page separately by tapping the shutter button after positioning each one. All pages will appear as separate images in the same note, in the order you scanned them.