How to Scan a Document on an iPhone

The iPhone has a built-in scanner you don't need to read

Your iPhone comes with a document scanner already installed in the Notes app. You open Notes, tap the camera icon, select "Scan Documents," and photograph each page. The phone automatically crops the image, adjusts the color, and saves it as a PDF file that you can email, print, or move to your computer.

This scanner works on any iPhone running iOS 13 or later. If your phone is older than an iPhone XS, you may not have access to this feature, but you can use the built-in Camera app instead and save the photos as images — they won't be PDFs, but they will still show the document clearly enough to read and store.

The whole process takes about two minutes per document. You do not need a separate app, a scanner device, or any special setup.

Key Takeaways

Open the Notes app, create a new note, tap the camera icon, and select "Scan Documents" to start scanning.
The iPhone automatically straightens, crops, and adjusts the color of each page you photograph.
After you scan all pages, you can save the file as a PDF, email it, or send it to another app on your phone.
If you need the file on your computer, you can email the PDF to yourself or use iCloud to sync it across devices.
The Notes app keeps all your scanned documents in one place, organized by the date you created them.

Step-by-step: scanning your first document

Start by opening the Notes app on your home screen. If you have never used Notes before, it is the yellow icon with a notepad. Tap it to open the app.

Tap the compose button — the blank square with a pencil in the bottom right corner — to create a new note. You can give it a name now or leave it blank; you can always rename it later.

Once the note is open, look for the camera icon in the toolbar above the keyboard. It looks like a small camera. Tap it. A menu will appear with several options, including "Take Photo or Video," "Photo Library," and "Scan Documents." Tap "Scan Documents."

Your phone will switch to camera mode and show you a viewfinder. Hold the document flat under good lighting — natural light from a window works best, but any bright light will do. Position the document so it fills most of the frame. When the iPhone detects the edges of the page, it will automatically capture it. You will hear a shutter sound and see a preview of the scan.

Adjusting and saving your scanned pages

After the first page is captured, you will see a preview with four corner handles. If the crop is wrong — if it cut off part of the text or included the table next to your document — drag the corner handles to adjust. The iPhone will show you what is included and what is outside the frame. When it looks right, tap "Keep Scan."

The app will return to camera mode so you can scan the next page. Repeat this process for every page of your document. You do not have to scan them all at once; you can come back to the same note later and add more pages.

When you are finished scanning, tap "Save" in the top right corner. The iPhone will process all the pages, convert them to a single PDF file, and save it in your note. The file will appear in the note as a thumbnail you can tap to preview.

Adjusting color, brightness, and contrast after scanning

If your scanned document looks too dark, too light, or has poor contrast, you can fix it without rescanning. Tap the PDF thumbnail in your note to open it. Look for the three dots menu in the top right corner and tap it. Select "Adjust" or "Edit" — the exact wording depends on your iOS version.

You will see sliders for brightness, contrast, and saturation. Drag the brightness slider to the right to lighten a dark scan, or to the left to darken a washed-out one. Use the contrast slider to make text stand out more clearly from the background. Tap "Done" when the document looks right.

If the color is wrong — if the document looks too yellow or too blue — tap the color filter icon (it looks like three overlapping circles) and choose a different filter. "Black and White" works well for text-heavy documents. "Color" preserves the original colors. Tap "Done" to save your changes.

Sending your scanned document to your computer

The easiest way to move a scanned PDF to your computer is to email it to yourself. Tap the PDF thumbnail in your note, then tap the share button — it looks like a square with an arrow pointing up and to the right. Select "Mail" from the menu that appears.

Your email app will open with the PDF already attached. Type your email address in the "To" field, add a subject line if you want, and tap "Send." The PDF will arrive in your inbox within a few seconds. You can then read it to your computer the same way you would read any email attachment.

If you use iCloud, you can also sync your Notes across all your devices. Open Settings on your iPhone, tap your name at the top, select "iCloud," and make sure "Notes" is turned on. Any note you create on your iPhone will automatically appear on your Mac or iPad. You can then open the note on your computer and save the PDF file to your hard drive.

What to do if the scan looks blurry or cut off

Blurry scans usually happen when the phone moves while capturing the image or when the lighting is too dim. Retake the page: tap the thumbnail, tap the three dots menu, and select "Delete Page" or "Remove." Then go back to the note and tap the camera icon again to rescan that page.

If the document is too large to fit in one frame, scan it in sections. Photograph the top half first, then the bottom half, as separate pages. The iPhone will keep them in order in the same PDF. When you open the file on your computer, you will see each section as a separate page, which is fine for storage and searching.

If the iPhone is not detecting the document edges automatically, make sure the document is flat and the background is clear. A white document on a white table is harder for the phone to detect than a document on a darker surface. Try placing it on a colored mat or folder, or adjust your angle so the phone can see the contrast between the document and the background.

Organizing and naming your scanned documents

Each note in the Notes app can hold multiple scanned PDFs. You can create separate notes for different types of documents — one for medical records, one for bills, one for receipts — or keep them all in one note and rename it something descriptive like "2024 Important Documents."

To rename a note, open it and tap the title at the top. A text field will appear. Delete the old name and type a new one. Tap outside the field to save. The Notes app will sort your notes by the date you last edited them, so your most recent scans will appear at the top of your list.

If you want to move a scanned PDF to a different note, tap the thumbnail, tap the share button, and select "Notes." Choose the note you want to move it to, and the PDF will be copied there. You can then delete it from the original note if you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I scan documents using the Camera app instead of Notes?

Yes, but the result will be a photo, not a PDF. Open the Camera app, photograph the document, and save the image. The image will be clear enough to read and store, but it will not be automatically cropped or color-adjusted the way a Notes scan is. For important documents you plan to keep long-term, Notes is the better choice.

What if my iPhone is too old to have the Notes scanner?

If your phone runs iOS 12 or earlier, you can use a free app like Microsoft Lens or Adobe Scan, both available in the App Store. These apps work the same way as the Notes scanner — you photograph the document and they save it as a PDF. The main difference is that you will need to read the app first.

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

Yes. After you scan the first page and tap "Keep Scan," the app stays in camera mode so you can photograph the next page. Repeat for as many pages as you need. All pages will be saved as a single PDF file in your note, in the order you scanned them.

How do I know if my scan is good enough to read?

Tap the PDF thumbnail to open it and read a section of the text. If you can read every word clearly without zooming in, the scan is good. If the text is blurry or too small, retake the page. A good scan should be readable at normal zoom level on your phone screen.

Can I edit the PDF after I save it?

You can adjust brightness, contrast, and color filters using the "Adjust" menu. You cannot add text, delete words, or rearrange pages within the Notes app. If you need to make those kinds of changes, you will need to open the PDF in a separate app like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Preview on your computer.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.