How to Scan a Document With Your iPhone: Free, No App Needed

Need to send a signed form, a receipt or an ID document, but you do not have a scanner? You can scan a document with your iPhone in under a minute using apps that are already on it. The built-in scanner in Notes and Files finds the edges of the page, straightens it, cleans up the background and saves it as a tidy PDF you can email or upload. No download, no subscription.

This is an independent guide. Button names can shift slightly between iOS versions; where they differ, both names are given.

Method 1: Scan with the Notes app

1. Open Notes and tap the new note button (a pencil and paper icon).
2. Tap the camera button, or the attachment (paperclip) button on newer iOS versions, then tap Scan Documents.
3. Place the document on a flat surface and hold the iPhone above it.
4. If the scanner is in Auto mode, it captures the page as soon as it is steady and in focus. In Manual mode, tap the shutter button, then drag the corners to fit the page and tap Keep Scan.
5. Repeat for more pages. Tap Save when you are done.

The scan appears in the note. Tap it to view, crop, rotate or apply a filter (for example black and white for text, or colour for photos and receipts).

Method 2: Scan with the Files app (straight to PDF)

The Files app is handy when you want the scan as a separate PDF file rather than inside a note.

1. Open Files and go to the folder where you want to save the scan, such as a folder in iCloud Drive or On My iPhone.
2. Tap the More button (three dots in a circle) at the top.
3. Tap Scan Documents.
4. Capture each page as above and tap Save.

The PDF is saved with a name like “Scanned Document”. Press and hold it and choose Rename to give it a useful name.

Tips for a clear, readable scan

• Light: scan near a window or under a bright lamp. Avoid harsh shadows from your own hand and phone.
• Background: put a white page on a dark table so the scanner can find the edges easily.
• Angle: hold the phone parallel to the page, not tilted. The scanner corrects small angles, but a straight shot is sharper.
• Flatten the page: press down folded paper or use a book to hold the corners.
• Clean the lens: a quick wipe of the camera lens makes a surprising difference.
• Check before sending: zoom in to make sure small print, signatures and numbers are readable.

Sign a scanned document

1. Open the scan in Notes or Files.
2. Tap the Markup button (a pen tip).
3. Tap the plus button and choose Add Signature. Draw your signature with your finger the first time; the iPhone remembers it.
4. Drag the signature into place, resize it, and tap Done.

Send the scan by email or to your computer

Open the scan and tap the Share button (a square with an arrow).

• Mail or another email app: sends the PDF as an attachment. If attachments will not open for the person receiving it, see can’t open email attachments.
• AirDrop: sends it straight to a nearby Mac, iPhone or iPad.
• Save to Files / iCloud Drive: then open it on a computer through iCloud.com or the iCloud for Windows app.

If you have lots of scans and photos to move to a PC, our guide to transferring photos from a phone to a computer explains the cable and wireless options. Once the PDF is on a computer, you can open, edit and convert PDFs for free.

Copy text from a paper document

If you only need the words, not an image, use Live Text: open the Camera, point it at the text, and tap the Live Text button that appears. You can then select and copy the text into a message or document.

Which filter and format to use

After scanning, tap the scan and then the filter button to change how it looks:

• Color: best for receipts with coloured logos, photos and documents where highlighting matters.
• Grayscale: a good middle ground for most letters and forms.
• Black & White: gives the cleanest, smallest file for plain printed text, and is ideal for faxes or upload forms with a file size limit.
• Photo: keeps the image as the camera saw it, without cleaning up the background.

Scans are saved as PDF, which nearly every website, email program and government form accepts. If a website insists on a JPEG image instead, take a screenshot of the scanned page or use the Share menu to save it as an image, depending on your iOS version.

Keep sensitive scans safe

Scans of IDs, bank statements and medical letters are valuable to criminals. Send them only to people and organisations you trust, through their official website or a known email address, never to someone who contacted you out of the blue. Delete scans you no longer need from Notes, Files and the Recently Deleted folder in each app. If your iPhone is running short of space because of large scans, see iPhone storage full. And if someone asks you to scan and send your ID to “verify” an account or a prize, check our guide to recognising phishing first.

On Android?

Android phones can scan documents too, most commonly with the Google Drive app: tap the plus or camera button and choose Scan. Samsung phones can also scan from the Camera app. The tips above for light, background and angle apply just the same.