Use the Notes app to scan documents right now

Your iPhone has a document scanner built in, and you probably already have it. Open the Notes app, start a new note or open an existing one, then tap the camera icon at the bottom of the keyboard. Select Scan Documents from the menu. Point your iPhone at the document — the camera will detect the edges automatically and snap a photo when it's ready. You'll see a preview; tap Keep Scan to save it, or retake it if the angle or lighting wasn't right.

The scanned document lands in that note as an image. You can add more pages to the same scan by tapping the plus icon and scanning another page. When you're done, tap Save at the top right. The scan stays in Notes, but you can also share it as a PDF or image file by tapping the three dots, then Share, and choosing where to send it.

Key Takeaways

  • The Notes app's document scanner detects page edges automatically and works without any extra apps or settings.
  • Scans save as images inside Notes first, then you can export them as PDF or image files to email, messaging apps, or cloud storage.
  • The scanner works best when you hold the phone steady above the document at a slight angle, with even lighting across the whole page.
  • You can scan multiple pages into a single document by tapping the plus icon after each scan.
  • If you need to edit a scan after saving it, you can crop, rotate, or adjust the filter by opening the note and tapping the image.

Getting the clearest scan on the first try

The quality of your scan depends mostly on lighting and angle. Place the document on a flat surface and hold your iPhone 6 to 12 inches above it, tilted slightly so you're not looking straight down. Natural light from a window works better than overhead lights, which can create glare. If you're scanning at night or indoors, turn on a nearby lamp and position it so the light spreads across the whole page without creating shadows.

When the camera detects the document edges, you'll see a yellow border around them. If the border isn't capturing the whole page, move your phone closer or farther away until it does. The camera will take the photo automatically when it's ready — you don't need to tap anything. If the auto-capture doesn't trigger, you can tap the shutter button manually, but waiting for the automatic snap usually gives you a better result.

Scanning multiple pages into one document

After you scan the first page and tap Keep Scan, you'll see a preview of that page. At the bottom, tap the plus icon to add another page. Scan the next page the same way — position it under your phone, wait for the edge detection, and tap Keep Scan. Repeat this for as many pages as you need. All the pages stack into a single document inside the note.

When you're finished scanning all pages, tap Save at the top right. The entire multi-page scan saves as one item in your note. Later, when you export it as a PDF, all pages come along together. If you need to remove a page you scanned by mistake, open the note, tap the image, then tap Edit and select the page you want to delete.

Exporting your scan as a PDF or image file

Once your scan is saved in Notes, you can send it anywhere. Open the note containing your scan, then tap and hold the image until a menu appears. Tap Share. You'll see options to send it via Mail, Messages, AirDrop, or cloud storage apps like Google Drive or Dropbox. If you want to save it as a PDF file, tap Mail, and the scan will open in a compose window as a PDF attachment — you can then save it to Files or send it to yourself.

If you want to keep the scan as an image file instead, choose Save Image from the menu, and it goes to your Photos app. From there, you can share it through any app on your phone. The PDF route is better if you're sending the document to someone else or storing it long-term, because PDFs are easier to open on any device and harder to accidentally resize or crop.

Adjusting brightness, contrast, and color after scanning

If your scan came out too dark, too light, or in the wrong color mode, you can fix it without rescanning. Open the note, tap the scanned image, then tap Edit. You'll see filter options at the bottom: Original, Grayscale, Black and White, and Color. Tap the one that looks best. Black and White works well for text documents and makes file sizes smaller. Grayscale is good for documents with photos or shading. Color keeps the original colors if the document has them.

You can also crop the scan if the edges aren't quite right. While in Edit mode, drag the corners of the image inward to remove unwanted background. Tap Done when you're satisfied. These changes save automatically to the note, so you don't lose the original — if you change your mind, you can edit again and pick a different filter.

Using the Files app to organize scans

If you scan a lot of documents, keeping them all in Notes can get messy. You can export scans to the Files app instead, where you can organize them into folders. Open the note with your scan, tap and hold the image, then tap Share. Scroll down and tap Save to Files. Choose a location — you can save to iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, or any cloud storage app you have installed. Create a new folder if you want, name it something like "Receipts" or "Medical Records," and tap Save.

Once your scans are in Files, you can move them between folders, rename them, and share them from there. This setup works especially well if you use iCloud Drive, because your scans sync across all your Apple devices — you can scan on your iPhone and open the file on your Mac or iPad.

Scanning documents with other apps

Notes is the fastest option, but other apps offer more features if you need them. Adobe Scan (free) automatically crops and enhances scans, and saves them as PDFs right away. Microsoft Lens (free) is good if you already use OneDrive or Microsoft Office — it scans and uploads directly to those services. Google Drive (free) has a built-in scanner that saves scans to your Google Drive account automatically.

These apps are worth trying if Notes doesn't give you the quality you need, or if you want scans to go straight to a specific cloud service. Download any of them from the App Store, open it, and look for a camera or scan button. The process is similar to Notes — point at the document, let the app detect the edges, and tap to capture. The main difference is where the scan ends up and what editing options you get afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my scan look blurry or cut off?

Blurriness usually means your phone moved while the photo was being taken. Hold your iPhone as steady as you can, or rest it on something stable. Cut-off edges mean you were too close or too far away — the camera needs to see the whole page. Move back a few inches and try again. Make sure the yellow edge-detection border captures all four corners before the photo snaps.

Can I scan a document that's folded or wrinkled?

Yes, but the scan will show the folds and wrinkles. If the document is important, try to flatten it first by placing it under a heavy book for a few minutes. For temporary documents like receipts, the wrinkles usually don't matter. If the wrinkles make text hard to read, use the Black and White filter when editing — it often makes text clearer by removing shadows from the creases.

What's the difference between scanning in Color, Grayscale, and Black and White?

Color keeps all the original colors and is best for documents with photos or colored text. Grayscale removes color but keeps shading, which helps with documents that have images. Black and White removes all color and shading, leaving only pure black text on white — it makes file sizes tiny and works great for text-only documents. You can switch between them after scanning without losing quality.

Can I scan a document larger than a single page?

Yes. Scan each page separately by tapping the plus icon after each one, and they'll all stack into a single document. When you export it as a PDF, all pages come together. If you're scanning something like a poster or large map, you can scan it in sections and stitch them together in a photo editing app afterward, but Notes doesn't do that automatically.

Where do my scans go if I don't save them to a specific folder?

Scans stay in the Notes app by default, inside whatever note you created them in. They don't automatically go to Photos or Files unless you explicitly share them there. If you want them in a specific place, use the Share menu right after scanning to send them to Files, Mail, or a cloud storage app.