iPhone has a built-in document scanner in the Notes app and a separate Scan Documents feature in Files

You do not need a separate app to scan documents on iPhone. Apple built scanning directly into two places: the Notes app (where scans save as images) and the Files app (where scans save as PDF files). Both use your iPhone's camera to capture the document, automatically detect the edges, and clean up the image. The choice between them depends on whether you want the scan as a single image or as a multi-page PDF.

The Notes app scanner works best for one-off scans you want to keep simple. The Files app scanner works better if you are building a multi-page document or want the file to be searchable and shareable as a PDF. Both are free and built into every iPhone running iOS 13 or later.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Notes, tap the camera icon, and select "Scan Documents" to capture a single page as an image file that saves to that note.
  • Open Files, navigate to a folder, tap the three-dot menu, select "Scan Documents", and capture pages one at a time to build a multi-page PDF.
  • Both scanners automatically detect document edges, straighten the image, and convert it to black and white or color depending on what you choose.
  • Scans from Notes save as image files (.jpg) inside the note; scans from Files save as PDF files (.pdf) that you can move, rename, or share.
  • You can retake individual pages, adjust the crop, and change the filter (black and white, grayscale, or color) before saving.

Scanning a single page in the Notes app

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

Position your iPhone so the document fills the frame. The camera will automatically detect the edges of the document and highlight them with a yellow border. When the border is steady and the document is in focus, the iPhone captures the scan automatically — you do not have to press a button. If you want to capture another page, the app will prompt you to do so. When you are done, tap "Save" and the scan appears in your note as an image.

Before you save, you can tap any page thumbnail to adjust it. Tap the filter icon (looks like three overlapping circles) to change between color, grayscale, and black and white. Tap the crop icon to manually adjust the edges if the automatic detection missed part of the document. Tap the trash icon to delete a page and retake it.

Scanning multiple pages into a PDF in the Files app

Open the Files app and navigate to the folder where you want the PDF to save. This could be iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, or any other location you have access to. Tap the three-dot menu button in the bottom right corner and select "Scan Documents".

Position your iPhone over the first page. The camera will detect the document edges automatically and capture the scan. After the first page is captured, the app asks whether you want to scan another page. Tap "Continue Scanning" to add more pages or "Save" to finish. Each page you add becomes part of the same PDF file. When you tap "Save", you are prompted to name the file and choose its location.

Like the Notes scanner, you can adjust the filter, crop individual pages, and delete and retake any page before saving. The finished PDF will be searchable if the document contains printed text, and you can open it in Mail, Messages, or any app that handles PDF files.

Adjusting image quality and appearance before saving

Both scanners let you change how the final image looks. Tap the filter icon to cycle through three options: color (preserves the original colors), grayscale (converts to shades of gray), and black and white (converts to pure black text on a white background). Black and white mode makes text sharper and files smaller, but loses any color information. Grayscale is a middle ground.

If the automatic edge detection crops too much or too little, tap the crop icon and drag the corners of the frame to adjust. This is useful for documents with unusual shapes or text that runs to the edge. You can also rotate the image if you held the iPhone sideways by accident.

Where your scans are saved and how to find them

Scans from the Notes app save as images inside the note itself. They do not appear as separate files in your Files app. If you want to move a Notes scan to a different location, you have to open the note, long-press the image, and select "Save Image" to export it to your Photos app or Files.

Scans from the Files app save as PDF files in the folder you chose. You can rename them, move them to other folders, or share them immediately. These files also appear in iCloud Drive if you have iCloud Drive turned on, so you can access them from a Mac or another device.

Sharing scans and sending them to other apps

From the Notes app, long-press the scanned image and tap "Share" to send it via Mail, Messages, or any other app. You can also copy the image and paste it into another app.

From the Files app, tap and hold the PDF file, tap "Share", and choose how you want to send it. You can email it, add it to Messages, save it to another app, or print it. PDFs from the Files app are easier to share because they are already in a standard format that works everywhere.

Troubleshooting common scanning problems

If the camera is not detecting your document, make sure the lighting is even and the document is flat. Shadows and wrinkles can confuse the edge detection. Hold the iPhone directly above the document rather than at an angle. If the document has a dark background or is printed on colored paper, switch to color mode instead of black and white.

If the scan is blurry, clean your iPhone's camera lens with a soft cloth and try again. Make sure you are holding the iPhone steady while the camera focuses. If the automatic capture is not triggering, you can tap the shutter button manually instead of waiting for the auto-capture.

If you accidentally saved a scan you did not want, you can delete it from Notes by swiping left on the image and tapping "Delete", or from Files by long-pressing the PDF and tapping "Delete".

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I scan documents without using Notes or Files?

No, the built-in scanner is only available in Notes and Files. Third-party scanning apps exist in the App Store, but they are not necessary for basic document scanning. The built-in tools handle most common tasks without extra cost or setup.

What is the difference between scanning in Notes versus Files?

Notes saves scans as images inside a note, which is convenient if you want to keep the scan with other text or images in one place. Files saves scans as separate PDF files, which is better if you want to organize, rename, or share the document independently. PDFs are also searchable and work better for multi-page documents.

Can I edit a scan after I save it?

You can adjust the crop, filter, and rotation before you tap "Save", but once saved, you cannot edit the scan within the scanner itself. You can open a PDF in a PDF editor app or use the Markup tool in Photos to annotate a scanned image, but the original scan cannot be changed.

Do scanned PDFs have searchable text?

If the document contains printed text, yes — the PDF will be searchable. If you scan a handwritten document, the text will not be searchable because the iPhone does not convert handwriting to digital text. You can still read and share the scan, but you cannot search for words inside it.

How much storage do scans use?

A single page scan typically uses 500 KB to 2 MB depending on the resolution and filter you choose. Black and white scans are smaller than color scans. A 10-page document usually takes up 5 to 20 MB. Storage use depends on your document size and the quality setting you select.