Use the Notes App to scan documents in seconds

Your iPhone has a document scanner built into the Notes app — you do not need to download anything. Open Notes, start a new note, tap the camera icon, then select "Scan Documents". Point your phone at the document, and iOS automatically captures it when the frame is square and the text is sharp. You can scan multiple pages into one document, and the app straightens and sharpens the image automatically.

The scanned document saves as a PDF inside your note. You can then share it by email, text, or any other app on your phone. This method works for receipts, contracts, handwritten notes, photos, or any piece of paper you need to keep as a file.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Notes, create a new note, tap the camera icon, and choose "Scan Documents" to start scanning without installing an app.
  • Hold your iPhone steady and let the camera auto-focus — it captures the scan automatically when the document is in frame and readable.
  • Scan multiple pages by tapping the plus button after each page, and they all save into one PDF file.
  • After scanning, you can crop, rotate, or adjust the image brightness before saving or sharing the PDF.
  • The scanned PDF saves inside your note and can be shared through email, Messages, or any other app.

Step-by-step: scanning your first document

1. Open the Notes app on your home screen. If you do not have a note open yet, tap "New Note" in the bottom right corner.

2. Tap the camera icon at the bottom of the keyboard. It looks like a small square with a mountain inside.

3. Select "Scan Documents" from the menu that appears. (Do not choose "Take Photo" — that saves a regular picture instead of a scanned document.)

4. Point your phone at the document and hold it steady. The camera will automatically focus and capture the scan when the document fills the frame and the text is sharp enough to read. You will hear a shutter sound.

5. Tap "Keep Scan" to save it. If the image is blurry or cropped wrong, tap "Retake" and try again.

6. For multiple pages, tap the plus button (+) at the bottom left after the first scan. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each additional page. All pages save into one PDF.

7. Tap "Save" when you are finished scanning all pages. The PDF now appears in your note.

Adjusting brightness and rotation after scanning

After you scan a document, you can make it easier to read by adjusting the brightness or rotating it. Tap the scanned image inside your note, then tap "Edit" in the top right corner.

You will see three buttons at the bottom: a brightness slider, a rotation arrow, and a crop tool. Drag the brightness slider left to darken the image or right to lighten it — this helps if the original document was too dark or too light. Tap the rotation arrow to turn the image 90 degrees. Use the crop tool to remove edges or unwanted parts of the page.

Tap "Done" when you are satisfied with the changes. The updated scan saves automatically.

Sharing your scanned document

Once your document is scanned and saved in Notes, you can share it in several ways. Tap and hold on the scanned image, then select "Share". You can send it through Mail, Messages, AirDrop, or any other app listed in the menu.

If you want to share just the PDF without the entire note, tap the image, then tap the share icon (an arrow pointing out of a box) in the top right. This opens the same sharing menu and sends only the PDF file.

The recipient will receive a PDF file they can open on any device — computer, tablet, or phone. They do not need Notes or any special app to view it.

Common scanning mistakes and how to avoid them

The most common mistake is holding your phone too close or at an angle. Keep your phone 6 to 12 inches away from the document and hold it directly above, not tilted. The camera needs to see the entire document clearly for the auto-capture to work.

Another mistake is poor lighting. Scan in bright, even light — near a window or under a lamp. Shadows across the document confuse the camera and can result in a blurry or incomplete scan. If the room is too dark, the camera will not auto-capture at all.

Do not tap the shutter button manually. Let the camera capture automatically when it detects the document is in focus and the frame is square. Tapping too early usually results in a cropped or blurry image.

Using the Files app to organize scanned documents

Scanned documents in Notes are easy to find, but if you scan many documents, organizing them in the Files app keeps them tidier. After you scan a document in Notes, tap and hold the image, select "Share", then choose "Save to Files". Pick a folder (or create a new one) and tap "Save".

Now the PDF exists in two places: in your note and in Files. You can delete it from Notes if you want to keep only the Files version. The Files app lets you create folders by category — receipts, contracts, medical records — so you can find what you need later.

If you want to scan directly into Files without using Notes, you can also use the built-in scanner in the Files app itself. Open Files, navigate to a folder, tap the three dots in the top right, select "Scan Documents", and follow the same steps as the Notes method.

When to use other scanning apps instead

The Notes app scanner works well for most everyday documents, but some situations call for a different tool. If you need to scan a large stack of documents quickly, apps like Adobe Scan or Microsoft Lens let you scan multiple pages faster and organize them into folders automatically.

If you need to extract text from a scanned document — for example, to copy an address or phone number from a receipt — apps with optical character recognition (OCR) like Google Lens or Adobe Scan can read the text and let you copy it. The Notes app does not have this feature.

For most people, the Notes app is enough. It is free, built in, and requires no setup. Use it unless you have a specific reason to try something else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I scan a document if my iPhone screen is cracked?

Yes. The screen does not affect the camera's ability to scan. As long as the rear camera works, you can scan documents. The cracked screen only affects what you see on the display, not what the camera captures.

What happens if I scan a document that is larger than my phone?

The camera captures what fits in the frame. If your document is larger than your phone, scan it in sections — one section per page — and the app will treat each section as a separate page in the PDF. You can also step back further to fit more of the document in frame, though the text will be smaller.

Can I scan a document that is folded or wrinkled?

Yes, but the scan will show the folds and wrinkles. Flatten the document as much as possible before scanning for the clearest result. If the document is fragile and you cannot flatten it, scan it anyway — the PDF will still be readable, just with visible creases.

Does the scanned PDF take up a lot of storage space?

No. A single scanned page typically uses 200 to 500 kilobytes of storage — about the size of a small photo. Even if you scan hundreds of documents, they use far less space than video or music files.

Can I edit the text in a scanned document?

Not directly in Notes. A scanned document is an image, not editable text. If you need to edit the content, you would have to retype it or use a third-party app with OCR that can convert the image to editable text.