The fastest way to scan a document on your iPhone
Your iPhone has a built-in document scanner inside the Notes app that works without downloading anything extra. Open Notes, start a new note, tap the camera icon, then select "Scan Documents" — the phone will automatically detect the edges of your document, capture it in high quality, and save it as a PDF. The whole process takes about 30 seconds once you know where to look.
This scanner works on any iPhone running iOS 13 or newer. It handles single pages or multiple pages in one scan, straightens crooked shots automatically, and lets you adjust the image before saving. You can also scan directly into the Files app or Mail if you prefer, but Notes is the simplest starting point.
Key Takeaways
- Open Notes, create a new note, tap the camera icon, and select "Scan Documents" to start scanning without any extra apps.
- The scanner automatically detects document edges, straightens the image, and saves as a PDF — you do not have to adjust anything if the auto-detection works.
- You can scan multiple pages into a single PDF by tapping the plus button after each page, then saving them all together.
- After scanning, you can adjust brightness, contrast, and rotation before saving, or delete and retake the shot if it did not capture correctly.
- Scanned documents save to Notes by default, but you can share them to Mail, Messages, or the Files app immediately after scanning.
Step-by-step: scanning your first document
Step 1: Open Notes. Tap the Notes app icon on your home screen (it looks like a yellow notepad). If you do not see it, swipe left on your home screen or search for "Notes" in Spotlight.
Step 2: Create a new note. Tap the pencil-and-paper icon in the bottom right corner. A blank note opens.
Step 3: Tap the camera icon. Look for the camera icon in the toolbar above the keyboard. It is usually in the middle of the row of icons. Tap it.
Step 4: Select "Scan Documents". A menu appears with options including "Take Photo" and "Scan Documents." Tap "Scan Documents."
Step 5: Position your document. Hold your iPhone 6 to 12 inches above the document. The camera will show a live preview on your screen. Make sure the entire document fits inside the yellow rectangle that appears on screen.
Step 6: Let the phone capture automatically or tap the shutter button. The iPhone usually takes the shot automatically when it detects a document and has good lighting. If nothing happens after a few seconds, tap the white circle at the bottom of the screen to capture manually.
Scanning multiple pages into one PDF
If your document is longer than one page, the scanner lets you add more pages before saving. After your first page captures, you will see a preview with options at the bottom. Tap the plus icon (it looks like a plus sign in a circle) to scan another page.
Position the next page and repeat the capture process. The scanner adds it to the same document. You can keep adding pages this way until your entire document is scanned. When you are done, tap "Save" and the whole stack becomes one PDF file.
The order matters — pages scan in the order you capture them. If you scan them out of order by accident, you can rearrange them after saving by opening the note, tapping the thumbnail of the PDF, and using the reorder option that appears.
Adjusting brightness, contrast, and rotation before saving
After you capture a page, the scanner shows you a preview before saving. At the bottom of the preview, you will see buttons for adjusting the image. Tap the sliders icon (it looks like three horizontal lines with dots) to open brightness and contrast controls.
Use the brightness slider if the document looks too dark or too washed out. Use the contrast slider to make text stand out more from the background — this is especially useful for faded or yellowed documents. Tap the rotation icon (curved arrow) if the image is sideways or upside down.
If the auto-detection got the edges wrong, tap the crop icon (four corners) to manually adjust where the document boundary is. Drag the corners inward or outward to frame the document the way you want it. These adjustments only affect this one page — if you are scanning multiple pages, you adjust each one separately.
What to do if the scanner does not detect your document
The most common reason the scanner fails to detect a document is poor lighting. Make sure you have good light on the document — natural daylight or a bright lamp works best. Shadows across the page or glare from a phone screen will confuse the detector.
If the lighting is good but the scanner still will not trigger, try moving your phone closer or farther away. The sweet spot is usually 6 to 12 inches above the document. If the document has a very light color or is mostly blank, the scanner may struggle — in that case, tap the shutter button manually instead of waiting for automatic detection.
If you are scanning a photograph or an image that is not a typical document, the "Scan Documents" option may not work. In that case, go back and tap "Take Photo" instead, which captures images without trying to detect document edges.
Saving and sharing your scanned document
When you tap "Save" after scanning, the PDF automatically saves into the note you created. The document appears as a thumbnail in the note, and you can tap it anytime to view the full scan.
To share the scanned document, tap and hold the PDF thumbnail in the note. A menu appears with options to copy, share, or delete. Tap "Share" to send it via Mail, Messages, AirDrop, or any other app you have installed. You can also save it to the Files app by tapping "Save to Files" in the share menu.
If you want to rename the PDF, tap the thumbnail to open it, then tap the three dots in the top right corner and select "Rename." Type a new name and tap "Done." The document keeps this name if you share it or move it to another app.
Using the Files app to scan directly
If you prefer to keep scanned documents organized in the Files app from the start, you can scan directly there instead of using Notes. Open the Files app, navigate to the folder where you want to save the scan, tap the three dots in the top right, and select "Scan Documents."
The scanning process works exactly the same way as in Notes — position your document, let the phone detect it or tap the shutter button, adjust brightness and contrast if needed, and tap "Save." The PDF saves directly into the folder you selected, and you can rename it immediately.
This method is useful if you are scanning a lot of documents and want to organize them by folder from the beginning. It saves a step compared to scanning in Notes and then moving the file later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I scan a document that is larger than my phone screen?
Yes. The scanner works by detecting the edges of the document, not by fitting it all in one shot. If your document is very large, scan it in sections — one half at a time — and save each section as a separate page. You can also add multiple pages to one PDF, so you can combine the sections into one file after scanning.
What file format does the scanner save in?
The scanner always saves as a PDF file. PDFs are widely supported and work on any device. If you need a different format like JPG or PNG, you can convert the PDF using a free online converter or a third-party app after scanning.
Does the scanned document take up a lot of storage space?
A single-page scan typically uses 1 to 3 megabytes of storage, depending on the document size and image quality. A 10-page document usually takes 10 to 30 megabytes. This is small enough that most people will not notice a difference in available storage unless they scan hundreds of documents.
Can I edit the text in a scanned document?
The scanner creates an image-based PDF, not a text-based one, so you cannot edit the text directly. If you need to edit the content, you would need to use optical character recognition (OCR) software, which converts the image into editable text. Some third-party apps offer this, but the built-in scanner does not.
What if I scanned a page upside down or in the wrong order?
Open the note containing the PDF, tap the thumbnail to view it, then tap the three dots in the top right. Select "Markup" to open editing mode. You can rotate individual pages or delete pages you do not need. Tap "Done" when you are finished, and the changes save to the PDF.