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Essential Skills

Beginner

3 min read 4 stepsApril 19, 2026Verified April 2026

How to Scan Documents Using Your iPhone (No Scanner Needed)

Your iPhone can scan any paper document and save it as a PDF — here's how to use the built-in scanner in the Notes app.

At a Glance

Open a new note in the Notes app

~28s

Open the Notes app (the yellow icon with white lines). Tap the compose icon in the bottom right corner to create a new note. At the bottom of the keyboard, tap the camera icon (it looks like a camera with two arrows). A menu pops up — tap "Scan Documents."

Quick Tip

You can also access the scanner without creating a new note: hold your finger on the Notes app icon on the Home Screen and tap "Scan Document" from the quick action menu.

Position the document and let the iPhone capture it

~32s

Place your document on a flat surface with good lighting — a table near a window works well. Hold your iPhone over the document. You'll see a yellow or green rectangle automatically outline the document edges. When the shape is clearly detected, the iPhone takes the photo automatically. If it doesn't take the photo on its own after a few seconds, tap the white shutter button.

Quick Tip

You don't need perfect lighting, but the clearer the contrast between the document and the surface it's resting on, the better. A white document on a dark table scans beautifully.

Scan multiple pages

~19s

After each page is scanned, you can keep scanning more pages to add to the same document. Move to the next page of your document and hold the iPhone over it — the iPhone will scan it automatically. When you're done scanning all pages, tap "Save." The entire multi-page document is saved as a single file in your Note.

Share the scanned document

~20s

To share the scan: open the note containing your scanned document. Tap the share icon (square with upward arrow). Choose how to send it: tap "Mail" to email it, "Messages" to text it, or "Save to Files" to save it to your iPhone's storage. Most recipients will receive it as a PDF, which can be opened on any device.

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Your iPhone has a built-in document scanner hidden in the Notes app. It automatically straightens documents, adjusts the contrast to make text easy to read, and saves the result as a PDF you can share by email or text. You don't need a separate scanner or any extra apps.

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