Document Scanner Setup
Your phone is a scanner. Replace your old printer-scanner with a free app built right in.
Pick your phone
Notes app (built-in)
Setup
- 1.Open Notes → tap "+ New note" or open an existing note.
- 2.Tap the camera icon (paperclip menu) → "Scan Documents".
- 3.Hold the phone over the document. iPhone auto-detects edges and snaps when ready.
- 4.Tap "Save" once all pages are scanned.
Features
- •Auto edge detection — no need to crop manually.
- •Tap a scan to share as PDF.
- •Searchable text inside scans (iOS 16+).
- •Color, grayscale, or black-and-white per scan.
Files app (built-in)
Setup
- 1.Open Files → tap "..." (top-right) → Scan Documents.
- 2.Same scanner UI as Notes.
- 3.Saves directly to iCloud Drive or Files location.
Features
- •Saves to a folder, not a note.
- •Same scan quality as Notes.
- •Easier if you organize papers in folders rather than notes.
Adobe Scan (free, optional)
Setup
- 1.App Store → "Adobe Scan".
- 2.Sign in with email or Google.
- 3.Tap the camera → scan document.
Features
- •OCR — turns the scan into editable text. Very accurate.
- •Combines with Adobe Acrobat for fillable PDFs.
- •Best for users who already use Adobe products.
Six things to scan today
Tax receipts
Photograph as you go through the year. Search for "receipt" in your notes app or Drive in March, find them all.
Insurance / medical paperwork
Scan all paper records. Save in a single folder. Email or text easily to a doctor or family.
Legal documents (will, deeds, birth certificate)
Scan original, store on a USB drive AND in cloud (Drive/iCloud). The originals can stay in a safe; the digital copies are with you.
Loan / mortgage applications
When the bank asks for a "scan of your driver's license", you can do it from the kitchen table — no need for a real scanner.
Old family photos
Scan old paper photos to digital. Share to family. Will outlast the originals.
Replacing a paper recipe collection
Scan grandma's recipe cards. Add to a "recipes" folder. Search by name or ingredient.
Pro tips for sharper scans
- •Bright but indirect light. A window with sheer curtain works best.
- •Solid contrasting surface — dark wood under white paper, or vice versa. Helps edge detection.
- •Hold the phone parallel — keep the document flat, the camera flat above it.
- •For long documents, scan in batches. Most apps let you keep adding pages.
- •Always save as PDF, not photo — PDFs print correctly and are smaller.
Related
Quick Tip: scan immediately after receiving anything important. The "I will scan it later" pile becomes a permanent pile.