To scan documents with an iPhone, you can use the built-in scanning feature available in the Notes app, Files app, or Mail app, without needing any third- party apps. Here’s how to do it step-by-step using the Notes app, which is the most common method:
How to Scan Documents Using the Notes App
- Open the Notes app on your iPhone.
- Create a new note by tapping the + icon or open an existing note.
- Tap the camera icon above the keyboard (or a paperclip icon in newer iOS versions).
- Select Scan Documents from the menu.
- Position your iPhone camera over the document. The scanner will automatically detect and capture the document if in Auto mode. If not, tap the shutter button or press a volume button to capture manually.
- Adjust the scan edges by dragging the corners if needed.
- Tap Keep Scan to save the page.
- To scan multiple pages, tap the + button and repeat the process.
- When finished, tap Save to store the scanned document in your note.
- You can then share, print, or save the scanned document as a PDF via the share icon
Alternative Methods
- Files app: Open the Files app, tap the More button (three dots), and select Scan Documents. The process is similar to the Notes app
- Mail app (mail.com example): Open the mail.com Mail app, tap the Cloud tab, tap the + symbol, and select Scan documents to scan and save directly to cloud storage or email attachments
Additional Tips
- Ensure the document is flat and well-lit for the best scan quality.
- You can scan in color, grayscale, or black and white.
- After scanning, you can crop, edit, or annotate using apps like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Word if needed
- Scanning multiple pages into one PDF is supported.
This built-in scanner is available on iPhones running iOS 11 or later and provides a quick and convenient way to digitize documents without extra apps
