To scan a document on your iPhone, open the Notes app, start a note, tap the Attachment button (the paper clip), and choose Scan Documents. Hold the iPhone over the page, let it capture automatically, then tap Save or Done. The pages are saved as a PDF inside the note.
If you’d rather end up with a PDF file in a folder, scan from the Files app instead: tap the More button (three dots), then Scan Documents. No extra app is needed, and the steps are the same on the iPhone 14 and every other iPhone that runs a current version of iOS.
Which app should you scan with?
| App | Best for | Where the scan ends up |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | Receipts, notes to self, documents you want to find again quickly | A PDF inside a note (you can export it later) |
| Files | Forms and paperwork you’ll upload, email or keep in folders | A PDF in iCloud Drive or on the iPhone, in the folder you pick |
| Preview (iOS 26 and later) | Scans you want to fill in, mark up or combine with other PDFs | A PDF you manage in Preview and Files |
| Camera | QR codes and copying a line of text, not full pages | Nothing is saved; you act on the code or text right away |
How to scan a document in the Notes app
Put the page on a flat, well-lit surface that contrasts with the paper, such as white paper on a dark table. That helps the iPhone find the edges.
- Open Notes and tap the Compose button to start a new note, or open an existing note.
- Tap the Attachment button (paper clip) in the toolbar. If you don’t see it, tap in the note first to bring up the toolbar.
- Tap Scan Documents. The camera opens in scanning mode.
- Hold the iPhone over the page. A tinted box appears over the page when the iPhone finds its edges.
- Hold still. In the default automatic mode, the iPhone captures the page on its own. To take it yourself, tap the Shutter button or press either volume button.
- If you captured it manually, drag the corners so they line up with the edges of the page, then tap Keep Scan. Tap Retake if the shot is blurry.
- Place the next page under the camera to add it to the same document. Repeat until every page is captured.
- Tap Save (or Done, depending on your iOS version). The scan appears in the note as a single multipage document.
Before you capture, you can use the buttons at the top of the scanner to change the flash or pick a filter such as color, grayscale or black and white. Black and white gives the cleanest look for printed text; color is better for photos, stamps or highlighted pages.
You can also start a scan from inside a note by tapping the More button and choosing Scan.
How to scan straight into the Files app as a PDF
- Open the Files app and go to the folder where you want the scan, for example a folder in iCloud Drive.
- Tap the More button (three dots) at the top right.
- Tap Scan Documents.
- Scan each page the same way as in Notes: let it capture automatically, or tap the shutter and then Keep Scan.
- Tap Save. Choose a location if asked, then tap Save again.
Files names the PDF “Scanned Document” by default. Touch and hold it, then tap Rename so you can find it later.
How to save or send a scan from Notes as a PDF
- In the note, tap the scanned document to open it.
- Tap the Share button.
- Choose where it goes: tap Save to Files to keep a PDF copy, or pick Mail, Messages or AirDrop to send it.
The recipient gets a standard PDF that opens on any computer or phone. To send it to a nearby Apple device without email, see how to AirDrop files from your iPhone. You can also print the scan from your iPhone with Print in the same share menu.
How to sign a scanned document
Apple’s scanner lets you sign a form without printing it:
- Open the scan in Notes or Files and tap the Markup button.
- Tap the Add button (plus sign), then tap Signature.
- Choose a saved signature, or create a new one by signing with your finger.
- Drag the signature onto the signature line and resize it, then tap Done.
Apple’s guide to scanning and signing documents on iPhone covers the same tools on iPad.
Scanning with the Preview app in iOS 26
iOS 26 added Preview, the PDF app long familiar from the Mac, to the iPhone. Open Preview and tap Scan Documents to capture pages the same way, then use Preview’s tools to fill in forms, highlight, or add pages. If your iPhone runs iOS 18 or earlier, you won’t have Preview; Notes and Files do the job.
How to scan other things with your iPhone
Not every “scan” is a document. Here’s the right tool for the other common jobs:
- QR codes: Open the Camera, point it at the code, and tap the link that appears. You can also tap Scan Code in Control Center; add it by touching and holding an empty spot in Control Center, tapping Add a Control, and choosing Scan Code. Apple explains both in its QR code guide.
- Printed photos: The document scanner flattens colors, so use a dedicated method to scan an old photo with your iPhone.
- Text you want to copy: Point the Camera at the text and tap the Live Text button that appears, then select and copy the words. In Notes, Scan Text in the attachment menu drops the text right into your note.
Why your iPhone scan looks bad or won’t capture
- The scanner never captures on its own: Auto capture needs to see all four edges. Back away until the whole page fits, or switch to manual and tap the shutter.
- The page is cut off or skewed: Open the scan, tap the Crop button, and drag the corners again.
- Shadows or glare: Move to even light, hold the phone directly above the page instead of at an angle, and turn the flash off if it creates a hot spot on glossy paper.
- Scan Documents is missing in Files: Tap the three dots while you’re inside a folder, not on the main Browse screen. Scanning also needs camera access, so check that the camera isn’t restricted in Screen Time.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.