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How to Scan a Document to PDF on iPhone

Your iPhone has a document scanner built in. It finds the edges, straightens the page and saves a PDF, all without an extra app. Here’s how, and when PDFee saves a few steps.

PDFee teamUpdated September 27, 2026 · 5 min readTestediPhone 14 Pro · iOS 26.6.2 · PDFee 1.6
On this page
  1. Quick answer
  2. Which method?
  3. Method 1 · Notes
  4. Method 2 · PDFee
  5. Crop and check
  6. Save and share
  7. More than one page
  8. Questions

Quick answer

Open Notes, start a new note, tap the Attachment button (paperclip) and choose Scan Documents. Hold the iPhone over the page, tap the checkmark when you’re done, then share the scan and choose Save to Files to get a PDF.

A ready-to-send PDF in Letter or A4, or small enough to email, in one go? In PDFee:
  1. 1Tap Scan
  2. 2Capture the pages
  3. 3Create PDF

Which method should you use?

You want to…NotesFilesPDFee
Scan with edge detectionSame Apple scanner
Get a PDF file right awayShare › Save to Files
Keep the scan in a note
Letter or A4 pages
Smaller file for emailEmail-ready / Small
Method 1 · Built in

Scan with Apple Notes

  1. Notes › new note
    Step 1Open Notes, create a new note and tap the Attachment button (paperclip).
  2. Scan Documents menu
    Step 2Tap Scan Documents.
  3. Document camera
    Step 3Hold the iPhone over the page. In Auto it captures by itself; otherwise tap the shutter button.
  4. Share › Save to Files
    Step 4Tap the checkmark to finish. For a PDF file: tap the scan, Share › Save to Files.
Method 2 · App

Scan and save a PDF with PDFee

  1. Open PDFee and tap Scan

    The Scan tile sits right under the Photos → PDF card on the home screen.

    Step 1: Open PDFee and tap Scan

  2. Capture the page

    Hold your iPhone over the paper. In Auto mode it finds the edges and captures by itself.

    Step 2: Capture the page

  3. Tap the checkmark

    When the pages are in, tap the checkmark at the top right. They open in PDFee, already cropped and straightened.

    Step 3: Tap the checkmark

  4. Check the order and page size

    Drag pages to reorder them. Tap the size button for Auto, Letter or A4, then tap Continue.

    Step 4: Check the order and page size

  5. Pick a file size and tap Create PDF

    Original for full quality, Email-ready or Small for a lighter file. Estimated sizes are shown first.

    Step 5: Pick a file size and tap Create PDF

  6. Share or save it

    Send it with Mail or Messages, or tap Save to Files.

    Step 6: Share or save it
Free and Pro for this taskChecked in PDFee 1.6
FreeUp to 10 pages per PDF, no watermark. Scanned more? Split into several free PDFs, or keep the first 10.
ProNo page limit, for long documents in one PDF.
Try PDFee on your iPhone

Crop, retake and check a readable scan

Right after capturing, tap the small thumbnail in the bottom-left corner. This works the same in Notes, Files and PDFee.

The scanner with the page thumbnail in the bottom-left corner
Where to find itThe thumbnail shows the last page you captured. Tap it to review each page before you finish.
CropDrag the corners to the edges of the paper.
RetakeCapture again if it’s blurry or cut off.
FilterColor, Grayscale, Black & White or Photo.
RotateTurn a page that came out sideways.

For a scan that’s easy to read

Even lightDaylight or a bright room. Avoid your own shadow over the page.
Contrasting backgroundWhite paper on a dark table makes edge detection much more reliable.
Keep it flatPress down folded or curled pages, or hold the corners.
Zoom in before sendingCheck the smallest text, like dates and amounts.

Save the PDF to Files or share it

When you need more than one page

Both scanners keep adding pages until you tap the checkmark, and everything ends up in one PDF. Page order, missing pages and big files are covered in the multi-page guide.

How to Scan Multiple Pages into One PDF on iPhoneHow to Scan and Save Receipts as PDF on iPhone

Questions

Can I scan a document with my iPhone and make it a PDF?

Yes. The scanner in Notes and Files is built in. Files saves the scan as a PDF straight away. From Notes, share the scan and save it to Files.

Where is the scan tool on iPhone?

Inside the Notes app (Attachment button › Scan Documents) and the Files app (••• › Scan Documents). There is no separate scanner app.

How do I scan a document on iPhone and send it in an email?

Scan it with any method above, tap Share, and choose Mail. The PDF is attached to a new email.

Is the PDFee scanner better than the one in Notes?

The scanning itself is the same: PDFee uses Apple’s document camera. PDFee helps with what comes after: page size, file size and a ready PDF in one flow.

Written and tested by the PDFee teamTested on iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 26.6.2, PDFee 1.6, September 26, 2026. Screenshots come from that test and from Apple’s iOS Simulator, with test files in place of personal ones. We update this guide when iOS or the app changes.