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Open Notes or Files to scan paper, or use Preview on iOS 26 and later. Capture every page, check the crop and save a PDF you can reopen and send. ScanLens is a free app for scanning and organizing documents.
Quick answer: Preview now creates a PDF directly from a document scan and supports multiple pages in the same session.
Preview is available from iOS 26. After capture, check the saved PDF and its location before sharing it. If you prefer to keep the scan in a note or choose a Files folder, follow the routes below. Apple Support.
Open a new or editable note, tap the attachment button and choose Scan Documents. In recent iOS versions, look for the paperclip rather than a camera icon. The note’s More menu also offers Scan.
Capture the page automatically or use the shutter, adjust the corners and keep the scan. Add the next page before finishing the session. Open the completed attachment and use Share to send it or save a PDF copy to Files. Select a folder you can identify later.
These controls are described in Apple’s Notes and Files instructions. If the file is missing after export, check where scans are saved on iPhone.
In Files, open the More menu and choose Scan Documents. Capture the pages, check their corners and finish the scan. Choose the destination, then save. Note whether the folder is in iCloud Drive or On My iPhone.
Open that folder and reopen the PDF. Check that the last page is present and that small text is readable. A scan saved to Files is easier to locate later when you keep a consistent name and folder. For another person, share the saved PDF through the required email or messaging app.
ScanLens is a free app for iPhone. Start a document scan and place the full page inside the camera view. The blue outline in the real screen above shows the detected page. Capture each required page, then review the document before export.
For paper with several pages, follow scan multiple pages into one PDF. For documents already stored as separate PDFs, use PDF merge. For images already in Photos, follow photo to PDF.
Flatten the paper as far as practical and use a background that makes every edge visible. Keep the phone parallel to the page. Move far enough away to include the whole sheet, then check the small print; a fixed distance cannot suit every paper size and camera.
Adjust the light until your hand, the phone and folds stop casting shadows over the text. Avoid reflected glare on glossy pages. Hold steady and clean the lens if the image looks hazy. A filter cannot recover detail that was never captured.
Keep important color information visible. Test a color and a monochrome copy when stamps, highlights or pencil marks matter, then retain the readable result. See how to improve scan quality, phone scanning setup and scanning without a separate scanner.
Open an editable note and look in the attachment or More menu. The normal Camera app takes a photo; it is a different starting point. If Notes still does not offer scanning, use Files or the documented Preview route above.
Retake the page with steadier positioning, more even light and a clearer background. Check the corners before accepting the scan. Enlarge the small text after saving; do not judge sharpness only from the thumbnail.
A Notes scan remains in its note until you export it. A Files scan goes to the location selected at save time. Check the original app and your chosen folder, then use the scan location checklist.
Choose by where the finished document needs to go. Check the exported file in the app your recipient uses, especially when searchable text matters.
| Route | Useful starting point | Check after capture |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | Keep the scan with a note | Share the scan attachment when a separate PDF is needed |
| Files | Save to a chosen folder | Confirm the location and reopen the saved PDF |
| Preview, iOS 26 and later | Create a PDF directly from paper | Review thumbnails, finish and find the saved file |
| ScanLens | Capture, name, organize and recognize document text | Inspect pages, OCR and the chosen export format |
Use a name that describes the real document, such as signed-form.pdf, and reopen it from the destination folder. Confirm the page count, reading order and any required signatures.
If you need words rather than a page image, copy recognized text and check names and numbers. If the PDF itself must support text search in another reader, follow searchable PDF export and test the exported file there.
For delivery, use scan and email a document. If the attachment is too large, compress a copy and inspect the small print. To add a signature before returning a form, follow sign a PDF on iPhone. Compare the options in our guide to the built-in iPhone scanner when choosing a regular workflow.
Yes. Use the document scanner in Notes or Files. In Notes, start from an editable note and the attachment menu; in Files, use the More menu. Capture the pages, check them and save or share the PDF.
Open an editable note and tap the attachment button, shown as a paperclip in recent iOS versions. Choose Scan Documents. The note’s More menu also offers Scan.
Open the completed scan attachment in Notes and use Share to save a copy to Files. Choose a folder, save it and reopen the PDF there to confirm every page is present.
Keep capturing the next page in the same scanning session before finishing. Review the complete document and export one PDF. Check the page count and reading order in the saved file.
Retake the page with a steadier phone and more even light. Clean the lens and keep the whole page in frame. Enlarge the small text after saving to check sharpness.
ScanLens captures pages and recognizes text on the device. Sending email, retrieving files from a cloud provider and uploading or syncing copies need a connection.
Choose a searchable PDF output when a portable text layer is required. Reopen the export in the intended reader and search a word on the page. Copying OCR text is a separate output.
Yes. In iOS 26, open Preview, tap Scan Documents, position the page, and let iPhone capture it automatically or switch to Manual. Repeat for additional pages, adjust the thumbnails, and tap Done to create the PDF.
Download ScanLens free and start scanning documents on iPhone. Automatic edge detection, OCR, and clean PDF output make the workflow straightforward from the first scan.