How to scan a document and email it as a PDF
Updated
Here is how to scan and email a document: scan it with your phone, export it as a PDF, and attach it in your e-mail app, all without a printer, a scanner or a computer. With Doc Scanner by Ginowl on iPhone or Android, you scan the pages, tap the share icon, choose PDF and send it straight to Mail, Gmail or Outlook.
The PDF goes out clean: no watermark on the pages, no ads in the app and no sign-up before your first scan. Below are the steps, how to keep the attachment small, and what to do when the recipient wants an upload or a WhatsApp message instead.
Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Doc Scanner by Ginowl — iPhone & Android · Free to download
How to scan a document and email it
Scan the document
Open Doc Scanner, tap the camera button in the middle of the bottom bar and tap the shutter. Hold the phone over the page; edge detection finds the corners and captures it automatically. Scan every page that belongs in the e-mail, then finish the scan.
Check and name it
Tap Crop or Edit if a page needs a straighter edge or a cleaner filter. Tap the document title at the top to rename it: the name becomes the file name your recipient sees.
Open the Share screen
Tap the share icon at the top. Choose PDF, pick Low, Medium or High quality and a page size, and use Select pages if only some pages should go out.
Send it from your mail app
Tap Share and choose Mail, Gmail, Outlook or any other e-mail app in your phone's share sheet. The PDF is attached to a new message; add the address and subject and send.
Scan and email in 4 steps
Scanning and e-mailing is really two jobs: making a clean PDF and getting it into an e-mail. Doc Scanner handles the first and hands the second to the e-mail app you already use, through your phone's standard share sheet. There's no extra account to set up and no separate mail client to learn.
On iPhone, the share sheet shows Apple Mail plus Gmail, Outlook or any other mail app you've installed. On Android, it lists Gmail, Outlook and the rest of your apps. Pick one and the PDF arrives already attached to a new message.
If the document has several pages, scan them all in one go: Doc Scanner keeps adding pages to the same scan and you send one PDF instead of a string of photos. For long documents see how to scan multiple pages into one PDF, and if you've never scanned with a phone before, start with how to scan documents with your phone.
Keep the attachment small (quality and pages)
E-mail services limit how big an attachment can be, and a long scan at full quality can bump into that limit. Before you blame the mail app, adjust two settings on Doc Scanner's Share screen:
- Quality. Low, Medium or High. Medium is the sweet spot for most e-mails: text stays crisp and the file stays light. Use High when the recipient will print the document or needs fine detail, Low for long text-only documents.
- Pages. Tap Select pages and send only what was asked for. The blank back of a form or a duplicate capture adds size and nothing else.
Two more tricks help:
- Filter. Grayscale or B&W often makes a text page smaller and easier to read than a full-colour photo of white paper. Open Edit, choose the filter and tap Apply to all pages.
- Page size. Pick A4 or Letter when the recipient will print it, so it comes out at a standard paper size; Original keeps the scanned proportions.
If your mail app still refuses the file, send fewer pages per e-mail, or save the PDF to a cloud drive app from the share sheet and e-mail the link instead.
Send from Gmail, Outlook or Mail
The steps are the same whatever mail app you use, because Doc Scanner hands the file over through the share sheet:
- Apple Mail on iPhone: tap the share icon in Doc Scanner, then Share, then Mail. A new message opens with the PDF attached.
- Gmail on iPhone or Android: choose Gmail in the share sheet. If you don't see it, scroll the app row or tap More to add it.
- Outlook: choose Outlook in the share sheet; work and personal accounts both work.
- Any other mail app that appears in your share sheet works the same way.
A few habits make the e-mail look professional. Rename the document first so the attachment isn't called a date and time; something like "Lease application - J Smith.pdf" tells the recipient what it is before they open it. Write a short subject line that says what's attached. And if the document carries a signature, add it before sending: Doc Scanner's free PDF signatures let you draw once and place your saved signature on any page.
Send to WhatsApp or upload instead
Not every recipient wants e-mail. The same Share screen sends your scan anywhere your phone can:
- WhatsApp, Messages, Telegram or Signal: choose the app in the share sheet and pick the chat. Sending a PDF keeps all pages together and readable, while a photo can get compressed by the messaging app.
- Upload to a portal or website: in the share sheet, save the PDF to the Files app (iPhone) or your downloads (Android), then choose it from the upload form in your browser.
- A cloud drive: if you use Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive, their apps appear in the share sheet as well.
- JPG instead of PDF: some forms only take images. Choose JPG on the Share screen and each page is exported as an image.
For ID copies, Doc Scanner's ID card mode puts front and back on one page (Premium), so you upload a single file instead of two photos.
Password-protect before sending (Premium)
E-mail isn't the place to send a tax return, a bank statement or an ID copy unprotected. With Premium, turn on Protect with password on the Share screen, enter a password, and Doc Scanner encrypts the PDF with AES-256 before it ever leaves your phone. Anyone who opens the attachment needs the password.
Send the password through a different channel than the e-mail, for example a text message or a phone call, so a forwarded or misdirected e-mail doesn't carry both. More on locking files: password-protect a PDF.
Scanning and image processing happen on your phone, so the document isn't uploaded anywhere just to be scanned. It only goes where you send it.
Skip the print shop
If your plan was to drive to a copy shop to scan and send a form, you can do the whole thing at home with your phone. Doc Scanner covers what people usually go there for:
- Scanning a signed form and sending it back as a PDF.
- Signing a document without printing it: add your saved signature to the scan for free, then e-mail it.
- Copying an ID front and back on one page (Premium).
- Combining several papers into one PDF with Merge.
- Printing when you do need paper: tap Print on the Share screen to send the PDF to a printer your phone can reach.
Doc Scanner is free to download on iPhone and Android, with a free plan for scanning, signing and exporting PDFs. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up: scan, tap Share, send.
See Doc Scanner in action
Scan your first document in seconds
Doc Scanner is free to download for iPhone and Android. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up required.
Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Frequently asked questions
How do I scan a document and email it from my iPhone?
Open Doc Scanner, tap the camera button in the bottom bar and scan the pages. Tap the share icon, choose PDF and a quality, then tap Share and pick Mail, Gmail or Outlook. The PDF opens attached to a new message, ready to address and send.
How do I scan a document on Android and send it to email?
Scan the document in Doc Scanner, tap the share icon, choose PDF, then tap Share and pick Gmail, Outlook or another mail app from the Android share sheet. The PDF is attached to a new e-mail.
How do I scan and send a document as a PDF?
Scan it with Doc Scanner, then choose PDF on the Share screen. From there you can send it by e-mail, WhatsApp or any app in your share sheet, save it to your files, or print it.
Why is my scan too big to email?
Long documents at high quality make large files. On Doc Scanner's Share screen, choose Medium or Low quality, send only the pages you need with Select pages, and use the Grayscale or B&W filter for text pages.
Will the recipient see a watermark or an ad?
No. Doc Scanner adds no watermarks to your PDFs, on the free plan and on Premium, and the app shows no ads.
Can I send a password-protected PDF?
Yes, with Premium. Turn on Protect with password on the Share screen and the PDF is encrypted with AES-256. Send the password to the recipient separately.
Doc Scanner is not affiliated with Apple, Google, Microsoft, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and Dropbox. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Related pages
- Scan with your phoneHow to scan a document with your phone camera on iPhone or Android: 4 steps, tips for sharp scans, free built-in options and when a scanner app does more.
- Many pages, one PDFScan multiple pages into one PDF on iPhone or Android: Batch mode captures page after page, then reorder, add or merge. No watermarks, no ads, no sign-up.
- Sign PDFsSign a PDF on your phone for free: draw your signature once in Doc Scanner, reuse it on any page, export with no watermark. For iPhone and Android.
- Scan ID cardsScan both sides of an ID card onto one page with Doc Scanner for iPhone and Android. Front and back on one A4-style PDF or JPG, ready to print or share.
- No watermarkDoc Scanner is a scanner app with no watermark on PDFs or JPGs, free plan included. No ads, no sign-up, searchable PDFs. For iPhone and Android.