How to scan documents on iPhone: Notes, Files or Doc Scanner

How to scan a document on iPhone with Doc Scanner

1. Open the camera

   Install Doc Scanner from the App Store and open it. No sign-up is needed. Tap Scan at the bottom of the home screen, or open the Tools tab and tap Document.

2. Pick Document or Batch

   In the camera's mode bar, choose Document for a letter or form, or Batch when you have a stack of pages to get through.

3. Capture the pages

   Tap the shutter and hold your iPhone over the page. Doc Scanner finds the edges, straightens the perspective and captures the page automatically. Turn to the next page and keep going, up to 100 pages in one scan, then save the scan.

4. Clean it up

   In the document, tap Crop to drag the corner handles or Rotate, Edit to pick a filter such as Magic Color, Grayscale or B&W (use Apply to all pages for the whole file), and Sign to place your saved signature.

5. Export as PDF or JPG

   Tap Share, choose PDF or JPG, set the Quality and Page Size, pick the pages with Select pages, then send the file from the share sheet or tap Print.

6. Name and file it

   Rename the document and move it into a folder so you can find it in a second. Search inside recognized text, or use Spotlight on your iPhone.

Scan with the Notes or Files app

Every iPhone already has a document scanner. Apple's steps for iOS 26 and iOS 27:

Notes

1. Open Notes and create a note or open an existing one.
2. Tap the Attachments button, then tap Scan Documents.
3. Hold your iPhone over the page. It captures the page automatically when it detects the page boundaries, or you can capture it yourself and adjust the corners.
4. Scan additional pages, then save. The document is saved as a PDF in the note.

In iOS 26 you can also choose flash or an image filter while you scan, and later rotate, crop or filter each page.

Files

In the Files app, tap the More button, tap Scan Documents, capture your pages, then choose a location and tap Save to get a PDF in a folder.

Preview (iOS 26 and later)

Tap Scan Documents on Preview's start screen; it captures pages automatically and combines them into a single PDF.

For a quick one-off scan these tools are free and good. Keep reading if you need a card on one page, another file format or one app for iPhone and Android.

Scan with Doc Scanner: Document and Batch modes

Doc Scanner turns your iPhone into a pocket scanner with five camera modes in one bar:

• Document: a letter, a form, a contract. Smart edge detection, perspective correction and auto-capture.
• Batch: a stack of pages straight into one PDF.
• ID Card: front and back of a card on one page (Premium).
• Extract Text: photograph text and copy it (Premium).
• QR Scanner: read a QR code and copy the value or open the link, free.

Already have a photo or PDF? In the Tools tab, tap Photos to pick several photos at once, or Import PDF. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up.

Save as PDF or JPG

In Notes, the scan lives inside the note as a PDF that you can copy or share from there.

In Doc Scanner, tap Share on any document to control the file you send:

• Format: PDF for forms, portals and anything that must stay multi-page; JPG when an upload field only takes images.
• Quality: Low, Medium or High. Low or Medium keeps a long scan small enough for e-mail; High keeps fine print sharp.
• Page Size: Original, A4 or Letter. Pick Letter for US offices and A4 almost everywhere else.
• Select pages: send only the pages the other person needs.

Every PDF you export gets an invisible text layer on the free plan, so the recipient can search it and copy from it. Apple's Notes and Files guides don't say whether exported scans include one; Preview adds it when you turn on Embed Text at export, an option Apple documents for iOS 27. More on searchable PDFs.

Need another format? Open the document, tap Convert and choose Word (.docx) or TXT (both Premium, plain recognized text) or PowerPoint (.pptx, one page per slide). Sending the file right away? Follow how to scan and e-mail a document.

Scan many pages into one PDF

A lease, a thesis chapter or a stack of bank statements belongs in one file, not twenty photos. In Doc Scanner, switch the camera to Batch and turn the pages one after another; each page is detected, straightened and captured, up to 100 pages in one scan.

Missed a page? Open the document and tap Add page. Wrong order? Tap Reorder and drag. A blank page or a duplicate? Tap Delete page. Two separate scans that belong together? Select both in your library and tap Merge.

Tips for a clean multi-page scan

• Use a flat table with a dark, plain background so the page edges stand out.
• Light from the side avoids your phone's own shadow on the page.
• Glossy or laminated paper reflects light: tilt it a little until the glare disappears.
• After scanning, use Apply to all pages with Magic Color or Grayscale so the whole PDF looks consistent.

The full walkthrough is in how to scan multiple pages into one PDF.

Find scans later with Spotlight

Doc Scanner keeps every scan findable on your iPhone:

• Spotlight: your documents appear in iPhone Spotlight search by title and by the text recognized in them. Swipe down on the home screen, type a word from the page, and open the scan.
• Search in the app: search looks inside recognized text, not just file names.
• Folders and names: rename scans clearly and sort them into folders such as Work or Taxes; multi-select to move or delete several at once.

Your scans are stored in the app on your iPhone. To keep a copy somewhere else, share the PDF and choose Save to Files or another app from the share sheet.

When you need more: ID cards, text, signatures

Both sides of an ID card on one page

Landlords, employers and banks often want the front and back of an ID on one sheet. Apple's Notes, Files and Preview guides describe capturing pages one after another and document no ID card mode. Doc Scanner's ID Card mode (Premium) asks for the front, then the back, and places both on one A4-style page. Lay the card on a dark surface and tilt it slightly if the laminate catches the light. See how to scan an ID card.

Copy text from a page

Point the camera in Extract Text mode (Premium) at a printed page and copy the recognized text, or share it as TXT. AI-powered text recognition runs on your iPhone and works offline.

Sign before you send

Draw your signature once, save it, then place and resize it on any page with Sign, on the free plan. Here is how to sign a PDF on your phone.

Lock sensitive files

Before you share tax papers or medical forms, turn on Protect with password on the Share screen for AES-256 encryption (Premium).

Notes and Files vs Doc Scanner at a glance

Both scan well. The difference is what you can do with the file afterwards. Want the full picture first? Read why people pick Doc Scanner as their scanner app for iPhone.

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

Sources

1. Apple Support: How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad (published February 13, 2026) (checked 2026-10-01)
2. iPhone User Guide (iOS 27): Scan text and documents in Notes (checked 2026-10-01)
3. iPhone User Guide (iOS 26): Scan text and documents in Notes (checked 2026-10-01)
4. iPhone User Guide: Get started with Preview on iPhone (checked 2026-10-01)
5. iPhone User Guide (iOS 27): Export or compress PDFs and images (Embed Text) (checked 2026-10-01)

Doc Scanner is not affiliated with Apple, iPhone, Notes, Files and Preview. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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• iPhone scanner appDoc Scanner is a scanner app for iPhone that turns paper into searchable PDFs that Spotlight can find. Free to download. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up.
• 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.
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• Best for iPhoneThe best scanner app for iPhone in 2026: Doc Scanner, Genius Scan, Scanner Pro, Adobe Scan and more, ranked against the built-in Notes scanner.
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