How to scan a document with your iPhone

Scan in the Notes app

These steps follow Apple's current guide. On iOS 17 and earlier, the scanner sits behind the camera button instead of the paperclip.

1. 1

   Open a note

   Open Notes and create a new note, or open the one where the scan should go.

2. 2

   Tap the paperclip, then Scan Documents

   Tap the Attachment button, the paperclip, and choose Scan Documents. The camera opens and starts looking for the page.

3. 3

   Hold the phone over the page

   In Auto mode the iPhone captures the page by itself once it's steady. In manual mode, tap the shutter button or press a volume button, drag the corners to fit the page, and tap Keep Scan.

4. 4

   Add the remaining pages

   Keep going page by page; each one is added to the same scan. On iOS 26 and later you can also turn on the flash or pick a filter, such as black and white, before you shoot.

5. 5

   Finish and share

   Tap Done when the last page is in. The scan is saved in the note as a PDF; tap it, then the Share button to send it or save a copy to Files.

Scan straight into Files

If you want the PDF in a folder rather than a note, start in the Files app. Tap the More button, choose Scan Documents, scan the pages the same way, and tap Done. Files then asks where to keep the document: choose a folder, such as one in iCloud Drive, and tap Save.

Tips for a scan people can read

• Contrast helps the edge finder. A white page on a dark table is found instantly; a white page on a white counter often isn't.
• Light from above, no shadows. Stand so your own shadow doesn't fall across the page, and use window light where you can.
• Flatten folds. Press a folded contract under a book for a minute before scanning.
• Check every page before you tap Done. Swipe through the thumbnails and retake any page that's blurry or cut off.
• Name the file. A scan saved as "Scanned Document" is hard to find later; rename it with the date and what it is.

To sign a scan yourself, open it in Notes, tap Markup, then Add and Signature. That's fine for a form you return yourself. When someone else has to sign, or you need a record of who signed and when, it's time for an e-signature tool.

From scan to signed, with SignMaster

Working on a computer? Start a new envelope in SignMaster and click Scan with your phone. A QR code appears; point your iPhone's camera at it and the scanner opens in Safari, with nothing to install and no sign-in. Photograph the pages, drag the corners to straighten them, then send them, and they arrive on your computer as one PDF, ready for fields and signers.

The SignMaster app for iPhone and iPad uses Apple's document camera too, with modes for ID cards, receipts and book pages, and it reads the text on the phone so you can search your scans later. After a scan, you can sign it yourself or send it for signature straight from the app.