How to scan documents to PDF on iPhone (Notes, Files and Preview)
Updated 13 October 2026 · ChatPDF guides · 9 sources
AI can miss or misstate things. Summaries and answers from AI tools, ChatPDF included, can leave out important details or get them wrong. Check anything that matters against the document itself, especially legal, medical, financial and exam material.
- Notes, Files and Preview all have a built-in Scan Documents option that turns camera shots of pages into a PDF. 1,2
- Auto mode captures a page when it detects the edges; you can switch to manual capture and adjust the corners yourself. 1
- Notes can also insert text straight from the camera with Scan Text, and its search finds text in scanned documents. 3,4
- A scan is a picture of the page. Before using it with tools that need selectable text, check that you can select a word, or run OCR.
You do not need a scanner app to turn paper into a PDF. Three apps that come with iPhone can scan: Notes, Files and, from iOS 26, Preview 1,2. Pick the one that matches where you want the PDF to end up.
| App | Where the PDF goes | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | Inside a note | Receipts, notes to self, documents you want searchable in Notes |
| Files | A folder you choose (for example iCloud Drive) | Documents you will share, upload or import into other apps |
| Preview | A PDF you can edit right away in Preview | Multi-page documents you want to crop, reorder or sign |
Scan with Notes
- Open Notes and select a note or create a new one.
- Tap the Attachment button, then tap Scan Documents.
- Hold the page in view of the camera. In iOS 26 you can also choose options such as flash or an image filter.
- In Auto mode the page is captured automatically. To capture manually, tap the Shutter button or press a volume button, drag the corners to fit the page, then tap Keep Scan.
- Scan more pages or tap Done 1.
The scan is saved as a PDF inside the note 3. From the note's PDF menu you can rotate pages, apply filters, crop a scanned page or insert a blank page 5. To sign it, tap the document, tap the Markup button, tap the Add button and choose Signature 1.
Scan with Files
- In the Files app, tap the More button, then tap Scan Documents.
- Capture the pages the same way as in Notes (Auto or manual, adjust corners, Keep Scan).
- Tap Done, choose a location, then tap Save 1.
This is the most direct route if the PDF needs to sit in a specific folder, for example to attach it to an email or import it into another app later.
Scan with Preview
- Open Preview and tap Scan Documents.
- iPhone captures each page automatically. To capture yourself, tap Auto so the label changes to Manual, then tap the Shutter button.
- Repeat for each page. Tap the thumbnails to crop, rotate or adjust the coloring.
- Tap Done when you are finished 2.
Preview combines the pages into a single PDF that you can save and edit 6, for example to reorder pages or insert another file, as described in the Files and Preview tips.
Tips for cleaner scans
- Contrast: put a white page on a dark table. Clear edges help automatic capture find the page.
- Light: use even daylight or a lamp from the side. Avoid your own shadow and glare on glossy paper; turn off the flash if it causes a bright spot.
- Flat pages: press books open and smooth out folds. Curved lines are harder to read for people and for OCR software.
- Straight on: hold the phone parallel to the page and check the corners before tapping Keep Scan.
- Name it now: rename the file with what it is and the date, so you can find it with Files search later 7.
Want the text, not just the picture?
A scan is essentially a photo of each page. Apple's guides do not say that these scans include a selectable text layer, so test it: open the PDF and try to select a word. If nothing highlights, there is no text layer yet. You have a few options:
- Use Scan Text in Notes: in a note, tap the Attachment button, tap Scan Text, select the text in the camera frame and tap Insert. This puts real, editable text into the note, in supported languages 3.
- Keep the scan in Notes: Apple says Notes search covers text in scanned documents, which helps you find the note again even without a text layer in the file 4.
- Add a text layer with OCR. On iOS 27, Preview's PDF export has an Embed Text option that runs OCR 8. Other options are covered in how to get selectable text from a scanned PDF.
Where ChatPDF fits
A camera scanner is not part of ChatPDF, and the app needs a PDF with selectable text. Image-only scans are refused with a message that the PDF has no selectable text. Once your scan has a text layer (check by selecting a word), you can import it from Files and ask questions about it; see which PDFs work with ChatPDF. OCR can misread names and numbers, so check important details against the paper original.
Common questions
Where do my scans go?
Scans made in Notes are saved as a PDF inside the note. Scans made in Files are saved in the location you choose. Preview scans become a PDF you save from Preview. 3,1,2
Can I add more pages to a scan later?
In Preview, open the PDF, touch and hold a page thumbnail and tap Scan Pages to add new pages, or Insert from File to add another PDF. 9
Is a scanned PDF searchable?
Not necessarily. Notes search finds text in scanned documents, but the PDF file may have no selectable text. Try selecting a word; if that fails, use OCR. 4,8
Sources and further reading
- Apple Support. How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad (article 108963). support.apple.com
- Apple Support. Scan text and documents in Preview on iPhone (iPhone User Guide). support.apple.com
- Apple Support. Scan text and documents in Notes using the iPhone camera (iPhone User Guide). support.apple.com
- Apple Support. Search through your notes on iPhone (iPhone User Guide). support.apple.com
- Apple Support. Work with PDFs in Notes on iPhone (iPhone User Guide). support.apple.com
- Apple Support. Get started with Preview on iPhone (iPhone User Guide). support.apple.com
- Apple Support. Find and view files and folders in Files on iPhone (iPhone User Guide). support.apple.com
- Apple Support. Export or compress PDFs and images in Preview on iPhone (iPhone User Guide, iOS 27). support.apple.com
- Apple Support. Add, delete, rotate, move, or crop PDF pages in Preview on iPhone (iPhone User Guide). support.apple.com