How to Scan Documents to PDF with Your Phone
No scanner? Use your iPhone or Android phone: the built-in scanners, or photos turned into one tidy PDF — plus tips for sharp, readable scans.
3 min read ·
You don't need a scanner to send a document as a PDF. Phones can do it in two ways: with a built-in document scanner, or by taking photos and turning them into a PDF with the Image to PDF Converter. The built-in scanners are best when you're scanning right now; the converter is best when you already have the photos — or received them from someone else — and need one tidy, small PDF.
Option 1: The scanner built into your phone
iPhone and iPad: open the Files app, tap the ⋯ button at the top, and choose Scan Documents. (The Notes app has the same scanner: tap the camera icon in a note, then Scan Documents.) Hold the phone over the page; it detects the edges, straightens the page and takes the shot automatically. Add pages, tap Save, and you have a PDF.
Android: open the Google Drive app, tap + and choose Scan (on some phones, a camera icon on the + button). Drive straightens and cleans up each page and saves the result as a PDF in your Drive. Samsung's camera app also offers document scanning when it detects a page.
These scanners crop and flatten the page for you, which is why they produce the most "scanner-like" results.
Option 2: Photos into a PDF
If you've already taken photos — or someone sent you pictures of a form — make a PDF from them:
- Open the Image to PDF Converter in Safari or Chrome.
- Tap the box and choose the photos from your library or Files.
- Put them in page order with the arrows.
- Choose A4 or US Letter, keep Make the PDF smaller ticked, and tap Convert to PDF.
- Tap Download PDF. It's saved to your Downloads folder.
The photos are placed upright and scaled to the page, and the "smaller" option keeps a ten-page document at a size you can email or upload.
How to take a good document photo
Most bad scans come down to the same few mistakes:
- Use daylight or bright, even light. Avoid the ceiling light directly overhead — it puts your shadow on the page.
- Put the page on a dark, plain surface. Contrast helps the edges stand out.
- Hold the phone flat and square above the page, not at an angle, so the text isn't skewed.
- Fill the frame with the page, leaving a small border.
- Tap to focus on the text and hold still. Check one photo zoomed in before you photograph twenty pages.
- Turn off the flash. It creates a bright glare spot exactly where the text is.
Tidying the PDF afterwards
- Pages sideways? Fix them with Rotate PDF.
- Too big for an upload form? Shrink it with Compress PDF.
- Need to add it to another document, like a signed form plus your ID? Join them with the PDF Merger.
- Want to copy the text from your scan? Run PDF OCR on it.
Which method for which job?
| Job | Best method |
|---|---|
| Scanning a contract or form right now | Built-in scanner (Files, Notes, Drive) |
| Photos already in your gallery | Image to PDF Converter |
| Photos sent to you on WhatsApp or email | Image to PDF Converter |
| A PDF that must be small for a portal | Either, then Compress PDF |
| Combining scans with other PDFs | Either, then the PDF Merger |
Frequently asked questions
Are my documents uploaded?
The Image to PDF Converter builds the PDF in your browser, so the photos stay on your phone. Google Drive's scanner, by design, saves the scan to your Drive account.
Is a phone scan acceptable for official documents?
Usually, yes — most institutions accept clear phone scans. Check that every corner is visible, nothing is cut off, and the text is sharp at 100% zoom.
Can I scan both sides of an ID card onto one page?
Photograph both sides, combine them into one picture with Combine Images, then convert that image to PDF.