How to Scan a Document with Your iPhone

You don't need a scanner to send a signed document. Every iPhone has a built-in document scanner that produces results as good as a traditional office scanner — straight edges, no shadows, clean black-and-white or color output, and a proper PDF file you can email.

There's nothing to install and no account to sign up for. It's already on your phone.

The Short Version

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Create a new note (tap the pencil-and-paper icon).
3. Tap the camera icon above the keyboard.
4. Choose Scan Documents.
5. Hold your phone over the page — it will capture automatically when it sees the edges.
6. Tap Save when you're done.
7. Share it by tapping the share icon and picking Mail.

That's the whole process. A few seconds per page.

How to Sign the Scanned Document

If someone sent you a form and asked you to sign it, you can add your signature right on the iPhone before you email it back. You never have to print it.

1. After saving the scan in Notes, tap the scan to open it.
2. Tap the markup icon (it looks like a pen tip in a circle).
3. Tap the plus (+) button in the bottom-right corner.
4. Tap Signature.
5. If you've signed a document on your iPhone before, your saved signature appears — tap it to place it on the page. If not, choose Add or Remove Signature, then draw your signature with your finger. It's saved for next time.
6. Drag the signature to where you want it and pinch to resize.
7. Tap Done to save your changes.

Now when you share the document by email, your signature is part of the PDF.

Step-by-Step Guides with Pictures

If you'd like a walkthrough with screenshots, here are two good references:

• How to Scan Documents on Your iPhone — Apple Support — Apple's official guide, always kept up-to-date with the latest version of iOS. Covers both the Notes method and the Files method, plus signing with Markup.
• Scan and Store a Document with Your iPhone — Senior Tech Club — A friendlier walkthrough written in plain language for people who aren't very tech savvy, with pictures for each step.

Prefer the Files App?

You can also scan directly into the Files app instead of Notes. Open Files, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right, and choose Scan Documents. The result is saved as a standalone PDF in the location you pick, which some people find tidier than having scans buried inside a note. The scanning steps themselves are identical. We recommend Notes because the signing workflow is slightly smoother there, but either one works.

Tips for Better Scans

• Good light helps. Daylight near a window works best. Avoid harsh overhead light that creates shadows under the page.
• Dark surface. Place the document on a dark table or counter so the iPhone can see the edges clearly.
• Hold steady. The iPhone will beep and capture automatically once it sees a full page. You don't have to tap anything.
• Multi-page documents. Just keep scanning pages one after another. They'll all end up in one PDF when you save.
• Re-take a bad page. If one page comes out blurry, tap it and choose "Retake."

Other Free Options

The built-in scanner works for most people, but if you'd like an alternative:

Microsoft Lens — Free, no ads, no account required. A good choice if you use Microsoft 365 at work because it saves directly to OneDrive, Word, or OneNote. Has stronger text recognition (OCR) if you need the document to be searchable.

We recommend avoiding apps that require you to create an account or that push paid upgrades — they tend to cause more trouble than they solve. The built-in scanner and Microsoft Lens are the two options we suggest to clients.

Have an Android phone instead?

We have a guide for Android users too.