Here’s How to Use Your iPhone’s Hidden Document Scanner, Just in Time for Tax Time
It is very easy to sign important documents digitally these days from your computer or phone. But sometimes they are given to you as physical paper, and it is up to you to sign, scan and email it. If you must put your signature on a real-life document, but don’t have a personal scanner readily available, an easy way to do it is in your pocket — using your iPhone to convert images to PDFs.
Yes, your iPhone doubles as a document scanner. It may not produce sharp images like a dedicated scanner can, but it does a decent job, even when the phone is placed in an odd position, trying to capture text. iPhones have had this hidden feature since the launch of iOS 11 in 2017, but as the cameras built into Apple phones have improved, so has their ability to take decent scans of documents and turn them into emailable PDFs.
You won’t need to download additional software or pay for a third-party app — the Apple Notes app that comes pre-installed on iPhones does the trick. The good news is that it’s quick and easy to scan a document, save it, and send it wherever it needs to go. If you have updated your phone to the latest version of iOS 26, it is easy to use this feature. Keep in mind that the process will be different if you haven’t upgraded past iOS 17, but we’ll walk you through it.
Here’s how to scan a document with your iPhone.
Scan a document with your iPhone or iPad
To scan a document with your iPhone or iPad, first place the document on a flat surface in a well-lit area.
Open the Notes app and open an existing note or start a new one by tapping A new note button in the lower right corner (pencil-in-square icon). In iOS versions 17 and above, tap the Camera button at the bottom of the screen (or when editing a note, the same Camera icon will be above the keyboard) and tap Scan Documents. If you’re on iOS 26, instead of a Camera icon, you will tap the Attached button (paperclip icon) and similarly tap Scan Documents.
This will open a version of the Camera app that just looks at documents. Once you place your iPhone over the document that needs to be scanned and in the camera view, a yellow rectangle will automatically appear over the document, showing approximately what will be captured. Hover over the document for a few seconds, and the iPhone should automatically capture and scan the document, but you can also tap Shutter middle button below. You can scan multiple documents at once if you like, and when you’re done, press the button yellow check mark button in the upper right corner.
Sign, share or save your scanned document
Once you’ve captured a document, you can tap it, along with others you’ve captured at the same time, to edit them before saving them. You can tap again Take it again in the upper right corner to start again.
When editing a document, you can re-crop it from the original image taken (if you need to adjust its edges), change between color filters (color, black and white, gray or random original image). After that you can save the scanned document.
Once it’s saved to the note, you can tap the Markup button (round pen icon) below to draw or write in different colors. If you tap the Add button at the bottom right (and the symbol icon), you can add text, your signature, shapes or stickers. Once you’ve added a signature, you can tap it to bring up a menu, then tap the diagonal line to adjust its thickness and color. You can tap and hold the signature to move it.
There are also AI tools for adding and rewriting text, although they are not useful for signing documents. To use it, tap the center button that looks like a pencil sharpener surrounded by a circle of loops.
To send or save a document locally, press Share it button at the top (square and arrow icon) to send it through messages or apps, copy it, save it somewhere in the files app, print it with a connected printer or other options.
How to export your scanned document as a PDF
Understandably, you may want to send your scanned document as a PDF. Tap that Share it button at the top (icon of a square and an arrow) and scroll down to contacts and application roulette for a further list of options.
The easiest way to send your scanned document as a PDF is a little more compact: within the list mentioned above, click Print then tap the Share button at the top (the square and arrow icon) again — this will share your converted PDF document. Then choose the sharing method of your choice, most easily via email, although you can upload it to cloud storage or send it via text message if you want.
You can also use a third-party application to convert your document to PDF if you so choose. Scroll down to Print button to find your favorite app. For example, if you have the Adobe Acrobat application downloaded to your device, you can choose Convert to PDF in Acrobat to do so — or you’ll need to go through a few screens trying to sell you on an Adobe subscription first.
Why can’t I find the camera button to scan documents?
If you are using iOS 26, the Camera button has been replaced by Attached button (paperclip symbol). It should work the same way: Tap and select Scan Documents from the drop down menu
If you don’t see Camera or i Attached button, check to see if you have opened the note in the iCloud section or the On My iPhone section – you will only be able to scan documents and save them in either of these places. If you can’t tell, press on Folders in the upper left corner of the Notes screen and select iCloud or on my iPhone.
A document scanner is one of the many overlooked iPhone features that come pre-packaged on an Apple cell phone, often included in the apps that come with your phone. Some hidden features of iOS 26 add even more amazing power to your iPhone. But you can also find ways to do other tasks, like making a GIF on your iPhone, using third-party apps and your browser.
Watch this: 26 More Hidden Things in iOS 26
