How to Scan Documents on iPhone With Notes (Free)

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Last reviewed: October 15, 2026 by the Smart Savings Guides editorial team. How we research and update articles.

The Notes app on iPhone has a free document scanner that crops, straightens and cleans up pages automatically. It's perfect for receipts, forms, school handouts and letters. Here's exactly how to use it, how to get crisp scans, and how to export them as PDFs.

Steps

1. Open Notes and create a new note or open an existing one.
2. Tap the paperclip (Attachment) button at the bottom of the screen. (On older iOS versions this was a camera icon.)
3. Choose Scan Documents.
4. Position the page in view. In Auto mode, Notes captures automatically when it detects the page. In Manual mode, tap the shutter button.
5. Drag the corners to adjust the crop if needed, then tap Keep Scan.
6. Scan any more pages, then tap Save.

The scan appears in the note as a document you can tap to view, edit or share.

Tips

Use good lighting and a contrasting background. - Natural daylight or a bright, even lamp works best. Avoid harsh shadows. - Lay white paper on a dark table so edges are easy to detect. - Hold the phone flat above the page, not at an angle. - Turn off the flash for glossy paper to avoid glare. - Scan receipts soon after you get them, before the print fades.

Edit a scan after saving

Tap the scan in the note, then use the toolbar to: - Crop and adjust corners. - Filter: Color, Grayscale, Black & White or Photo. - Rotate pages. - Add pages to the same scan. - Delete a page. - Markup to sign or annotate. See how to sign a PDF on iPhone.

Export

Share the note as a PDF to email or Files. 1. Tap the scan to open it. 2. Tap Share. 3. Choose Mail, Messages or Save to Files.

Saved to Files, it becomes a standalone PDF you can rename and upload. If you'd rather skip this step, scan with the Files app instead, which saves straight to a folder. See scan straight to a folder with the Files app.

Notes vs. Files

Searching your scans

Notes can recognize text in scanned documents, so searching a word like "invoice" can find scans that contain it, depending on your iOS version and language. Giving each note a clear title helps too.

Organize with folders and pins

Create a folder in Notes for scans, such as "Receipts 2026," and pin important notes to the top. You can also lock notes containing sensitive documents with your iPhone passcode or a separate password, from the note's More menu.

Syncing and storage

If Notes uses iCloud, your scans sync to your iPad and Mac and count toward your iCloud storage (5 GB free). Notes stored "On My iPhone" stay local. Check Settings, then Notes, to see your default account.

Common problems

• Edges not detected: use a darker background and better light, or switch to Manual and crop yourself.
• Blurry text: hold steady and tap to focus, or move a little further away.
• Scan too large to email: use Black & White, or scan fewer pages per document.

Scanning from the Lock Screen or Control Center

On recent iOS versions you can add a scanning shortcut to Control Center or use the Notes widget to start a new note quickly. Swipe down to open Control Center, tap and hold to edit it, and look for a Notes or scan option among the available controls. The exact options depend on your iOS version. It's a quick way to capture a receipt without hunting for the app.

Keeping sensitive scans private

Locked notes hide their content, including scanned documents, behind your passcode or Face ID. Use this for scans of IDs, tax forms or medical letters. Remember that anyone who knows your iPhone passcode may be able to open notes locked with it, so consider a separate password for very sensitive notes.

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