Here’s How To Use Your iPhone’s Hidden Document Scanner — Just in Time for Tax Season
Fortunately, today it’s quite easy to digitally sign important documents from your computer or phone. But sometimes they’re given to you in paper form, and it’s up to you to sign it, scan it, and email it. When you simply need to put your signature on an actual document but don’t have a standalone scanner handy, the easiest way to do it is right in your pocket: using your iPhone to turn images into PDFs.
Yes, your iPhone doubles as a document scanner. It may not produce images as sharp as a dedicated scanner, but it does a respectable job, even when the phone is positioned at odd angles to try 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 properly scan documents and turn them into PDFs that you can email.
You won’t need to download any additional software or pay for a third-party app: Apple’s Notes app, 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 upgraded 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 beyond iOS 17, but we’ll walk you through the process.
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 the button New remark in the lower right corner (pencil icon in a square). On iOS 17 and earlier, tap the button Camera at the bottom of the screen (or if you edit a note, the same Camera the icon will be above the keyboard) and press Scan documents. If you are using iOS 26, instead of a Camera icon, you press the icon Attachments (the paperclip icon) and also press Scan documents.
This will open a version of the Camera app that only searches for documents. Once you position your iPhone over the document to be scanned and in view of the camera, a yellow rectangular layer will automatically appear on the document showing approximately what will be captured. Hover over the document for a few seconds and iPhone should automatically capture and scan the document, but you can also press the button Shutter button at bottom center. You can scan multiple documents at once if you want, and when you’re done, press the button yellow checkmark button in the upper right corner.
Sign, share or save your scanned document
Once you’ve captured a document, you can tap it, as well as others you’ve captured in the same session, to edit them before saving. You can also press To resume in the upper right corner to start again.
When you edit the document, you can crop it from the captured original photo (if you need to edit its edges), switch between color filters (color, black and white, grayscale or unedited original photo). Then you can save the scanned document.
Once saved in a note, you can press the button Markup (circled pen icon) at the bottom to draw or doodle with different colors. If you press the Add At the bottom right (plus sign icon) you can add text, your signature, shapes or even stickers. Once you’ve added a signature, you can tap it to bring up a menu, then tap the diagonal line to change its thickness and color. You can long press 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 them, press the button in the center which looks like a diagonal stylus surrounded by a circle of loops.
To send or save the document locally, tap Share at the top (the square and arrow icon) to send it via messages or apps, copy it, save it locally in the Files app, print it via a linked printer, or other options.
How to export your scanned document to PDF
Naturally, you may want to send your scanned document in PDF format. Press the Share at the top (the square and arrow icon) and scroll down below the contact and application wheels to the additional list of options.
The easiest way to send your scanned document to PDF is a bit complicated: from the aforementioned list, tap Print then tap the Share button at the top (square and arrow icon) again: this will share your converted document to PDF. Then choose your preferred sharing method, most easily via email, but you can also upload it to cloud storage or send it via SMS if you wish.
You can also use a third-party application to convert your document to PDF if you wish. Scroll down past the Print button to find the application of your choice. For example, if you have the Adobe Acrobat application downloaded to your device, you can select Convert to PDF in Acrobat To do this, you will first have to go through several screens trying to sell you Adobe subscriptions.
Why can’t I find the camera button to scan documents?
If you are using iOS 26, the Camera The button has been replaced by a Attachments button (paperclip symbol). It should work the same: tap it and choose Scan documents in the drop-down menu
If you can’t see the Camera or the Attachments check if you 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 find out, press Files in the upper left corner of the Notes screen and select iCloud or On My iPhone.
The document scanner is just one of many unnoticed iPhone features pre-packaged into Apple handsets, often nested within the apps that come with your phone. Some hidden features in iOS 26 add even more surprising features already on your iPhone. But you can also find ways to do other tasks, like create a GIF on your iPhone, using third-party apps and through your browser.
Watch this: 26 other things hidden in iOS 26
