Your iPhone has a built-in document scanner that automatically detects page edges, straightens the image, and saves scans as PDFs. You can access it from multiple places.

From the Files app

1. Open the Files app and navigate to the folder where you want to save the scan
2. Tap the ⋯ (more) button in the top-right corner
3. Select Scan Documents
4. Position your iPhone over the document — the scanner auto-detects the edges and captures the page
5. Adjust the corners if needed, then tap Keep Scan
6. Scan additional pages or tap Save when done

Scanned documents are saved as multi-page PDFs directly into the current folder.

From the Notes app

1. Open a note (or create a new one) in the Notes app
2. Tap the Camera button (or the + button, then Scan Documents)
3. Scan your pages the same way — they're embedded directly into the note

This is handy when you want to annotate or organize scans alongside other notes rather than saving loose PDFs.

Good to know

• The scanner automatically straightens and crops the document, even if you're holding your phone at an angle.
• Both Files and Notes use the same underlying scanning engine — the difference is just where the result ends up.
• For a more streamlined scanning workflow, check out Simple Scan — it uses Apple's scanning APIs but focuses purely on scan-and-send without cluttering your Notes or Files. Great for quick one-off scans.

For more details, see Apple's guide on scanning documents with your iPhone camera.