Published 2023-02-20 by TechNet New England
Modern smartphones can scan documents to PDF without any extra apps. The results are clean, well-lit, and suitable for business use. ## iPhone and iPad (Built-in) ### Using the Notes App 1. Open the **Notes** app. 2. Create a new note or open an existing one. 3. Tap the **camera icon** at the bottom. 4. Select **Scan Documents**. 5. Hold your phone over the document. The camera will detect the edges automatically and capture the scan. 6. Adjust the corners if needed and tap **Keep Scan**. 7. Scan additional pages if needed, then tap **Save**. 8. To share as PDF: open the note, tap the scanned document, tap the **share icon**, and choose how to share (email, AirDrop, save to Files, etc.). ### Using the Files App 1. Open the **Files** app. 2. Tap the three dots in the top right corner. 3. Select **Scan Documents**. 4. Capture the scan, adjust if needed, and save. 5. The scan is saved as a PDF directly in Files. ## Android (Google Drive) 1. Open **Google Drive**. 2. Tap the **"+"** button. 3. Select **Scan**. 4. Hold your phone over the document. Google Drive will auto-detect the edges. 5. Tap the capture button. 6. Adjust the crop if needed and tap the checkmark. 7. Add more pages if needed, then tap **Save**. 8. Choose a folder in Google Drive and give the file a name. 9. The scan is saved as a PDF in your Google Drive. ## Tips for Good Scans **Lighting:** Scan in a well-lit area. Avoid shadows from your hand or phone. Natural light near a window works well. **Flat surface:** Place the document on a flat, contrasting surface (dark document on a light desk, or vice versa). **Steady hand:** Hold the phone directly above the document, parallel to the surface. Many apps auto-capture, so just hold steady. **Multiple pages:** Both iOS and Android scanning support multi-page documents in a single PDF. Just keep scanning pages before saving. **Quality:** Phone scans are typically 200 to 300 DPI, which is sufficient for most business purposes. For higher quality or OCR needs, a dedicated document scanner is better. ## Third-Party Apps If you need more advanced features (OCR text recognition, automatic organization, cloud integration): **Adobe Scan** (free): OCR, auto-crop, saves to Adobe cloud. **Microsoft Lens** (free): OCR, integrates with OneDrive and OneNote. **CamScanner**: Popular but check privacy policy before using for sensitive documents. For most business scanning needs, the built-in tools on iPhone and Android are sufficient.