Three ways to make a PDF on iPhone
All three are free and need no extra app. To scan a document now, use 1 or 2; if you already have photos, use 3.
| Method | Best for | Saved to |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Scan in the Files app | Scanning a document and saving it as a PDF | The folder you choose (On My iPhone or iCloud Drive) |
| 2. Scan in the Notes app | Keeping documents together with notes | Inside the note (save as a PDF from the Share button) |
| 3. Convert photos to PDF | Photos of documents you’ve already taken | The PDF you download |
Method 1: Scan in the Files app
These steps follow Apple’s support article. The scan is saved as a PDF in the folder you choose.
- Open the Files app and tap the More button (…)
- Tap Scan Documents
- Point the camera at the document. In Auto mode it scans automatically; otherwise tap the shutter button or press a volume button
- Drag the corners to fit the page if needed, then tap Keep Scan
- Scan more pages, or tap Done
- Choose a location and tap Save
Method 2: Scan in the Notes app
The Notes app can scan documents the same way. The scan is saved inside the note.
- Open a note in the Notes app, or create a new one
- Tap the attachment button (paperclip), then tap Scan Documents
- Scan the document as in the Files app, then tap Done
To submit it by email or a web form, open the scan in the note, tap the Share button and choose Save to Files to get a PDF. Labels may differ slightly between iOS versions.
Method 3: Convert photos to PDF
If you’ve already photographed the document, you can turn the photos straight into a PDF. Our JPG & PNG to PDF tool also accepts iPhone photos in HEIC format, so you don’t need to convert them first.
- Open the JPG & PNG to PDF page in Safari
- Tap the button to select images and choose the photos (you can pick several)
- Set the page order, paper size (such as A4), orientation and margins
- Convert, check the preview, then save the PDF
Your photos aren’t uploaded to a server; they’re processed only on your iPhone, so photos of ID documents are safe to convert.
Tips for clean scans
How the scan turns out depends a lot on how you take it. These points help keep text sharp:
- Scan in good light, and keep your shadow and the phone’s shadow off the page
- Place the document on a flat surface of a different color (a white page on a dark desk, for example)
- Hold the iPhone flat, directly above the document
- Flatten folds and creases as much as you can
- For text-only documents, a black-and-white or grayscale filter is easier to read and usually makes a smaller file
Prepare the PDF before submitting
A scanned PDF may not meet the recipient’s requirements as it is. Fix it with these tools first:
- File too large: Compress PDF to fit the upload limit
- Several PDFs to combine: Merge PDF
- Pages sideways or upside down: Rotate PDF
- Color not needed: PDF to Grayscale