In iOS and iPadOS, Apple includes a feature in Notes that allows you to quickly scan all kinds of documents so you can keep track of everything from receipts to recipes and photos.

iOS 17 General Notes Feature
The Document Scanner detects the edges of a document, aligns things properly, and removes all glare and tilt so you get a clean scan every time. Apple's document scanning tools are well engineered and impressive, with excellent performance on everything from photos to documents.

The feature is available on both iPhone and iPad. Here's how to use it:

  1. Open the Notes app and create a new note.
  2. Tap the Camera icon, then choose Scan Documents.
  3. Once the document scanning interface is open, you can optionally tap the three circles at the top to choose color, grayscale, black and white, or photo for your scan. The default option is color.
  4. Tap on the flash icon if you need to adjust the flash options. The default is auto, which will cause the flash to go off if you're in a room with low light.
  5. Focus the camera on your document, making sure the yellow box is lined up with the edges of your document.
  6. When it's aligned, press on the camera button to snap a photo. The Notes app will automatically correct for any tilting. If you don't press the camera button and the Auto shutter option is on, after a few moments the document will be automatically scanned.
  7. If the scan is to your liking, tap Done. If you want to try again, choose Retake.

notes

The Document Scanner is set up to take multiple scans in a row, so once you tap "Keep Scan," it returns to the scanning interface. To get back to Notes after you've scanned all of your documents, you'll need to tap on "Save."

Your scanned document is inserted into the current note, where it can be edited. To edit, simply tap on the scan. Editing tools include adding an additional scan, cropping, changing the color, changing the orientation, and opening up the Share sheet to send it to Messages, Mail, social networks, and other apps.

Tag: Notes

Top Rated Comments

hank moody Avatar
102 months ago
I love it but it LACKS “save as pdf”.
I am still using Scanbot because i need this.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AstroRob Avatar
102 months ago
I love it but it LACKS “save as pdf”.
I am still using Scanbot because i need this.
Actually if you hit the share option when you click on the scanned doc, one of the option is to make PDF, which I assume also lets you combine multiple pages from a single scan session.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gwhizkids Avatar
102 months ago
It does a great job, especially at an angle. I wish, though, that this were a standalone capability. Don't want to create (and then delete) a note, just to get a scanned document. Relatively minor nit, but a nit, nonetheless.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iapplelove Avatar
102 months ago
Forgive me cause I’m slow lol but what’s the difference between this and taking a photo?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Weaselboy Avatar
102 months ago
Really? Scanner Pro is still way better. the scan itself is darker and easier to read, it scans text (OCR) automatically so it is easily searchable and it saves as .pdf in any location you want.
I agree. I just used Notes to do a couple tests and Scanner Pro gets a PDF scanned and in my ~/Documents folder with fewer steps.

I think using Notes for this will be okay for the occasional user who does not have something like Scanner Pro, but Scanner Pro seems more streamlined for this purpose.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phamilyphriend Avatar
102 months ago
Where do you store your notes? I think you need to use iCloud or similar. Exchange or similar do not have these options.

I like the scanning, and it is surprisingly crisp even in poor conditions. Now some kind of OCR possibility would be even greater.
Thank you! I was using notes in yahoo and not iCloud. Now it works!
[doublepost=1506106995][/doublepost]
I had this problem when they updated it to RTF. I think I had to turn on iCloud notes. I could be wrong though. I can’t remember how I got it to work. I checked my settings to see if there was something obvious. I didn’t see it.

Should look like this.
Thank you! It works with iCloud notes and not with Yahoo.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...