How to scan documents to PDF with your phone

You don’t need a scanner to turn paper into a PDF. A phone camera does the job well, and there are free ways to do it on both iPhone and Android.

Option 1: Scan to your computer with PDFfinch (no app)

1. On your computer, open Scan to PDF. A QR code appears.
2. Point your phone’s camera at the QR code and open the link.
3. Tap Take a photo for each page. Each photo appears on your computer a moment later.
4. On the computer, drag the pages into order and click Convert to PDF.

This is the quickest option when the PDF needs to end up on your computer anyway — for emailing, uploading or filing — because there’s nothing to transfer afterwards.

Option 2: iPhone Notes

In the Notes app, create a note, tap the camera or attachment button and choose Scan Documents. The iPhone finds the page edges and straightens them automatically. Tap Save, then share the scan as a PDF.

Option 3: Google Drive on Android

In the Google Drive app, tap the + button and choose Scan. Drive crops the page and saves it as a PDF in your Drive.

Tips for readable scans

• Light: daylight or a bright room, without your shadow falling across the page.
• Background: put white paper on a dark table so the edges stand out.
• Angle: hold the phone flat above the page, not at a slant.
• Fill the frame: get close enough that the page fills most of the picture.

After scanning

Run OCR PDF to make the text searchable, and Compress PDF if the file is too big for an upload form — phone photos are often large.