How to Scan Documents on iPhone: an Easy Guide

I’ve had no clue how to scan documents on iPhone except for the old Evernote way. After researching the topic and experimenting with a bunch of options, I’m thrilled to share with you multiple easy, awesome (and, yes, geeky) ways to scan your documents on your iOS device.

Whether you want to scan a business card, legal document, drawing, receipt, or handwritten notes, the following simple steps will guarantee that you will enjoy the scanning process.

Please note that the steps below may vary between iOS versions.

Let’s get started.

In this guide

• The regular way: How to scan documents on iPhone with Apple Notes
• The quickest way: How to scan documents on iPhone with Quick Notes
• The geeky way: How to scan documents on iPhone using Back Tap
• The OG way: How to scan documents on your iPhone using Evernote
• The data-driven way: How to scan documents on your iPhone with Notion
• How to merge scanned documents on your iPhone?
• Best iPhone settings and tips for effective scanning and note-taking

How to scan documents on iPhone with Apple Notes

The most obvious way to scan your docs on your iPhone is the built-in Notes app.

1. Open Notes and create a new note.
2. Tap the Camera icon and choose Scan Documents.
3. Adjust the scan to fit your document if it hasn’t been in auto mode.
4. Hit Keep scan and then tap Save.

Let’s see how you can leverage the Quick Notes feature on your iOS device.

How to scan documents on iPhone with Quick Notes

First, you must go to Settings to enable Quick Notes in the Control Center.

1. Go to Settings > Control Center
2. Add Quick Note to your Included Controls.

Now, every time you pull up the Control Center, you can tap the Quick Note icon to open a new note in Apple Notes.

1. Bring up the Control Center.
2. Tap the Quick Note icon to bring up a new note in Apple Notes.
3. Hit the camera button.

One potential issue with this method is that Apple currently doesn’t support the Scan Document feature in Quick Notes. You, therefore, have to take a photo and subsequently use the markup tools to crop it (if you want).

Next comes my favorite method to scan your documents.

How to scan documents on iPhone using Back Tap

To use this feature, we are going to use Shortcuts.

1. Navigate to Shortcuts and create a new one.
2. Add action: choose Create note.
3. Select Ask each time by tapping on Body.
4. Don’t forget to save and name your shortcut.

Now you have a shortcut for creating a new note.

It’s time to enable the Back Tap feature in your iPhone settings:

1. Navigate to Settings > Accessibility.
2. Find Touch in the list.
3. On the bottom of the screen, click Back tap.
4. Choose either Double Tap or Triple Tap, whichever feels more comfortable to you. (I suggest Triple Tap to prevent accidental tapping.)
5. Scroll down and choose your shortcut.

Now, you can bring up a new note by double or triple tapping on the back of your Apple device and then scan your document with the camera.

Cool, isn’t it?

How to scan documents on your iPhone using Evernote

One of my favorite ways to scan my documents on my iPhone is using the good old Evernote app.

1. Open Evernote.
2. Grant access to Evernote Camera: Hit Camera in Evernote and allow access to your iPhone camera.
3. Tap Scan and Evernote will automatically recognize and scan your document, but you can use a manual mode, too. It even recognizes business cards and pulls contact data from them. You don’t even need to crop your images.
4. Find your scan in a dedicated note in your Evernote account.

How to scan documents on your iPhone with Notion

You probably know that I’m a Notion power user and I always look for ways to centralize everything into Notion. Scanning physical documents is no exception, either. After browsing through community forums, I’ve found no direct way to scan your documents right into Notion. The Notion web clipper works well for scanning webpages and images from your screen, but it won’t scan your papers.

The only way to do that is by scanning with a third-party scanner tool like Adobe Scan and then uploading or embedding your PDF file in a Notion page.

1. Scan your document with a third-party document scanner app.
2. Hit Share and select Notion.
3. Select your note or database, name your file, and hit Save.

How to merge scanned documents on your iPhone?

If you have a business card or any other document that comes in multiple pages, you may want to merge those scans on your iPhone.

There are at least two possible solutions for adding additional scans to an existing note. Let me show you:

Method 1: Apple Notes

In your Notes app, you can combine multiple scans into a single document.

1. Open your first scanned document in the Notes app.
2. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
3. Hit Scan to scan another document.
4. Tap Keep scan and Save.
5. Now, you have the entire document in a single note.

Method 2: Evernote Scannable

The easiest way to scan and combine multiple documents is by Evernote Scannable.

1. Just scan your documents one by one and save your work.
2. By default, it will appear as a PDF file.

Now that you have learned how to scan documents easily on your iPhone, I want to share with you some best practices on scanning and note-taking.

Best iPhone settings and tips for effective scanning and note-taking

• Add Quick Notes to your Control Center to easily create new notes from scratch: Settings > Control Center > Quick Note.
• Allow the Back Tap feature to quickly add notes: Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap > Triple Tap (more on this method above this article).
• Use a flat surface to capture documents properly.
• Use proper lighting for the best results.
• Use the multi-page scanning feature to merge multiple scans into a single document (Adobe Scan, Evernote Scannable).
• Use Siri to add quick notes while driving.
• Learn the PARA method or the Triple-A Method to effectively organize your digital files and scanned documents.
• Always back up your notes with a cloud service like iCloud Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive app, or Dropbox.

How to scan documents on iPhone: FAQ

1. What are the best scanner apps for iPhones?

The most popular scanner apps are Evernote, Evernote Scannable, Adobe Scan, CamScanner, and Microsoft Lens, but there are many more options out there. Most of the scanner apps may work on an Android phone.

2. How do I save scanned documents as a PDF?

Most scanner apps support PDF files like Evernote Scannable. The easiest way to export your document as a PDF is right in Apple Notes. Open your note, hit Share, tap Markup, then hit Done and save your file to your files app. Now, you can use Adobe Acrobat Reader on your MacBook Pro or whatever computer to work with your PDF files.

3. What privacy concerns emerge when I use a scanner app?

Most scanner apps ask for permission to access your photos, files, or camera app. This may carry some privacy concerns related to your personal and business information. Make sure that you read the privacy policy of your third-party scanner app.

4. How do I share or send scanned documents?

Just hit the Share button as you would do in many other cases and apps and then select your targeted channel or app. For example, you can easily email a scanned document from your Notes app by tapping share and choosing Gmail from the app list.

Cover image: Ana Bernardo on Unsplash