How to Scan Documents to PDF on Any Phone

You don't need a flatbed scanner anymore — your phone camera is good enough for most document scanning tasks. Here's how to scan documents to PDF on both iPhone and Android.

iPhone: Built-in Scanner

Open the Notes app → tap the camera icon → select "Scan Documents." Position your phone over the document, and it automatically detects edges, crops, and enhances the image. You can scan multiple pages, then share as PDF.

Alternatively, open the Files app → tap the three dots → "Scan Documents."

Android: Google Drive Scanner

Open Google Drive → tap the + button → "Scan." The camera opens with document detection. Scan your pages, adjust if needed, and save as PDF directly to Drive.

After Scanning

Once you have your scanned PDFs, use FreePDFNest to:

Merge multiple scans: Scanned pages often save as separate files. Use Merge PDF to combine them into one document.

Compress: Scanned PDFs are often large because each page is a high-resolution image. Use Compress PDF to reduce size by 50-80%.

Rotate: If any pages scanned sideways, use Rotate PDF to fix orientation.

Sign: Need to sign the scanned document? Use Sign PDF instead of printing it out.