Scanning documents with your iPhone is a convenient way to digitize paperwork, receipts, and notes without needing a traditional scanner. Your iPhone comes equipped with built-in features in both the Notes and Files apps that make document scanning straightforward and efficient. This guide will walk you through the simple steps to scan documents directly on your iPhone, ensuring you can easily digitize and manage your important papers.
Scan Documents Using the Notes App
The Notes app on your iPhone offers a quick and easy way to scan documents. Here’s how to do it:
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Open Notes: Launch the Notes app on your iPhone and either open an existing note or create a new one.
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Access Scan Feature: Tap the Attachment button, which looks like a plus sign within a circle, located above the keyboard. From the options that appear, tap Scan Documents.
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Position Your Document: Place the document you want to scan in view of your iPhone’s camera.
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Capture the Scan: If your device is set to Auto mode (which is the default), the document will be automatically scanned. If you prefer to manually capture the scan, tap the Shutter button (the white circle at the bottom) or press either of the Volume buttons.
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Adjust and Keep Scan: After capturing, you might need to adjust the corners of the scan to perfectly fit the page. Drag the circles at each corner to align them with the document edges. Once satisfied, tap Keep Scan.
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Save or Add More Pages: You can tap Save to finish scanning, or tap the shutter button again to add additional pages to the same document.
Example of scanning a document using the Notes app on an iPhone, showing the camera view and document capture interface.
Alternatively, within an open note, you can also tap the More button (three dots in a circle) and then select Scan to start the document scanning process.
Sign Documents Directly in Notes
Once you’ve scanned a document in Notes, you can easily add your signature digitally:
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Open the Scanned Document: In the Notes app, tap on the scanned document within your note to open it.
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Enter Markup Mode: Tap the Markup button, which looks like a pen icon inside a circle, usually located at the top right corner.
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Add Signature: Tap the Add button (plus sign icon), and then tap Signature. You can choose a previously saved signature or create a new one.
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Position and Resize Signature: After adding your signature, you can adjust the size of the signature box by dragging the corners and move it to the desired location on the document.
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Finalize: Tap Done to save the signed document.
You can also manually sign using your finger or an Apple Pencil (if you have a compatible iPad) by selecting a pen tool in the Markup menu and signing directly on the document.
Scan Documents Using the Files App
The Files app also provides a document scanning feature, which is helpful for organizing your scans directly within your file system:
- Open Files App: Launch the Files app on your iPhone.
- Access Scan Documents: In the Files app, tap the More button (three dots in a circle), typically found in the Browse or Recents tab. From the menu, select Scan Documents.
- Scan Your Document: Follow steps 3-6 from the “Scan Documents Using the Notes App” section above to capture, adjust, and save your scanned document using the Files app interface.
Scanning documents on your iPhone is a remarkably useful feature for both personal and professional use. Whether you choose to use the Notes app for quick scans and signing or the Files app for file management, your iPhone provides the tools you need to go paperless with ease. Start scanning your documents today and experience the convenience of digital document management right at your fingertips.
