How to scan documents to PDF with your phone (no app needed)

2026-10-27

Need to send a signed form, a bill or a certificate, but there's no scanner nearby? Your phone camera is good enough, and you don't need to install an app.

Steps

1. Open Scan to PDF in Chrome or Safari on your phone.
2. Tap Select photos. Your camera opens.
3. Take a photo of the first page, then tap again to add more pages.
4. Put the pages in order with the arrows.
5. Choose A4 and tap Create PDF.

How to get a clean scan

• Light: use daylight near a window. Avoid the flash, which creates a bright glare.
• Background: place the paper on a dark, plain table so the edges stand out.
• Angle: hold the phone straight above the paper, not at a slant.
• Focus: tap the screen on the text before taking the photo.
• Shadows: keep your hand and phone from casting a shadow on the page.

After scanning

• If the PDF is too big to email or upload, use Compress PDF.
• If a page is sideways, fix it with Rotate PDF.
• If you need to copy or search the text, run OCR PDF. It understands English, Tamil and Hindi.
• To sign it without printing, use Sign PDF.

Is it private?

Yes. Scan to PDF builds the file inside your phone's browser, so the photos are not uploaded anywhere.