Whether you are trying to keep your invoices organized for tax season or just want a digital backup of important papers, scanning documents on your iPhone is a small habit that pays off later. Because of this ongoing need, document scanning apps have become incredibly popular on the App Store.
What most people do not realize is that you do not need to download a single third-party scanner app to get high-quality digital backups. Your iPhone already has several built-in tools that do the job well, saving you from relying on outside software.
Scan Documents Using the Notes App
If Apple Notes is your main repository of notes and documents, you will be happy to know that you can scan your invoices directly inside the Apple Notes app. The application gives you two distinct ways to scan a document, and either one works great depending on what you are trying to accomplish.
If you just want to scan something quickly without worrying about which note it lands in, long-press the Notes app icon on your Home Screen. Next, tap the Scan Document option, which launches the built-in scanner right away.
From here, you can either let the app automatically detect your document’s edges and scan it, or tap the shutter button to capture the image manually. If you aren’t happy with how it turned out, you can use the Retake button to try again.
Once the captured scan looks good, you can fine-tune the boundary by dragging the corner handles. If you have multiple pages to scan, repeat this same process for each individual page.
When you are all done, tap the yellow checkmark button, and the app will bundle the pages into a single PDF and drop it into a new note. If you would rather have separate files instead of a combined PDF, tap the button after each individual scan instead of waiting until the very end.
If you want to save a document inside a specific note, you can easily do that too. Open the note where you want to save the scanned document, tap the paperclip attachment icon in the keyboard toolbar, tap the Scan Documents button, and follow the standard scanning steps.
Scan Documents Using the Files App
The Files app follows a very similar routine, and honestly, it might be the better home for your scans if you are trying to keep things organized by folder. Long-press the Files app icon on your Home Screen and choose Scan Documents to jump straight into the scanner interface.
From here, everything works the same way as it did in Notes. You capture the page, adjust the corners if needed, and repeat the process for as many pages as you need.
The only extra step here is that once you tap Save, you will need to pick exactly which folder you want the file saved to before confirming your choice in the top-right corner.
If you already know exactly where you want the scan to live, there is an even faster route. Open that specific folder inside the Files app, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner, and select Scan Documents. Your file will save directly into that folder without any extra navigating.
Personally, I use the Files app to scan and save invoices and documents. Each type of document gets its own folder, so everything is neatly organized and I can quickly find them. If you have been paying for a third-party app, try the native options to see if you can finally remove a subscription from your list.