How to scan to PDF
- 1 Press Take a photo on a phone, Use webcam on a laptop, or choose existing photos.
- 2 Add more pages, then rotate or reorder them with the arrows.
- 3 Choose the scan look, page size and quality.
- 4 Press Save as PDF to download your scanned document.
Getting clean scans
Use daylight or a bright lamp, a dark background and hold the phone straight above the page. Shrink the result for upload limits with Compress PDF, or add more photos later with JPG to PDF.
- Fill the frame with the page.
- Avoid your own shadow over the paper.
- Use black and white for the smallest files.
Features
No app needed
Works in the phone browser with the camera.
Real scan look
Removes shadows and makes paper white.
Multi-page PDFs
Add, rotate and reorder pages before saving.
When to use it
Forms and applications
Scan signed forms and ID documents to email or upload. To shrink the file for a size limit, use Compress PDF.
Receipts and bills
Keep digital copies of receipts for expenses and tax records.
Homework and notes
Turn handwritten notes or worksheets into one PDF to submit.
Old letters and records
Digitise paper records. To make the text searchable, try Image to Text in our image tools on each page.
Related PDF tasks
Frequently asked questions
How do I scan with my phone?
Open this page in your phone browser and press Take a photo. Place the document on a dark, flat surface in good light, fill the frame with the page, and hold the phone straight above it.
What does the clean document look do?
It estimates the paper brightness across the photo and evens it out, which removes shadows and turns the paper white while keeping the text dark, much like a real scanner.
When should I use black and white?
Black and white gives the smallest files and the crispest text for printed pages and forms. Use clean document or original colour for photos, stamps and coloured highlights.
Does it straighten tilted pages automatically?
Not yet. Hold the camera straight above the page, and use the rotate button for sideways photos. The other image tools can crop photos before you add them.
Can I scan several pages into one PDF?
Yes. Keep adding photos and each becomes a page in order. Use the arrows to change the order.
Why does the webcam not start?
Your browser asks for permission to use the camera. Allow it, and make sure no other app is using the camera. On phones, Take a photo usually works better.
Is the text in the PDF searchable?
No. The pages are images. For searchable text, run the photos through Image to Text first and keep the text alongside the PDF.
How big will the PDF be?
Usually two hundred to six hundred kilobytes per page at high quality, and less with black and white or standard quality.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Photos are processed and turned into a PDF in your browser, so private documents never leave your device.
How this tool works. These PDF tools run entirely in your browser using two widely used open-source libraries: PDF.js, the PDF engine built into Firefox, to read and render pages, and pdf-lib to create and edit files. Each tool is tested with typed documents, phone scans and photo-heavy files before it goes live, and nothing you open is sent to a server.
Built and reviewed by Hamza Farooq, founder and lead developer
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