Most forms that ask you to "upload a scan" will not take a photo of a page. They want a PDF, cropped to the paper, with every page in one file. An iPhone can make exactly that without any extra app: the scanner is built into the Files and Notes apps. The steps below follow Apple's own support guides (links at the end), checked on 29 October 2026.
Method 1: the Files app (best for most uploads)
- Open the Files app and tap the More button (three dots in a circle).
- Tap Scan Documents.
- Place the document in view of the camera. On iOS 26 you can also choose flash or an image filter here.
- In Auto mode the page is captured as soon as the iPhone finds its edges. To capture by hand, tap the shutter button or press a volume button. Drag the corners to fit the page, then tap Keep Scan.
- Scan the next page, or tap Done when you have them all.
- Choose a location, then tap Save.
The PDF is now a normal file in that folder. Any upload form in Safari can reach it through Choose File > Browse, and Mail can attach it.
Method 2: the Notes app
- Open Notes and open a note or start a new one.
- Tap the Attachment button, then tap Scan Documents.
- Capture each page as above, adjust the corners and tap Keep Scan.
- Tap Done. Apple's guide says the document is saved as a PDF in the note.
Notes is handy when you want to mark the scan up first: in the note you can rotate or crop a page, change its filter, insert a blank page, or tap Markup to add a signature. To send it, use the More button on the PDF in the note and choose to share or copy it.
The Notes first-page catch
Notes also has an option to export the whole note as a PDF. Apple's guide warns that in a note with a multi-page PDF or scanned document, the exported PDF contains only the first page. If you scanned a three-page bank statement and the file you sent has one page, that is why. Share the scanned PDF itself, not the note, or use the Files app from the start.
Compressing more than one PDF? Free compresses one file at a time, up to 50MB. Pro compresses a whole batch to the same target and downloads it as a ZIP: Pro passes start at £1.29 for 24 hours. See Pro options → One-off payment, no subscription, and your files still stay on your device.
Scan or photo: which to use
- Paper document you have in front of you: scan it. The scanner straightens the page and crops the background, so it reads like a photocopy.
- Photo you already took (a receipt in your camera roll, a screenshot): convert it with JPG to PDF on iPhone. Several photos go into one PDF with combine photos into one PDF.
- Photos saved as HEIC: see HEIC to PDF on iPhone.
Getting a clean scan
- Put the page on a flat, plain surface that contrasts with the paper: a dark table under white paper works best for edge detection.
- Use daylight or an even room light. Shadows from your own hand are the most common reason for grey patches.
- Check every corner is inside the frame before you tap Keep Scan. Portals often reject pages with cut-off edges.
- Zoom in on the finished PDF and read the smallest text, such as account numbers and dates.
If the PDF is too big
Scans with several pages can be larger than the 2MB to 10MB limits common on job, visa and council portals. Open Compress PDF in Safari, pick the file from Files, set a target size and download the smaller copy. It runs in your browser, so a scan of an ID or bank statement is not uploaded to us to do it. If you scanned pages in separate goes, join them with Merge PDF first.