Need to scan documents without a dedicated scanner? Your phone, computer, or printer app turns receipts, forms, letters, IDs, and multi-page paperwork into a saved file.
Start with the built-in camera tools, then use a computer or cloud app when you need a scanner, a specific folder, or a PDF workflow.
Scan Documents On iPhone Or iPad With Notes
This fixes the fastest Apple scanning need: capture paper into a note from the camera.
Open Notes.
Select a note or create a new one.
Tap the Attachment button.
Choose Scan Documents.
Place the document in view.
Let Auto capture the page, or tap the Shutter button.
Press a Volume button instead if that is easier.
Tap Keep Scan.
Tap Done.
Another current Notes route is More, then Scan. On iOS 26, scan options include flash and image filters.
Save A Scan Straight To Files On iPhone Or iPad
Use Files when the scan belongs in a folder instead of a note.
Open Files, tap the More button, then choose Scan Documents.
Place the document in view. Let Auto capture it, or tap the Shutter button or press a Volume button.
Tap Keep Scan, tap Done, choose the folder, then tap Save.
If this method fails, use Notes and save or share the scan from the finished note.
Use Google Drive Or Your Android Camera
Android scanning depends on the phone and the app already on it.
In Google Drive, tap Camera, capture the document, adjust with Crop & Rotate, Filter, Clean, Add, Retake, or Delete, then tap Done and Save.
On Pixel, open Camera or Pixel Camera, point at the page, tap Scan document, follow the prompts, then use Clean and Apply, tap Done, and choose Save, Download, or Share.
On Samsung Galaxy, open Camera, line up the document, tap Scan, then tap Save. Tap Retake first when the capture is off.
In Files by Google, tap Scan, point the camera at the document, and follow the on-screen flow.
Scan From A Windows Computer
This applies when a scanner or all-in-one printer is connected to a Windows PC. For current Windows users, use Windows Scan.
Turn on the scanner.
Right-click Start.
Choose Search.
Type Windows Scan.
Open Scan under Apps.
Choose your Scanner.
Choose the Source, File type, and Save file to options.
Open Show more for the extra scan settings.
Click Scan.
When Windows does not detect the scanner, connect the USB scanner, turn it on, open Start, go to Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners, and choose Add device. For a network or wireless scanner, put it on the same network first.
Scan On A Mac With An iPhone Or iPad
Continuity Camera inserts a scan from an iPhone or iPad directly into supported Mac apps, including Finder, Freeform, Mail, Messages, Notes, TextEdit, Keynote, Numbers, and Pages.
On the Mac, open the app where the scan belongs. Control-click the insertion point and choose Scan Documents, or open File or Insert, choose Insert from iPhone or iPad, then choose Scan Documents.
On the iPhone or iPad, place the document in view. Wait for the scan, or tap the Shutter button or press a Volume button.
Tap Keep Scan, then tap Save.
This requires macOS Mojave 10.14 or later on a supported Mac and iOS 12 or later on the mobile device, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, the same Apple Account, and two-factor authentication. If this method fails, scan with Notes or Files on the iPhone or iPad, then save or share the finished file.
Use A Physical Scanner On Mac
This applies when a flatbed scanner, document feeder, or multifunction printer is already set up in Printers & Scanners. Preview and System Settings both scan from supported hardware.
For Preview, put the pages in the document feeder or on the flatbed.
Open Preview.
Choose File.
Choose Import from Scanner.
Select your scanner.
Set Scan Mode, Kind, Orientation, Duplex, Size, Image Correction, and Scan To.
Click Scan.
To add a scanned page to an open Preview document, choose Edit, then Insert, then Page from Scanner.
You can also open Apple menu, then System Settings, then Printers & Scanners, select the printer or scanner, click Open Scanner, choose Use Document Feeder, open Show Details, and click Scan.
Try Cloud Apps For PDFs And Multi Page Scans
Use these apps when you already store paperwork in a cloud service or need PDF, ID, or multi-page tools.
In Adobe Scan, tap the Camera button, choose the document type, set flash, capture automatically or manually, use Keep scanning or Retake, then tap Save PDF.
For IDs in Adobe Scan, choose ID card, capture the first side, tap Next page, capture the other side, then use Review and save or Adjust and save before Save PDF.
In OneDrive for iOS, tap Scan or Add, then Scan, choose Whiteboard, Document, Business Card, or Photo, capture with the white circle, edit, tap Done, name the file, and tap Save.
In OneDrive for Android, tap the Add icon, then choose Scan a document.
In Dropbox, tap the plus icon, choose Scan Document, take a picture or select an existing image on Android, edit or add pages, tap Next, adjust save settings, and tap Save.
Scan On A Chromebook
On a Chromebook with a compatible Wi-Fi or wired-network scanner, open the bottom-right time, then Settings, then Advanced, then Scan under Printers and scanners. You can also open Launcher, search for Scan, choose your scanner from the Scan dropdown, adjust More settings, and click Scan.
For a camera scan, open Launcher, then Camera, switch the bottom mode to Scan, choose Document, place the page in the viewfinder, press the shutter button, then choose Save as photo or Save as PDF.
For several pages, capture the first page, choose Multi-page, capture the rest, then use Save as PDF. Chromebooks do not support Bluetooth scanning.
Fix Missing Scan Options On Managed Devices
This applies when a work or school device blocks camera access. Camera-based scan tools need the camera, so a managed iPhone, iPad, Android device, Mac, or Windows device may hide or block scanning.
On iPhone and iPad, a management restriction for Use of cameras makes cameras unavailable and removes the Camera icon. Apple lists this restriction as deprecated on unsupervised devices, and it becomes supervised-only in a future release.
In Microsoft Intune, admins use device restrictions to allow or block camera access. On iPhone and iPad, the setting is Block camera, and it applies to supervised devices enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment. On Mac, the setting is Block use of camera, and it applies to all enrollment types.
Contact the organization that manages the device when the Camera icon is missing or camera-based scanning does not open.
Skip older recommendations for Microsoft Lens, Dropbox Scan, and Windows Fax and Scan. Microsoft Lens retired on iOS and Android in 2026, Dropbox Scan was removed from the iOS App Store, and Windows Fax and Scan is a legacy optional Windows feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I scan a document without a scanner?
Yes. Use Notes, Files, Google Drive, Pixel Camera, Samsung Camera, Files by Google, Adobe Scan, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Chromebook Camera.
Should I save a scan as PDF or JPG?
Use PDF for forms, receipts, IDs, contracts, and multi-page documents. Use JPG for a single photo-style page.
Why is my phone not showing a scan option?
Camera access may be blocked on a managed work or school device. If the Camera icon is missing, contact the organization that manages it.
What replaced Microsoft Lens for scanning?
Microsoft Lens retired on iOS and Android in 2026. Microsoft users should use OneDrive Scan.