# How to scan a document with iPhone, Android or PC > Turn a sheet of paper into a clean, readable PDF: with the Notes app on iPhone, with Google Drive on Android, or with the scanner or all-in-one printer connected to your Windows PC or Mac. Source: https://simplebuild.it/tutorial/scansionare-documento Author: SimpleBuild, Build simple. Deliver value. Category: Printers and scanners Procedure verified on: 2026-09-29 You don't necessarily need a scanner to scan a document. **On iPhone**, open the **Notes** app, create a note and choose **Scan Documents**: the sheet becomes a PDF. **On Android**, use the **Camera** button in the **Google Drive** app. **On a PC or Mac** with a scanner or an all-in-one printer, use the **Windows Scan** app or, on a Mac, **Printers & Scanners > Open Scanner**. ## Before you start - **Good light and no shadows.** Lay the sheet on a well-lit surface, ideally a different color from the paper, so the edges stand out clearly. - **Sheet lying flat.** Folds and raised corners come out crooked in the scan. - **Watch out for personal data.** With Google Drive, the scan ends up in your online storage. With sensitive documents (ID card, medical reports, pay slips), take your time deciding where to save them and who to share them with. - **For PC and Mac**, the scanner or all-in-one printer must be on and connected to the computer with a cable or to the same Wi-Fi network. ## On iPhone, with the Notes app 1. Open the **Notes** app and create a new note, or open an existing one. 2. Tap the **Attachments** button, then **Scan Documents**. ![Diagram of a note on iPhone: at the bottom the paperclip Attachments button, above it the menu with Scan Documents highlighted.](https://simplebuild.it/assets/img/tutorial/scansionare-documento-iphone-en.svg) 3. Frame the page so that it all shows on the screen. If needed, adjust the flash and filters. 4. For automatic capture, hold the iPhone still: when it detects the page edges, it captures it on its own. To capture manually, tap the shutter button, adjust the corners if needed, then tap **Keep** (or **Retake**). 5. To fix a page, tap its thumbnail, choose an option such as **Adjust**, make your changes and go back. 6. Scan the other pages, then tap **Done**. The document is saved as a **PDF inside the note**. These are the names used in Apple's manual for iOS 27. The same app also has **Scan Text**: instead of a copy of the sheet, it puts the written text into the note, where you can then edit it. ## On Android, with Google Drive You need the **Google Drive** app: if you don't have it, download it from the Play Store. 1. Open **Google Drive**. 2. At the bottom right, tap the **Camera** button. 3. Point at the document: a blue line marks the page edges. You can choose **Auto capture** or **Manual capture**. 4. Take the photo of the document. 5. If needed, fix the page: **Crop & Rotate**, **Filter** (colors or grayscale), **Clean** to remove stains. With **Add** you scan more pages, with **Retake** you take the photo again, with **Delete** you remove a page. 6. Tap **Done**. 7. Type a name for the file or keep the suggested one. 8. Choose the format: **.pdf** or **.jpg**. 9. If you like, choose the Drive folder to save it in, then tap **Save**. ## On a Windows PC, with a scanner ### Check that the scanner is installed Windows usually recognizes the scanner on its own when you connect it or when it's on the same network. 1. Select **Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners**. 2. If the scanner isn't in the list, next to **Add a printer or scanner**, select **Add device**, wait for the search, then select **Add device** next to your scanner. If you have an all-in-one printer, the scanner may appear under the printer's name: select it and check that the scanner settings are among the options. ### Scan with the Windows Scan app 1. Open Windows search and type *Windows Scan*. Open the **Scan** app that appears in the results. If it isn't there, install **Windows Scan** for free from the Microsoft Store. 2. Place the sheet in the scanner: face down on the glass, closing the lid, or in the document feeder, if the scanner has one. 3. In the **Scanner** menu, check that yours is selected. 4. In **Source**, the automatic setting (**Auto-configured**) is usually fine; otherwise choose **Flatbed** or **Feeder**, depending on where you placed the sheet. 5. In **File type**, choose the format: JPEG, PNG, TIFF or Bitmap. 6. With **Show more** you can choose the folder under **Save file to**. If you don't choose one, scans go to a folder inside **Pictures**. 7. Select **Scan** at the bottom. ![Diagram of the Windows Scan app: the Scanner, Source and File type menus, the Show more link, and the Scan button at the bottom.](https://simplebuild.it/assets/img/tutorial/scansionare-documento-windows-scan-en.svg) When it's done, you can open the scan in the **Photos** app or close it and move on to the next page. The app saves images, not PDFs: to put several pages together in a single file, see [how to merge several PDFs into one](https://simplebuild.it/tutorial/unire-pdf). ## On Mac, with a scanner 1. Place the sheet in the scanner, on the glass or in the feeder. 2. Choose **Apple menu > System Settings** and click **Printers & Scanners** in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down). 3. Select the scanner, or the all-in-one printer, and click **Open Scanner**. 4. If you're using the feeder, select **Use Document Feeder**; if you're using the glass, leave the box unchecked. 5. From the **Scan To** menu, choose where to save: a folder or an app that opens the file right away. 6. With **Show Details** you can set the **Kind** (Text for black-and-white documents, Color for photos), the **Resolution**, the file **Name** and the **Format**. 7. If you choose the **PDF** format, you can combine several pages into one file and use text recognition (the feature is called OCR) to make it editable. 8. Click **Scan**. ## If it still doesn't work - **The scan from your phone comes out crooked or dark.** Do it again with more light, laying the sheet on a dark surface, and adjust the corners by hand before saving. - **On Windows the scanner doesn't appear.** Check that the scanner and the PC are on the same Wi-Fi network, then try **Add a new device manually**. To connect the all-in-one to the network, see [how to connect a Wi-Fi printer](https://simplebuild.it/tutorial/collegare-stampante-wifi). - **On Mac the "Open Scanner" button is missing.** The scanner still needs to be set up: check the documentation that came with it. - **The file is too big for email**: see [how to reduce the size of a PDF](https://simplebuild.it/tutorial/comprimere-pdf). - **You need to sign the document before sending it back**: see [how to sign a PDF](https://simplebuild.it/tutorial/firmare-pdf). - **You often scan lots of documents**, for work or to file away household papers: a technician can set up the scanner, folders and file names so that every scan lands in the right place on its own. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is it better to save as PDF or JPG? For documents to send, print or file away, PDF is more convenient, because it keeps several pages together in one file. JPG is fine for a single page to show quickly, or for a photo. ### The scanned PDF is too big for email: what do I do? You can reduce its size without scanning again: you'll find the steps in how to reduce the size of a PDF. Next time, a lower resolution or the "Text" kind instead of "Color" produces lighter files. ### Where do scans made with the iPhone end up? With the Notes app, the document is saved as a PDF inside the note where you created it. From there you can share it or save it wherever you like. ## Sources - [Scan text and documents in Notes using the iPhone camera (Apple Support)](https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/iphone/iph653f28965/ios) - [Scan documents with Google Drive, Android (Google Drive Help)](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/3145835?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid) - [Install and use a scanner in Windows (Microsoft Support)](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/printer/install-and-use-a-scanner-in-windows) - [Scan images or documents using a scanner and your Mac (Apple Support)](https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/mac-help/mh28032/mac)