How to Scan Documents with Your Phone and Turn Them into a Clean PDF
Step-by-step tips for photographing pages, fixing size and order, and combining them into one small, readable PDF.
Take good photos first
Most problems with scanned documents start with the photo. Place the page on a flat, plain, dark surface so the edges are clear. Use daylight or an even lamp, and avoid shadows from your hand or phone. Hold the phone directly above the page, parallel to it, so the text is not skewed. Fill the frame with the page, tap to focus, and keep still. Photograph every page in the same orientation, upright.
Use the scanner mode if you have one
Many phones have a built-in document scanner in the notes or files app, and some camera apps offer one. These crop and straighten automatically and can save a high-contrast version that is easier to read and smaller than a colour photo. If yours does not, a normal photo works fine with the steps below.
Rename and order the pages
Give the photos clear names such as contract-01, contract-02, and so on, or check the sort order of your gallery. Order matters: the Images to PDF tool lets you drag images, use arrows, or sort by name, and shows a preview of each page on the right, so you can check that pages are upright and readable before creating the PDF.
Reduce the size
Phone photos are often 3 to 10 MB each. Ten pages could therefore make a 50 MB PDF, too big for most email limits. Use the Image Resizer to set the longest side to about 1600 to 2000 pixels, which is enough for clear text on screen and print. Then the Image Compressor at quality 70 to 80 percent trims more. Check that small print is still readable at 100 percent zoom.
For a form with a strict limit, such as 2 MB, resize to 1400 pixels and use JPEG at 70 percent. Do not shrink more than you must, because unreadable text defeats the purpose.
Create the PDF and combine it
Create the PDF with Images to PDF. If you have several PDFs, such as a scanned section and a typed section, combine them with the PDF Merger, where you can reorder and preview them too. Open the final file and scroll through every page: check order, orientation, and that nothing is cut off.
Name the file clearly, for example lastname-application-2026.pdf, and keep the originals in a folder in case you need to redo it.
Privacy when scanning
Documents such as IDs, bank statements and medical records are sensitive. Doing the conversion in your browser keeps the files on your device, but your phone gallery may sync photos to a cloud account, so delete the photos once finished if you do not want copies. If a recipient needs an ID copy, ask whether you may mark it with the purpose and date, which makes misuse harder.