PDF guides
How to scan documents with your phone and save them as a PDF
You don't need a scanner or a paid app: with your phone's photos you can create a clean PDF for any procedure. Here's how.
Published on June 6, 2026
When a procedure or a company asks you for “a PDF” of a document and you only have the paper in front of you, the fastest solution is to photograph it with your phone and turn those images into a PDF. It looks much better than sending loose photos and is easier for the recipient to file.
Step by step
- Photograph each sheet in good light, framing the document straight on and without shadows.
- Open the image to PDF tool and upload the photos in order.
- Reorder them if needed: each image becomes a page of the PDF.
- Process and download the final document.
Image to PDF
Convert one or several images into a single PDF.
Tricks to make it look scanned
- Rest the document on a flat, uniformly colored surface so it stands out.
- If the photo comes out crooked, crop it before generating the PDF.
- Use A4 or Letter page size when the document will be printed.
What if the PDF is too heavy?
Phone photos tend to be heavy. If the PDF exceeds a form's or your email's limit, run it through the compress PDF tool to reduce its size while keeping it readable.
The whole process is free, watermark-free, and your files are deleted automatically afterwards.