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Scan to PDF

Use your phone as a scanner for receipts, forms, notes and letters.

  • Works in your browser
  • No sign-up
  • Free to use

How to use Scan to PDF

  1. 1

    On your phone, tap "Choose files" and take a photo of the first page (or pick photos you already took). On a computer, pick the photos.

  2. 2

    Add the other pages the same way, then drag them into the right order.

  3. 3

    Choose Black & white for text, Greyscale for pencil or stamps, or Colour for coloured pages, and check the before and after preview.

  4. 4

    Press "Make PDF" and download your scanned document.

What this tool does

Scan to PDF turns photos of paper pages into a PDF that looks like it came from a scanner. It brightens the paper, darkens the writing and, in black and white mode, removes shadows, then puts one photo on each page in the order you choose.

Features

  • Use the phone camera directly from the file picker, or photos you already have.
  • Three clean-up modes: Black & white (adaptive, removes shadows), Greyscale and Colour, with a before and after preview.
  • Drag to reorder the pages.
  • A4, US Letter or the photo's own size for the pages.
  • Print-ready quality of about 300 dpi on A4.

Limits

  • The page isn't detected and straightened automatically, so take each photo from straight above.
  • A blurry or very dark photo can't be fixed by the clean-up.
  • The PDF has no text you can search or select; use OCR PDF on it for that.
  • JPG, PNG and WebP photos are accepted. Convert iPhone HEIC photos with HEIC to JPG first, or set the iPhone camera to "Most Compatible".

Where your file is processed

This tool works in your browser: your photos are processed on your own device, so they aren't sent to our server for this tool. Some other tools on UtiloNest do use our server, and their pages say so.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get the best scan with a phone?

Lay the page flat on a dark surface, in good, even light. Hold the phone straight above the page so the page fills most of the photo, and keep it still. Black & white mode removes most shadows, but it can't fix a blurry photo.

Which mode should I choose?

Black & white is best for printed or handwritten text. It makes the paper pure white and gives the smallest files. Greyscale keeps soft details such as pencil, stamps and signatures. Colour keeps colours for forms, maps or photos, with stronger contrast.

Does it straighten or crop the page automatically?

Not yet. Take the photo from straight above and close to the page. You can crop a photo with Crop image before adding it.

How big is the PDF?

Pages are kept at about 300 dpi on A4, which is sharp enough to print. A black and white page is usually much smaller than a colour one.

Where is my file processed?

In your browser. This tool works on your own device, so the file isn't sent to our server for it.

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