Quick answer: to scan a document to PDF with your phone, open this page, tap Take a photo and photograph the page. The edges are detected automatically; drag the corners if needed and tap Done. Add more pages the same way, then tap Create PDF. Your photos are processed on your phone and are never uploaded, and you don't need to install an app.
Key facts
- Price: free, with no app, no account, no watermark and no page limit.
- Privacy: photos are processed on your own device and never uploaded.
- Smart scanning: automatic edge detection, perspective correction for photos taken at an angle, and shadow removal.
- Filters: Magic (clean white paper, colours kept), Grayscale, Black & white and Original.
- Output: one PDF with all pages, in A4, US Letter or the size of the photo.
- Works on: Android and iPhone with the camera, and on computers with photos you already have.
How to scan a document to PDF with your phone
- Take a photo. Tap Take a photo. On a phone, the camera app opens; on a computer, a live webcam view opens with a capture button. Place the document on a darker surface and photograph it from above.
- Crop the page. The page edges are found automatically. Drag any corner to the exact page corner and tap Done. Later, tap Crop on a page to change it again.
- Choose a filter. Tap Filter on a page to see it large with Magic, Grayscale, Black & white or Original, and use Apply this filter to all pages to match every page. Tap Add page for more pages, drag pages to change their order, and rotate or delete any page.
- Create the PDF. Choose the page size and quality, then tap Create PDF. The PDF is saved to your phone, ready to email, upload or share.
Tips for sharp, clean scans
- Use a darker background. A white page on a wooden table, a dark desk or a coloured cloth is easiest to detect. White paper on a white table makes the edges hard to find.
- Good, even light. Daylight near a window works best. Avoid using the flash right above glossy paper, which leaves a bright spot.
- Hold the phone flat above the page. A small angle is fine: the page is straightened automatically. Make sure all four corners are in the photo.
- Keep still. Tap the screen to focus before taking the photo, and hold the phone steady.
- Pick the right filter. Black & white for typed text and forms, Magic for documents with colour, stamps or photos, Grayscale for a softer look.
Which filter should I use?
| Filter | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Magic | Evens out the light, removes shadows and turns the paper white, while keeping colours | Most documents, receipts, documents with stamps, signatures in blue ink |
| Grayscale | The same clean-up, in shades of grey | Letters and reports, when colour does not matter |
| Black & white | Pure black text on pure white paper | Typed pages, forms and contracts; the smallest files and crispest print |
| Original | The photo as taken, only cropped and straightened | Photos, artwork and documents where the real colour matters |
When people scan to PDF
- Applications and forms: scan a signed form, ID card, certificate or degree for a job, university, visa or bank application.
- Receipts and bills: keep expense receipts, invoices and utility bills as one tidy PDF.
- School and university: hand in handwritten homework or notes as a PDF.
- Work on the go: scan a contract or delivery note without a scanner and send it straight away.
- Family paperwork: keep digital copies of birth certificates, warranties and medical letters.
Why scan without an app?
Most scanner apps ask you to install something, create an account, or upload your documents to their cloud, and many add a watermark or a subscription. CleanPDF works in the browser you already have. Your photos are cleaned up and turned into a PDF on your phone, so private documents like ID cards, payslips and medical letters stay private. If you prefer an app, the CleanPDF Android app does the same thing.
Privacy and security
Photos are read, cleaned up and turned into a PDF inside your browser. They are not uploaded to a server, stored or seen by anyone. Camera access is used only to take the photo you ask for, by your phone's own camera app.
Good to know
- Make the PDF smaller: choose Smaller file and the Black & white filter, or run the result through Compress PDF.
- Need searchable text? Scanned pages are pictures. Use PDF to Text (OCR) to recognise the text afterwards.
- iPhone photos (HEIC): when you choose photos here, iPhone converts them to JPG automatically. If a photo cannot be read, convert it first with HEIC to JPG.
- Already have photos? Choose them all at once with Choose photos. Each one is detected and cleaned up. Tap a page to adjust it.
- Sign the scan: after creating the PDF, use Sign PDF to add your signature.
Frequently asked questions
How do I scan a document to PDF with my phone for free?
Open this page on your phone, tap Take a photo, photograph the document, check the corners and tap Done. Add more pages if needed, then tap Create PDF. It is free and needs no app or account.
Are my photos uploaded anywhere?
No. The photos are processed in your browser on your phone and turned into a PDF there. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
Do I need to install an app?
No. It works in Chrome, Safari, Samsung Internet and other modern browsers. The CleanPDF Android app is optional.
Can I scan several pages into one PDF?
Yes. Tap Add page for every page you want, change the order by dragging, and create one PDF with all of them.
What if the edges are not detected correctly?
Tap Crop on the page and drag each of the four corner handles to the corners of the document, or choose Whole photo to keep the full picture. A darker background under the page helps the automatic detection.
Can it fix a photo taken at an angle?
Yes. Once the four corners are set, the page is straightened into a flat rectangle, as if it had been scanned on a flatbed scanner.
How do I make my scan black and white?
Tap Filter on a page and choose Black & white. The page is shown large exactly as it will look. Tap Apply this filter to all pages to use it for every page.
Can I scan photos I already took?
Yes. Tap Choose photos and select one or more pictures from your gallery. Each is detected, straightened and cleaned up.
What page size will the PDF be?
Choose A4, US Letter or Same as photo. Landscape scans get a landscape page automatically.
How big will the PDF be?
Typically a few hundred kilobytes per page at Good quality. Choose Smaller file and Black & white for the smallest PDF, or Best for printing.
Can I make the scanned text searchable?
Yes. Create the PDF here, then use PDF to Text (OCR), which recognises the text in the scanned pages.
Does it work on a computer?
Yes. On a computer, Take a photo opens a live webcam view with a capture button: hold the page in front of the camera and click the round button. You can also choose photos or drop them onto the page.