Scan Documents to PDF Without CamScanner (Android and iPhone)

You don’t need CamScanner to scan documents. On Android, the Google Drive app has a built-in scanner (tap the camera button). On iPhone, the Notes and Files apps both have Scan Documents. If you’d rather not save scans to the cloud, Scan to PDF works in your phone’s browser with nothing to install and no upload.

Checked on 15 October 2026. App menus change between versions. If a button has moved, look for “Scan” or a camera icon.

Which option should you use?

Option	Phone	Install needed?	Where the scan is saved	Size limit setting
Google Drive scanner	Android	Drive app (preinstalled on most Android phones)	Your Google Drive (cloud)	No
Notes app	iPhone	No	Notes (may sync to iCloud)	No
Files app	iPhone (iOS 16 or newer, per Apple)	No	A folder you choose in Files	No
PDFToast Scan to PDF	Android and iPhone	No, runs in the browser	Downloaded to your phone only	Yes, optional KB limit

All four detect the page edges and save a PDF. The main differences are where your document ends up and whether you can set a file size limit, which matters for exam and government forms.

Android: scan with Google Drive

From Google’s Drive help:

1. Open the Google Drive app.
2. At the bottom right, tap Camera.
3. Point your camera at the document. Drive outlines the page.
4. Take the photo.
5. Adjust with Crop & Rotate, Filter or Clean. Tap + to add another page.
6. Tap Done, give the file a name and choose .pdf.
7. Tap Save.

The PDF is saved in your Drive account. Download it to your phone if a website asks you to upload from your files.

iPhone: scan with Notes

From Apple Support:

1. Open Notes and create a new note.
2. Tap the attachment (paperclip) or camera button, depending on your iOS version, then Scan Documents.
3. Hold the page in view. In Auto mode it captures by itself. Otherwise tap the shutter.
4. Drag the corners if needed and tap Keep Scan.
5. Scan more pages, then tap Save or Done.
6. Open the scan, tap Share and choose Save to Files to get a PDF you can upload.

iPhone: scan with Files

1. Open the Files app.
2. Tap the More button (three dots), then Scan Documents.
3. Scan your pages the same way as in Notes.
4. Save to a folder. The scan is stored as a PDF.

Any phone: scan in your browser

Scan to PDF works in Chrome, Safari or any modern browser, and the pages never leave your phone.

1. Open Scan to PDF and allow camera access.
2. Capture each page, or tap Choose photos instead to use pictures you already took.
3. Drag the corners to straighten the page, and pick a filter such as clean document or black and white.
4. Reorder pages if needed.
5. Optional: set a size limit in KB for your form.
6. Choose A4, Letter or fit, and tap Create PDF.

If the camera doesn’t open, allow camera access for the site in your browser settings and reload.

Tips for clean, readable scans

• Use daylight or a bright, even light. Avoid your own shadow falling across the page.
• Put the page on a dark, plain surface. Edge detection works much better with contrast.
• Hold the phone flat above the page, not at an angle. Fix small tilts with the corner handles.
• Turn off flash for glossy paper and photos, as it causes glare. Use it only in poor light.
• Fill the frame with the page, but leave a small margin so corners aren’t cut.
• Use black and white for text pages. It looks sharper and makes the file much smaller.
• Keep colour for photos, stamps and signatures if the form requires them to be visible in colour.
• Check the scan before you leave. Zoom in on seals, signatures and small print.

Get under the portal’s size limit

Portals often reject phone scans because they’re too big. Common limits from our exam form size chart:

Portal	Document limit	Source
National Scholarship Portal	PDF or JPEG, up to 200 KB each	NSP FAQ
UPSC (certificates)	PDF, 50–300 KB	Vajiram
Passport Seva	PDF, 1 MB total	pdf.it.com

Always check your own notice, because limits change.

To get there:

1. Compress to the exact limit. Compress to size lets you type the KB limit (100, 200, 300…) and finds the best quality that fits.
2. Several files with one total limit? Fit files to upload limit shares the space between them, useful for Passport Seva.
3. Need one file with all pages? Merge PDF joins separate scans, then compress the result.
4. Still too big? Rescan text pages in black and white, or convert with Grayscale PDF before compressing.

About CamScanner and other scanner apps

Dedicated scanner apps can be handy, but many need an account, show ads, add watermarks on free plans, or sync your documents to their cloud. For ID cards, marksheets and bank papers, it’s worth knowing where your scan is stored. The built-in options above, or a scanner that runs in your browser, avoid installing anything extra. Here is how to check whether a PDF tool uploads your files.