How to Make a PDF from Your Mobile Phone
Your phone already has a scanner built in. On Android, scan paper into a PDF with the Google Drive app, save any webpage as a PDF from Chrome, and on iPhone scan with the Notes or Files app.
What you'll learn in this guide
- Scan paper into a PDF with Google Drive
- Save any webpage as a PDF from Chrome
- Scan with Notes or Files on iPhone
In this guide
1Android: Scan into a PDF with Google Drive
Scan a paper document and save it straight as a PDF.
- Open the Google Drive app.
- Tap Camera at the bottom right.
- Point the camera at the document and check the crop using the blue line.
- Take the photo — you can choose Manual or Auto capture.
- Adjust the scan, then tap Done.
- Give the file a name, choose .pdf as the format, then tap Save.
2Android: Save a webpage as a PDF in Chrome
Save any webpage as a PDF file.
- Open the page you want as a PDF in Chrome.
- Tap More, then Share and Print.
- Choose Save as PDF instead of a printer, pick a location, then tap Print.
3iPhone: Scan with Notes or Files
There are two ways to scan on iPhone.
- Open Notes, then tap the Attachment button and choose Scan Documents in a note.
- Scan the page, adjust the corners, tap Keep Scan, then tap Done.
- For a PDF file in Files, open Files, tap More and choose Scan Documents, then scan, choose a location and tap Save.
💡 Pro Tip
If you scan often in Drive, add the Drive scan widget to your Home screen so the scanner opens in one tap.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Drive scan save as a PDF?
Yes, you can choose .pdf or .jpg when saving.
Does making a PDF in Chrome need a printer?
No, choose Save as PDF and tap Print; the file is saved on the phone.
Where is an iPhone scan saved in Notes?
The scan is saved as a PDF inside that note.
How do I save an iPhone scan as a PDF file in a folder?
Scan from Files with More > Scan Documents, then choose a location and tap Save.
Can more than one page go in one scan?
On iPhone, add additional scans then tap Done. We did not verify a separate multi-page step for Drive.