iOS 11: How to Scan Documents in Apple Notes

Apple is supercharging Notes in iOS 11 with new features like scanning documents. If you’re trying to go paperless, it’s easier than ever to make Apple Notes your one-stop repository for everything. Here’s how to scan documents in Apple Notes on iOS 11.

Scanning Documents

  1. First, in order to scan a document, you’ll need to create a note first. I wish Apple would add a 3D Touch menu option to the Notes icon that will quickly let you scan something, but right now in the iOS 11 public beta, it’s not an option.
  2. After you create a note, tap the plus icon at the middle-bottom of the screen. There, you’ll see four options, one of which will be Scan Documents.
First step to scan documents in Apple Notes: tap the plus icon.
Create a note and tap the plus icon to start.

You’ll be taken to a camera view where you can scan your document. There are different on-screen options you’ll see, like having your device automatically scan and take a photo, or change it to manual. You can retake a scan, and drag the corners if it wasn’t perfectly captured. At the top you will have options to change the color of the scan, as well as changing the rotation. And don’t worry, you can take multiple scans in a row, without needing to pause.

Second step to scan documents in Apple Notes: take the photo and crop the edges.
Taking the scan and cropping it when done.
  1. When you’re done, tap the scan at the bottom left of the screen. This will take you into the editing section where you can rotate, delete, change color, and save the document(s) to your note. I’ve personally created a separate ‘Scans’ folder in order to neatly organize my scanned documents.
Final step to scan documents in Apple Notes: rotate, change color, and save to the note.
Rotate, change the color, and save to the note.

My favorite part about this new feature is that if you change your mind, you can go back into the scan and change the rotation and even the colors, in case you want to change a grayscale document to a color document, for example.

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