How to scan a document to PDF with your camera
- Press Turn the camera on and allow camera access when your browser asks. On a phone this opens the rear camera.
- Fill the frame with the page and press Capture page. Repeat for each page — captured pages appear below and can be removed individually.
- Alternatively press Choose photos instead to use pictures you have already taken.
- Pick a look. Document lifts the contrast so paper reads as white; Black and white is best for plain text; Leave the photo alone keeps the colours.
- Press Build the PDF.
About this tool
Scanning to PDF with a camera turns photographs of paper into a document. This free scanner uses your phone or webcam directly from the browser, with no app to install and nothing uploaded.
Scanner apps are one of the more predatory categories on the app stores. The free ones want an account, add a watermark, cap you at a few pages a day, or quietly upload every page to their cloud "for processing" — which, for the documents people usually scan, is the least appropriate place for them to go. A browser can open a camera and draw its frames to a canvas without any of that. The camera stream stays in the tab, the pages are assembled into a PDF by JavaScript on your device, and the file lands in your downloads folder.
The image processing is what separates a scan from a snapshot. A phone photo of paper is grey, warm and unevenly lit. Document mode converts to greyscale and stretches the contrast so the paper reads as white and the text as black. Black and white mode goes further, thresholding against the average brightness of the frame — which handles a shadow across one corner far better than a fixed cut-off would — and produces the smallest files for plain text. Pair this with OCR afterwards and a photographed page becomes a searchable document.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this need an app?
- No. It runs in your browser. On a phone, add the page to your home screen and it behaves like an app while still using no storage.
- Is the camera image uploaded?
- No. The video never leaves the tab, and the pages are assembled into a PDF on your device.
- Why will the camera not turn on?
- Camera access requires a secure connection and your permission. If you declined, re-allow it from the icon in the address bar. Some in-app browsers block cameras entirely — use "Choose photos instead", or open the page in a real browser.
- Which mode should I use?
- Document for most things. Black and white for plain printed text, which produces much smaller files. Leave the photo alone for anything where colour matters, such as an ID card or a receipt with a coloured stamp.
- Can I make the scan searchable?
- Yes. Build the PDF, then use OCR to add a text layer. The next-step link after the download takes you straight there with the file already loaded.