How to scan homework and documents with your phone
Teachers and offices often ask for one PDF — not ten separate photos. With your phone camera and a free tool, you can make a clean, readable PDF in a couple of minutes.
Step 1: Take good photos
- Lay the page flat on a dark table — contrast helps the page stand out.
- Use good light. Daylight near a window is best. Don’t let your phone or hand cast a shadow.
- Hold the phone straight above the page, not at an angle, and fill the screen with the page.
- Keep still and tap the screen to focus before taking the photo.
- Write with a dark pen — light pencil is hard to read after scanning.
Step 2: Turn the photos into one PDF
- Open our Photos to PDF tool and choose all your page photos.
- Choose “Clear document” to remove shadows and whiten the paper, or “Black & white” for the sharpest, smallest file. The small pictures show the result.
- Tap the turn button on any sideways page, and use the arrows to put pages in order.
- Pick A4 (most countries) or US Letter (USA and Canada).
- If your school has an upload limit, pick Under 10MB, Under 5MB or Under 2MB.
- Press “Make my PDF”, check the preview and page count, and download.
Step 3: Before you upload
- Check every page is there and in the right order.
- Name the file clearly, like Priya_Maths_Homework3.pdf. Avoid symbols like # & % — some upload systems reject them. Our tools remove them for you.
- Need your name on every page or page numbers? Use Add page numbers & name.
- A page upside down after all? Fix it with Turn, reorder & delete pages.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Grey or shadowy pages | Choose “Clear document” or “Black & white” |
| Writing too faint | Use “Black & white”, and next time write with a darker pen |
| File too big to upload | Pick a size limit, or use Make PDF smaller |
| Teacher wants one file but you have two PDFs | Combine them with Join PDFs |
| iPhone photos won’t open | No action needed — the tool accepts HEIC photos |