How to Scan Documents to PDF Using Just Your Browser
No app, no scanner hardware needed. Learn how to use your phone or laptop camera to scan receipts, contracts, and handwritten notes directly into a PDF — completely free.
Open ScannerYou already have a scanner in your pocket
Dedicated flatbed scanners are expensive and slow. Dedicated scanning apps like Adobe Scan or Microsoft Lens work well — but they require an account and upload your files to the cloud.
YumPDF's browser-based document scanner gives you the same result without any of that. Your phone or laptop camera captures the document, the browser processes it locally, and the PDF is generated entirely on your device. Nothing leaves your browser.
iPhone
Safari 15+
Android
Chrome / Samsung Internet
Mac
Safari / Chrome / Firefox
Windows
Chrome / Edge / Firefox
What can you scan?
The scanner works on any document you can hold in front of a camera. Common use cases include:
How to scan a document to PDF — step by step
Open the YumPDF Scanner
Go to yumpdf.com/scanner on any device. No app download, no account, no sign-up.
Grant camera permission
Your browser will ask for camera access the first time. Tap "Allow" — the camera feed stays local and is never streamed anywhere.
On iPhone, tap the lock icon in the address bar to check or update camera permission.
Position your document
Hold your document flat on a well-lit surface or hold it in front of the camera. The scanner overlays a detection guide to help you align it.
Natural daylight gives the sharpest scans. Avoid shadows falling across the page.
Capture the page
Tap the shutter button. The scanner will crop the document edges automatically. You can adjust the crop manually if needed.
Add more pages (optional)
To create a multi-page PDF, tap "Add page" and scan the next sheet. All pages are queued locally before export.
Export as PDF
Tap "Export PDF". The PDF is generated in your browser and downloads directly to your device. Done.
Tips for the sharpest scans
Use even lighting — sunlight from a window works well. Avoid pointing your camera directly at a bright light source.
Keep the camera parallel to the document surface. Even slight tilt causes trapezoidal distortion.
Place the document on a dark, plain background so the scanner's edge detection works reliably.
Hold the camera steady for a moment before tapping — blurry scans are the most common reason for unreadable output.
For handwritten notes on lined paper, boost contrast in the enhance step for crisper text.
Privacy — where does your scan go?
Nowhere except your own device. Unlike cloud-based scanning apps, YumPDF's scanner never sends your camera feed or the resulting image to any server. The entire process — capture, crop, enhance, PDF generation — runs in your browser.
No server upload
Camera stream stays on your device
No account needed
Open, scan, download — that's it
PDF stays local
Downloads directly to your device
FAQ
Does it work without internet?
Once the page has loaded, the scanner itself works offline. The initial page load requires a connection to download the app code.
How many pages can I scan into one PDF?
There's no enforced limit. Practically, larger scans use more device memory, so very long documents may be slower on older phones.
Can I scan in colour?
Yes — the output defaults to colour. You can switch to greyscale in the enhance step to reduce file size.
What resolution is the output PDF?
The scanner uses your device camera's native resolution. Modern phone cameras produce scans at 150–300 dpi equivalent — clear enough for most business documents.
Try the scanner now — it's free
No app download, no account, no cloud upload. Open, scan, export — done.
Open Document Scanner