How to scan photos with your iPhone

Updated 13 October 2026 · UnBlur AI guides · 11 sources

AI results are estimates. AI restoration predicts what a sharper or repaired photo might look like. It can invent or change details, especially faces, text and fine patterns. Always keep your original, and do not use an AI-restored image as evidence or to identify someone.

Key points

Light the print from both sides at about 45 degrees, in soft light, so glare reflects away from the lens. ¹
Turn on the camera grid and level, and hold the phone parallel to the print. ²
Tap to focus, lock it with AE/AF Lock, and use the timer or a volume button to avoid shake. ^2,3
Phones are fine for small batches and photos stuck in albums; a flatbed gives more control. ^4,5

You can scan photos with your iPhone by photographing them carefully: put the print flat in soft, even light, hold the phone parallel above it, fill the frame, lock focus and keep the phone still. Glare and tilt cause most bad phone scans, and both are fixable with setup rather than software.

Phones work well for small numbers of photos and for prints you cannot safely remove from albums or frames ⁴. For a large archive or the highest quality, a flatbed scanner gives more control ⁵; see how to scan old photos properly.

Hold the phone parallel to the print. Light from about 45 degrees on each side reflects away from the lens, while a light directly overhead bounces straight back as glare.

Set up the light

Use soft light. Open shade outdoors or a bright room with no direct sun. The National Archives' object photography guide advises avoiding direct sunlight ¹.
Light from the sides. The same guide places lights at about 45 degrees, halfway between the object and the camera, for even, diffused light ¹. Two lamps or two windows on opposite sides work.
Avoid light directly above. A ceiling light over the print reflects straight back into the lens as a bright patch, especially on glossy prints.
Watch your own shadow, and the phone's shadow, on the print.

Still getting glare on a glossy or textured print? Tilting the light, or the print slightly, moves the reflection away; with a dedicated camera, a polarizing filter also helps ¹.

Set up the phone

Clean the lens with a microfiber cloth. A smudged lens makes everything hazy ⁶.
Turn on the grid and level: in Settings, tap Camera, then turn on Grid and Level ². The level helps you hold the phone parallel to a print lying flat.
Use the main camera at 1x and move closer rather than zooming. Digital zoom crops and enlarges the image, so it adds no real detail ⁷.
If the camera switches to macro when you get very close, that is automatic macro switching on supported models; you can back up or turn it off ⁸.
Consider higher resolution. On supported models, Settings, Camera, Formats offers Resolution Control or ProRAW & Resolution Control for 48-megapixel photos ⁹. More pixels help when you crop or print.

Take the shot

Place the print on a flat, dark, non-shiny surface. Do not press glass on top of a curled or fragile print to flatten it ¹⁰.
Center the phone over the print and fill most of the frame, leaving a small border to crop later.
Tap the print to focus. Touch and hold until you see AE/AF Lock so focus and exposure stay put ².
Hold still and use the 3-second timer, or press a volume button, to avoid jabbing the screen ^2,3.
Take two or three shots and keep the sharpest.

What about the Notes scanner and scanning apps?

The Notes app has a Scan Documents option that captures a page automatically when it detects the page boundaries ¹¹. It is designed for text and documents. You can try it for a quick copy, but for photos the regular Camera app with careful lighting usually gives you a normal photo file with more control.

Scanning apps can detect edges, correct perspective and crop for you ⁴, and some free photo-scanning apps also combine several shots to reduce glare. They are convenient for quick sharing, though they offer limited control over the final file ⁵.

After you capture

Crop and straighten in Photos. Keep the unedited capture as your master.
Add who, what, where and when in the caption or file name ⁴.
Back up the files; see digitizing a family photo album.

Fixing the copy

For fading, scratches or softness, work on a copy: restoring faded photos and fixing blurry old photos cover free methods. An AI app such as UnBlur can then work on the image you captured: it has no camera of its own, so you pick the photo from your library and choose a mode like Restore Old Photo or Colorize. Its results are estimates, so compare them with your capture before saving.

Common questions

How do I get rid of glare when photographing a photo?

Light the print from the sides at about 45 degrees instead of from above, use soft light, and tilt the light or print slightly if a reflection remains. ¹

Is a phone as good as a scanner for old photos?

For small batches and photos stuck in albums, yes. For large collections or the highest detail and color control, a flatbed scanner is better. ^4,5

Should I use the Notes document scanner for photos?

It is designed for documents. For photos, the Camera app with good lighting usually gives a better, more flexible file. ¹¹

Sources and further reading

U.S. National Archives, Heritage Science. Digital Photography for Object Documentation (PDF). archives.gov
Apple Support. Use iPhone camera tools to set up your shot. support.apple.com
Apple Support. iPhone camera basics. support.apple.com
FamilySearch blog. Six Steps to Digitizing Your Family Photos. familysearch.org
Library of Congress, The Signal blog. Personal Digital Archiving: The Basics of Scanning (2014). blogs.loc.gov
Apple Support. If the camera or flash on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch isn't working. support.apple.com
Wikipedia. Digital zoom. en.wikipedia.org
Apple Support. Take macro photos and videos with your iPhone camera. support.apple.com
Apple Support. Change advanced camera settings on iPhone. support.apple.com
Library of Congress, Preservation. Preservation Guidelines for Digitizing Library Materials. loc.gov
Apple Support. Scan text and documents in Notes using the iPhone camera. support.apple.com