How to make a PDF from photos on an iPhone
Turn receipts, documents or a set of photos into one PDF on an iPhone, including HEIC photos, without an app. And how to keep the file small enough to send.
Receipts for an expense claim, pages of a document photographed on a desk, proof of address or a set of photos someone asked for as one file: an iPhone can turn them into a single PDF and there are two good ways to do it depending on whether the photos are already taken.
For paper you haven’t captured yet
The Notes app and the Files app both include a document scanner. It finds the edges of the page, straightens it and flattens the lighting, then saves a PDF. For paper documents it is the best option on an iPhone and it is free.
For photos you already have
Image to PDF works in Safari. Choose photos from your library, including HEIC photos, which it reads directly, put them in order, pick a page size and download one PDF with a page per photo. A4 or Letter with margins suits documents; fit to image makes each page the shape of its photo. The photos are processed on the phone, not uploaded.
If you need the photos themselves as JPG for somewhere that rejects HEIC, HEIC to JPG converts them and the reason it is needed is in why HEIC files won’t open on Windows.
Keeping it small
Ten iPhone photos can make a 30MB PDF, too large for most email and upload limits. Compress PDF shrinks the photos inside it, often by 80 percent or more for a photo-based PDF, while keeping any text as text. Doing it on the finished PDF is usually the simplest route.
Adding to an existing PDF
To add the new pages to a PDF you already have, make the photo PDF first and then merge the two. The full process, including reordering pages afterwards, is in how to combine PDF files.
Before sending
Open the PDF and check every page is the right way up and in the right order. Photos of documents taken at an angle are readable but look untidy; retaking them straight on or using the Notes scanner, gives a cleaner result.
Common questions
Does it work with HEIC photos?
Yes. iPhones save photos as HEIC by default and the tool reads them directly and converts them for the PDF, so you don’t need to change any settings.
Is the iPhone's own scanner better for documents?
For paper documents, the document scanner in the Notes app or the Files app straightens and flattens the page as you capture it, which is excellent. Image to PDF is for photos you have already taken or for mixing different kinds of images into one file.
Why is my PDF so large?
Each iPhone photo is several megabytes and each becomes a page. Compress the finished PDF or compress the photos before making it, to get it under an email or upload limit.
Can I choose the page size?
Yes. A4 or Letter with margins suits documents and printing. Fit to image makes each page exactly the shape of its photo, which suits photo collections.