# Scan Documents to PDF with Your Camera

> Turn your phone or webcam into a document scanner. Capture each page live, apply scanner filters (grayscale / B&W), get a multi-page PDF. Stays in browser.

Live tool: https://lofttools.com/tools/pdf-tools/scan-to-pdf

Category: PDF & Documents

## How it works

1. **Allow camera access** — Tap "Start camera" and grant browser permission. Works in any modern mobile or desktop browser.
2. **Snap each page** — Hold the document in view, tap Capture. Repeat for as many pages as needed. Pick Color, Grayscale, or B&W per scan.
3. **Build the PDF** — When all pages captured, tap Build PDF. The result is a multi-page PDF you can download or share.

## FAQ

### How is this different from Image to PDF?

Image to PDF takes image FILES already on your device. Scan to PDF turns your camera into a live scanner — you capture pages on the spot, no separate photo-then-upload step. Better for mobile.

### What's the B&W filter for?

Mimics a document scanner. Adaptive threshold turns the page into pure black/white — text becomes crisp, shadows and yellowing disappear, file size drops. Best for paper documents.

### Does it work on desktop?

Yes, if your laptop has a webcam. The "environment" facingMode preference helps mobile pick the rear camera; desktop falls back to whichever camera is available.

### Are my scans uploaded anywhere?

No. Camera frames stay in your browser. The PDF is built locally with pdf-lib. Nothing leaves your device.

## Privacy

This tool runs entirely in the browser. Files are not uploaded to a server. They never leave the user's device.

## More

- All tools: https://lofttools.com/tools
- Category: https://lofttools.com/tools/pdf-tools
- LLM index: https://lofttools.com/llms.txt