Make a PDF from photos on your phone
Photograph your pages well, combine them into one PDF with the right sheet size, and fix order or file size from the same phone, with nothing to install.
To build one PDF from photos on a phone, pick the photos in your browser, keep the sheet size that fits your document and create the PDF: every photo becomes a page in one file. Images to PDF does it with no app and no upload, which is useful when the photos show a receipt, an ID or a signed form for an application, an insurance claim or a landlord.
Two phone-specific snags are worth knowing up front: iPhone HEIC photos and page order.
Shoot the pages so the PDF is readable
The PDF is only as legible as the photos. These habits work for any paperwork:
- Lay the sheet on a flat surface that contrasts with the paper.
- Use even light, and keep your own shadow off the page.
- Frame the whole sheet and line it up with the screen edges.
- One sheet per photo, in portrait if the sheet is portrait.
Trim extra background first with Crop Image. Photos shot upright won't land sideways in the PDF, since the tool honors the orientation the camera recorded.
Which sheet size and fit should you pick?
Page size options are A4, Letter, Legal, A3 and Auto, which sizes each page to its image. In the US and Canada, Letter is the usual choice; most other countries use A4. Margin choices are none, small (20 px), medium (40 px) and large (80 px).
| Fit | What it does | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Contain | Keeps proportions, nothing cropped | Documents, receipts, IDs |
| Cover | Fills the page and may cut the edges | Photos meant to bleed to the edge |
| Stretch | Fills the page by distorting the image | Rarely a good idea |
Contain with a small margin is the safe default for paperwork. Orientation can follow each image automatically, or you can force portrait or landscape.
Step by step in your phone's browser
- Open Images to PDF and tap the upload area. Choose photos from your gallery (JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 50 MB).
- Check the list. Remove a stray photo, or add more with the add button.
- Pick sheet size, orientation, margin and fit.
- Tap Create PDF and download the result, named
images.pdf.
The iPhone HEIC snag
The tool takes JPG, PNG and WebP. A HEIC photo is rejected with a note to convert it first with HEIC to JPG, which handles several files at once. Convert, then add the JPGs to the PDF. The format is covered in HEIC to JPG on iPhone, Windows and Mac.
Fixing the page order
On a computer you can drag the photos in the list to reorder them. On a touch screen that drag can be unreliable, so a steadier way is to create the PDF and reorder it afterwards with Organize PDF, which has arrow buttons to move each page along with duplicate and delete. See also how to reorder, delete and duplicate PDF pages.
When the PDF is too big
Phone photos are big, so a PDF with many of them can be too heavy to email. Shrink the photos first with Compress Image, which lets you set a maximum width and height, or compress the finished PDF with Compress PDF. The levels and their limits are in PDF too large to email.
Before you send it
Open the result in the PDF reader and scroll through: check that no page is missing, the order is right and small print is legible. The file is named images.pdf, so rename it to something descriptive before sending, such as your name and the document type. And if a photo of an ID or a receipt is going to a recipient you don't know well, consider whether they need to see every detail.
Is this a scanner app replacement?
For a one-off submission, it covers the essentials. It doesn't do OCR, so the text won't be selectable or searchable, because the PDF holds pictures. It also doesn't straighten perspective or boost contrast automatically, which dedicated scanning apps do. If you need those, apply them in your camera or notes app before picking the photo. The broader format guide is convert images to PDF without uploading them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I put several photos into one PDF on my phone?
Open an images-to-PDF tool in your browser, choose the photos from your gallery, set the sheet size and create the PDF. Each photo lands on its own page in the same file.
Why won't my iPhone photos upload?
They're probably HEIC, and the tool accepts JPG, PNG and WebP. Convert them first with HEIC to JPG and try again.
Which page size should I choose?
Letter in the US and Canada, A4 almost everywhere else, for documents you'll print or send. Auto sizes each page to its image. With Contain the photo fits without cropping or distortion.
Can I change the photo order from my phone?
The list reorders by dragging, which may not work well on touch screens. The steadier way is to reorder the finished PDF with the organize tool, which has arrows to move pages.
Will the PDF contain text I can copy?
No. It contains photos of the sheets, not text. Copying the content needs OCR.
Are my photos uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is built in your browser and downloads from your phone. You can check the Network tab in developer tools: analytics requests show up, but no POST or PUT the size of your file.
Turn your photos into a PDF
Pick the photos, sheet size and margin, then download a single PDF. Runs locally, free, no signup.
Open Images to PDF →Related tools
- Images to PDF: combine photos into a PDF with sheet size, margin and fit.
- HEIC to JPG: convert iPhone photos before building the PDF.
- Organize PDF: reorder, duplicate or delete pages with arrows.
- Compress Image: shrink photos before converting them.
You might also like: how to merge PDFs on iPhone or Android, sign a PDF on iPhone or Android, PDF tools that don't upload files: a field guide and Resize a photo to fit an online form's limits.