How to scan receipts on iPhone and keep them organized

ScanFile guide

Receipts fade, tear, and disappear. Scanning them close to the moment of purchase creates a cleaner record for returns, reimbursements, warranties, or expense reporting.

1. Flatten the receipt

Place the receipt on a dark, non-reflective surface. Smooth curled thermal paper without covering its corners and avoid strong shadows across the merchant, date, totals, or line items.

2. Capture the whole paper

Open ScanFile, let the document outline settle, and capture the receipt. For a long receipt, make sure the top and bottom are both inside the frame rather than cropping tightly around the center.

3. Improve readability

Review the crop and try a document filter when pale thermal printing needs more contrast. Keep enough margin to prove that the full receipt was captured.

4. Group related pages

Add supporting pages—such as a card slip, warranty, or reimbursement form—to the same document when they belong to one expense. Reorder them before export.

5. Export when the record is needed

Share a clean PDF through your expense app, email, AirDrop, or Files. ScanFile does not require a document-cloud account; you choose the destination when you export.