Turn iPhone photos into a PDF
iPhone photos are saved as HEIC, which many forms and email systems don't accept. A PDF avoids that problem, and you can make it without installing anything or uploading your pictures.
Why a PDF instead of the photos
HEIC is a good format for storing photos, but not everyone can open it, and many websites reject it. PDF is accepted for documents almost everywhere, keeps several pages in one file and looks the same on every device. If the goal is to send documents, a PDF is usually the safest choice.
The quick way
- Open this page in Safari or Chrome on your iPhone, or on a computer if you have copied the photos over.
- Choose the photos. On an iPhone, the button opens your photo library; you can select several at once.
- Check the order and use the arrows to fix it.
- Pick a page size. A4 is right for most of Europe; choose Same as image for receipts and cards.
- Download the PDF. On an iPhone it is saved in the Files app, in Downloads.
The built-in alternative
The iPhone can also do this itself: open the photos in the Photos app, choose Print, pinch out on the preview to open it as a PDF, and save it to Files. It works, but it is fiddly, and the page order and size are harder to control. For more than two or three pages the tool above is quicker.
If the PDF is too large
Photos from recent iPhones are 12 megapixels or more. For a document read on a screen, 2000 pixels on the longest side is already plenty. Run the photos through Resize image first, then build the PDF. For a limit in kilobytes per image, Reduce to an exact size does it in one step.
Your pictures stay on the phone
Everything runs on the device. Open your browser’s network panel if you want to check: no photo leaves the page. That matters for documents such as ID cards, medical letters and contracts, which are exactly the kind of files you should not push through a random upload site.
Related
If you only need single JPG files, see how to save iPhone photos as JPG. For several images in one PDF from any source, see how to turn photos into one PDF.
Make a PDF from your iPhone photos
Drop your HEIC photos here
or
You can also paste an image with Ctrl+V.
Converted on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to change the iPhone camera format first?
No. HEIC photos are accepted as they are and converted on your device while the PDF is built.
Will the PDF be large?
It depends on how many photos you add. A 12-megapixel photo is typically a few megabytes once converted. Shrink them first with the resize tool if there is a size limit.
Does it work in Safari on the iPhone?
Yes. Choose photos from your library with the button, or take them from the Files app. Very large photos are read in pieces so Safari doesn't run out of memory.
Is my location included?
No. The location and other photo details are not copied into the PDF.
Learn more
- How to turn several photos into one PDFCombine photos or scans into a single PDF for an application, a claim or an email. Page order, page size, margins and file size, all on your own device.
- How to save PDF pages as imagesTurn each page of a PDF into a JPG or PNG image on your own device. Which format to pick, what resolution to expect and what to do with scanned documents.