How to Find Scanned Documents on iPhone (a keyword is enough)

Among all document-related tasks, file searching firmly holds an honorable fourth place for the most time spent. This isn’t good news for anyone who thinks productivity is more than a buzzword. Because unlike other document-related tasks, such as creating a document or looking for information, searching for files is not at all productive. It doesn’t create anything new or offer a chance to learn. If anything, it can be a bit counterproductive, as it tends to add frustration and demotivation with each passing minute of the search. At iScanner, we value your time and take productivity seriously. Therefore, we’ve added two features that will help you find any document in the app in seconds. In this post, we’ll tell you how to find scanned documents on your iPhone quickly and easily (by the way, it works for uploaded documents too!)

How to Search for a PDF Like a Pro: Streamline Your Workflow with Smart File Search

How to Find Scanned Documents on iPhone by Name

Locating files in iScanner is pretty easy because the app has an excellent file manager and displays file previews. However, if you’re something of a digital hoarder who never deletes anything, manual search can get old very fast (and probably faster than you find what you need). 

This is why we’ve added Name Search—a feature that allows you to search for files automatically. All you need to do is type the file name or at least some portions of it into the search bar. 

How to Find Files by Name in iScanner 

1. First, open the app or install it if you don’t have it—you’ll see a search bar at the top of the screen. 
2. Next, switch from Ask AI (which is a fantastic feature incidentally, basically, ChatGPT for your documents) to Name Search. 
3. Type the file name, parts of the name, or any numbers the file name may contain into the search bar. 
4. As you type, the app will present you with the file(s) that contain your search query in their name(s). Voilà!  

No Name—No Problem!

When you have a lot of files, remembering their names can often be difficult. So, how to find scanned documents on your iPhone if there’s a whole bunch of them and you have no clue as to what they might be called or when you scanned or uploaded them? 

The good news is that if you’re on the hunt for a particular document, chances are you have a rough idea of what it’s about. That’s more than enough to track it down with iScanner! Our app now comes equipped with a super handy Content Search feature. Just type in a word or phrase you think might be in the document, and the app will find all your files containing that search term. 

How to Find Scanned Documents on iPhone with Content Search 

1. Open the app and you’ll see the search bar at the top of the screen. 
2. Toggle the switcher to Content Search. 
3. Type any words or numbers that you think your file contains within it. 
4. Next, you’ll need to decide whether you’d like to refine your search by selecting specific files or search across all your files. Keep in mind that if you have a substantial number of files in the app that haven’t undergone text recognition, the search may take some time as it will need to process and recognize text within them using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology.
5. iScanner will search the contents of your documents for your search query and present you with a shortlist of suspects.

Tips on How to Search for a PDF Faster and Easier

Make the Most of iScanner’s File Manager

In case you haven’t noticed, the app has a very handy file manager. You can create folders, rename files and folders, and move files from one folder to another. What’s more, you can sort files and folders by name, date of creation, size, and more. Your searches, manual or otherwise, will go a lot smoother if you adopt the habit of organizing your scans and documents into folders. 

Give Them Names

Taking a mere 30 seconds longer to give your scans and folders clear, concise names can prove to be a game-changer, saving you a significant amount of time down the road. The benefits are more than worth the minimal effort. It’s also an excellent idea to save important files that you receive by email to the iScanner app because they’ll be so much easier to locate should you need them urgently. Plus, if you happen to be offline when you need them, you’ll still be able to access them in the app whereas your email box will be unavailable. 

Sync and Shine!

Lastly, we’d like to remind you that iScanner, a PDF scanner app comes with free cloud storage and file sync. All you need to do is create an account in the app and sign in! It’ll only take you a minute but will unlock several significant benefits: 

• Your files will be synchronized on all your devices even if they run on different platforms.
• The app will create offline copies of your documents so that you can work without an internet connection.
• The app will back up your files so that even if your battery dies at the worst possible moment, you’ll be able to access what you need from any device by logging in with your iScanner account on any browser.