Continuity Camera: Use your iPhone or iPad to scan documents or take a picture on your Mac

Use your iPhone or iPad to scan documents or take a picture of something nearby and have it appear instantly on your Mac.

Use an app that supports Continuity Camera

Use Continuity Camera to scan or take a picture in these built-in apps:

  • Finder

  • Keynote 8.2 or later

  • Mail

  • Messages

  • Notes

  • Numbers 5.2 or later

  • Pages 7.2 or later

  • TextEdit

Take a photo

  1. Open a supported app on your Mac.

  2. Take either of these actions:

    • Control-click where you want the photo to be inserted in the app window. From the shortcut menu that appears, choose Insert from iPhone or iPad > Take Photo. You can do this in a Finder window or on the desktop as well.

    • From the File menu (or Insert menu, if applicable), choose Insert from iPhone or iPad > Take Photo.

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  3. The Camera app opens on your iPhone or iPad. Tap the Shutter buttonthe take picture button to take a photo, then tap Use Photo. Your photo appears in the window on your Mac.

Scan documents

  1. Open a supported app on your Mac.

  2. Take either of these actions:

    • Control-click where you want the photo to be inserted in the app window. From the shortcut menu that appears, choose Insert from iPhone or iPad > Scan Documents. You can do this in a Finder window or on the desktop as well.

    • From the File menu (or Insert menu, if applicable), choose Insert from iPhone or iPad > Scan Documents.

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  3. The Camera app opens on your iPhone or iPad. Place your document in view of the camera and wait for the scan to finish. If you need to manually capture a scan, tap the Shutter buttonthe take picture button or one of the Volume buttons, then drag the corners to adjust the scan to fit the page, then tap Keep Scan.

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  4. Add additional scans to the document or tap Save when you're done. Your scans appear as a PDF in the window on your Mac.

Use your iPhone as a webcam

You can also use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac. This feature has different system requirements.

Continuity Camera: Use your iPhone as a webcam for Mac

Continuity Camera system requirements

When used for scanning and taking photos on your Mac, Continuity Camera works with these devices and operating systems.

macOS Mojave or later

  • MacBook introduced in 2015 or later

  • MacBook Pro introduced in 2012 or later

  • MacBook Air introduced in 2012 or later

  • Mac mini introduced in 2012 or later

  • iMac introduced in 2012 or later

  • iMac Pro

  • Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later

  • Mac Studio introduced in 2022 or later

iOS 12 or later

  • iPhone

  • iPad

  • iPod touch

Additional requirements

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