How to scan QR codes and documents on your iPad using the Camera and Notes apps

• It's easy to scan on your iPad using the Camera or Notes app.
• You can scan QR codes with your iPad's camera to quickly navigate to web pages or apps.
• You can also scan documents on your iPad with the Notes app, where you can then edit and share your scanned documents as a digital PDF.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

You know those little squares with the seemingly randomized layout of black and white spaces you see on the back of products? Not the barcodes, the wacky grid things?

Those are QR codes, or quick response codes, and they can immediately take you, via smartphone or iPad, to a website where you can learn more, make a purchase, and so forth.

On your iPad, you can scan QR codes using the Camera app to quickly access more information. You can also scan physical documents with your iPad via the Notes app, and edit the documents in the app or share them as a PDF.

Here's how to scan QR codes and documents on your iPad.

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How to scan a QR code on your iPad

1. Open the Camera app and use the white guideline box in the center of the screen to aim at the QR code.

2. A yellow box will appear and then encircle the code, after which a popup will read, "QR CODE DETECTED."

3. Tap the pop-up to open the link.

How to scan documents on your iPad

QR codes are just one of the things your iPad can scan. You can also use an iPad to scan just about any type of document, even creating files you can edit and share.

1. Lay the document to be scanned out flat, and line up multiple sheets for successive scanning if applicable.

2. Launch the Notes app and tap the pencil on paper icon to create a new note.

3. Tap the plus (+) symbol, then select "Scan Documents."

4. Tap the shutter button to scan the document, and repeat as needed for multi-page docs, then hit Save when you're done.

5. To make edits, tap the markup icon (circle with pen tip) and select your tool.

6. Tap Done, and then tap the share icon (arrow pointing up out of a box).

7. Swipe to the right of the lower toolbar and select "Create PDF," then hit Done and select the file's save location.

And that's it - you just turned a piece of paper on a table to a digital file you can share far and wide.

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