How to Use the New Continuity Camera Feature in macOS Mojave - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Use the New Continuity Camera Feature in macOS Mojave

by

In macOS Mojave, Apple has extended its Continuity features so that now you can use your iPhone or iPad's camera to take a photo or scan a document, and it will be immediately available on your Mac.

continuity camera 2
Continuity Camera works in several native Mac apps, including Pages, Keynote, and TextEdit. The following steps explain how to use it. Bear in mind that both your iOS device and your Mac need to be logged into the same Apple ID for this feature to work.

How to Add a Photo Using Continuity Camera

  1. Launch the app that you want to import a photo into.
  2. Open an existing project or document, or create a new one.
  3. Right-click (or Ctrl-click) the location where you want to insert the photo.
    continuity camera 1
  4. In the contextual menu, click Take Photo under the name of the iOS device that you want to use.
  5. Take the photo on your iPhone or iPad.
  6. Tap Use Photo on your iOS device, and the image will appear in the open project or document on your Mac.
    continuity camera 3

How to Scan a Document Using Continuity Camera

  1. Launch the app you want to use and open a project or document, or create a new one.
  2. Right-click (or Ctrl-click) the space where you want to insert the captured document.
  3. In the contextual menu, click Scan Document under the name of the iOS device that you want to use.
  4. Using your iPhone or iPad's camera, frame the document in the onscreen viewfinder. The document should turn yellow and scan automatically. You can repeat this step to scan several documents if desired.
  5. Tap Save on your iOS device, and your scanned documents will be inserted into the open project or document on your Mac.
Related Forum: macOS Mojave

Top Rated Comments

Benjamid Avatar
101 months ago
Hmm, I don’t get why it can’t just create a document as pdf. It’s already annoying that I have to create a note to scan documents in iOS than move the scan to files and then delete the note...
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
98 months ago
Hmm, I don’t get why it can’t just create a document as pdf. It’s already annoying that I have to create a note to scan documents in iOS than move the scan to files and then delete the note...
You can scan docs directly from your iPhone to a file on your Mac. In Finder, Ctrl-click in an empty area in the folder where you want scanned docs to be saved, then choose Import from iPhone or iPad > Scan Documents. This saves as a PDF.

Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
101 months ago
I’m really looking forward to Mohave. Reminds me of old school Apple, where there were new touches which ended up being remarkable useful in your workflow. And quality, the old, “ it just works”

Fingers crossed App,e has learned some good lessons this year. I’m hopeful.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
101 months ago
In macOS Mojave, Apple has extended its Continuity features so that now you can use your iPhone or iPad's camera to take a photo or scan a document, and it will be immediately available on your Mac.



Continuity Camera works in several native Mac apps, including Pages, Keynote, and TextEdit. The following steps explain how to use it. Bear in mind that both your iOS device and your Mac need to be logged into the same Apple ID for this feature to work.

How to Add a Photo Using Continuity Camera
[LIST=1]
* Launch the app that you want to import a photo into.
* Open an existing project or document, or create a new one.
* Right-click (or Ctrl-click) the location where you want to insert the photo.

* In the contextual menu, click Take Photo under the name of the iOS device that you want to use.
* Take the photo on your iPhone or iPad.
* Tap Use Photo on your iOS device, and the image will appear in the open project or document on your Mac.


How to Scan a Document Using Continuity Camera
[LIST=1]
* Launch the app you want to use and open a project or document, or create a new one.
* Right-click (or Ctrl-click) the space where you want to insert the captured document.
* In the contextual menu, click Scan Document under the name of the iOS device that you want to use.
* Using your iPhone or iPad's camera, frame the document in the onscreen viewfinder. The document should turn yellow and scan automatically. You can repeat this step to scan several documents if desired.
* Tap Save on your iOS device, and your scanned documents will be inserted into the open project or document on your Mac.


Article Link: How to Use the New Continuity Camera Feature in macOS Mojave ('https://www.geekwebguides.com/how-to/use-continuity-camera-in-macos-mojave/')
[doublepost=1530967502][/doublepost]Note that the camera app must be open/active on your iOS device for it to show the 'Take a photo' and 'Scan document' contextual menu items. If Camera app is NOT open, you get the regular contextual menu without those items.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
101 months ago
Hmm, I don’t get why it can’t just create a document as pdf. It’s already annoying that I have to create a note to scan documents in iOS than move the scan to files and then delete the note...
This gets a photo directly from iOS directly into most Mac apps WITHOUT having to use AirDrop and Copy / Paste. If you need a PDF of ONLY the image ... just Open Photo on iOS device and Save it as a PDF.

Also ... if you already have an image on the Mac -- copy it to the Clipboard -- Open Preview and Save as a PDF.

Having several ways to skin a cat is a big help.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
amaze1499 Avatar
101 months ago
This. I came here to type exactly this.
Because some like to scan directly into a document. This feature makes totally sense to me.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...