IPHONE
How to download a PDF from Safari on an iPhone (iOS 27)
In short
With the PDF open in Safari, tap the page menu button left of the address, tap Share, then Save to Files and Save. On our iPhone 17e Save to Files was not in the first row of the share sheet: we had to tap View More first. The file went to Downloads in iCloud Drive.
7 of 7 steps show a real screenshot from our iPhone 17e. Each step was checked against the maker's own instructions, linked at the end.
Steps
- 1
Tap the page menu button
Open the PDF in Safari. Tap the button with three lines at the left of the address bar.
- 2
Tap Share
It is the first item in the menu.
- 3
Tap View More
The share sheet shows the file name, PDF Document and its size. Save to Files was not in the row of buttons on ours, so tap View More at the end of that row.
- 4
Tap Save to Files
It is in the second group of the list, above Markup and Print.
- 5
Pick a folder and tap Save
Ours opened in Downloads, which was empty (No Downloaded Files). To save somewhere else, tap the back arrow at the top left. You can rename the file in the Save as box at the bottom. Then tap Save.
- 6
Open Downloads in Files
Open the Files app, tap Browse at the bottom, then Downloads under Favourites.
- 7
Find your PDF
Our file showed as dummy, 13 KB, and the folder said Synced with iCloud: it is in iCloud Drive, so it also shows on your other devices with the same Apple Account.
If you do not see this option
- Want it on the iPhone only? In the Save box, tap the back arrow and choose On My iPhone instead of a folder in iCloud Drive.
- A normal web page, not a PDF? Use Options in the share sheet to save it as a PDF: how to save a web page as a PDF on an iPhone.
If this does not work
- No Save to Files in the share sheet? Tap View More at the end of the row of buttons; on ours it was in the long list below.
- A download button saved it somewhere else? Files downloaded with a download link go to the folder set in Settings, Apps, Safari, Downloads: how to change where Safari saves downloads on an iPhone.
- No Downloads folder under Browse? Apple says to tap iCloud Drive on the Browse screen; the Downloads folder is inside it.
- Saved, but the file is not there? If you used a download link rather than Save to Files, go back to Safari and use the downloads button there to check whether the file has finished.
Good to know
To make a web page into a PDF instead, see how to save a web page as a PDF on an iPhone.
The saved PDF is a separate copy. If the website updates the document later, your copy does not change, so download it again for the newest version. Deleting a copy in iCloud Drive also removes it from your other devices.
To open a PDF in Books instead, Apple's steps are to tap the share button on the PDF and then tap Books. Books is not available in every country or region. To shrink a large file before you send it, see how to make a PDF smaller on an iPhone.
About this guide
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 17e)
- App
- Safari
- Path
- Safari › Page menu › Share › Save to Files
- Real screenshots
- 7 of 7 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 5 official, linked below
Sources
- Apple iPhone User Guide: Download a PDF from Safari to your iPhone
- Apple iPhone User Guide: Find your downloaded files on iPhone
- Apple iPhone User Guide: Read PDF documents in the Books app on iPhone
- Apple iPhone User Guide: Modify files and folders in Files on iPhone
- Apple iPhone User Guide: Fill out and sign PDF forms in Preview on iPhone
Spotted a mistake? Menus change with updates, and we want every step to match your screen. Email us about this page or use the contact form. We read every report, and fixes are listed on What changed.
Liked this guide?
Follow us for new guides and short how-to videos.
Did this guide work for you?
Sorry about that. What happened?