Scan Receipts from Your Photos App in One Tap
The free ExpenseBot Apple Shortcut adds a Scan Receipts option to your iOS Share Sheet. Select receipt photos in the Photos app, tap Share → Scan Receipts, and they go straight to your Google Sheet. No browser, no upload page.
You need a free ExpenseBot account to get your personal Upload URL · 60-day trial · No credit card
Before
- Take photo of receipt
- Open browser
- Navigate to expensebot.ai
- Tap Upload
- Pick the photo again
After (with Shortcut)
- Take photo of receipt
- Tap Share → Scan Receipts
- ✓ Done. Row appears in your sheet in ~2 min.
Why Use Apple Shortcuts Instead of a Receipt Scanner App?
Every dedicated receipt scanner app asks you to download something, grant camera permissions, and learn a new interface. The Apple Shortcuts approach skips all of that — it runs inside the Photos app you're already using.
- No App Store download. Apple Shortcuts is pre-installed on every iPhone running iOS 13+. Zero storage used, zero battery drain from a background process.
- Works from the Share Sheet. You never leave the Photos app. Select photos, tap Share, tap Scan Receipts. That's the entire flow.
- Siri voice activation. "Hey Siri, Scan Receipts" — hands-free at the gas station, in the car, or at the restaurant table.
- Batch scanning. Select 10, 20, or 50 photos at once. The Shortcut loops through every one and sends them all to your Google Sheet.
- Privacy by design. Photos travel directly from your iPhone to your ExpenseBot account over HTTPS and land in your Google Drive — not a vendor's server. Only you can access the spreadsheet.
4-Step Setup (~5 minutes)
Do this once. Every scan after takes under 10 seconds.
Create a free ExpenseBot account
Sign in at expensebot.ai with Google. This creates your Google Sheet and generates your personal Shortcut URL. 60-day free trial, no credit card.
Copy your personal Shortcut URL
Inside ExpenseBot, go to Settings → Integrations → iPhone Shortcut and tap Copy URL. This URL is unique to your account — keep it private. It's what wires the Shortcut to your spreadsheet.
Your URL looks like: https://expensebot.ai/api/shortcut/upload?token=…
Install the Shortcut
Tap the button below on your iPhone. The Shortcut opens in the Shortcuts app — tap Add Shortcut. The first time you run it, it will ask for your Upload URL — paste the one you copied in Step 2.
Install "Scan Receipts" Shortcut →Works on iPhone (iOS 14+) and Mac (macOS Monterey+). Syncs across your Apple devices via iCloud.
Scan from the Photos app
Open Photos → tap Select → tap your receipt photos → tap Share → tap Scan Receipts. That's it. A notification confirms the upload. Check your Google Sheet in 1–3 minutes.
Tip: you can also say "Hey Siri, Scan Receipts" to trigger it hands-free.
Best Receipt Scanner for Mac: Four Ways, No Phone Involved
Quick answer: what's the best receipt scanner for a Mac?
You don't need a scanner app, a hardware scanner, or your phone. Apple Shortcuts is built into macOS Monterey and later, so the same free Scan Receipts Shortcut runs natively on the Mac — right-click a receipt in Finder, choose Quick Actions → Scan Receipts, and the details land as a row in a Google Sheet you own. The receipt images already on your Mac (a checkout screenshot, a saved order confirmation, a photo synced from your iPhone) never have to be re-photographed off the screen with a phone.
Install the Shortcut once on any Apple device and it syncs via iCloud to every device on the same account — including your Mac running macOS Monterey or later. On the Mac it exposes four separate triggers, and which one you reach for depends on where the receipt already lives.
1. Finder right-click → Quick Actions → Scan Receipts
The everyday path. Select one or more receipt files in Finder, right-click, and choose Quick Actions → Scan Receipts. Multi-select works — highlight six receipts and they all upload in a single run.
Not in your menu? This is the single most common reason a Mac install looks broken. Open the Shortcuts app, select Scan Receipts, and tick Use as Quick Action → Finder in the details sidebar. It appears under Quick Actions straight away.
2. Screenshot straight into your books (⌘⇧4)
Press ⌘⇧4 and drag over an online receipt or order confirmation. The screenshot lands on your Desktop as an ordinary PNG — right-click it → Quick Actions → Scan Receipts. This matters more than it sounds: a browser purchase often produces no paper receipt and sometimes no email either, so the screenshot is the record. Capturing it at the moment of purchase is the difference between a documented expense and a line on a card statement you can't substantiate in March.
3. The Shortcuts app
Open Shortcuts, run Scan Receipts, and pick files from anywhere — Desktop, Downloads, an external drive. You can also drag files onto the Shortcut, or onto its icon if you've added it to your Dock.
4. Photos on Mac
Select the receipt images → Share → Scan Receipts. Identical to the iPhone Share Sheet flow, which is useful when the photos synced over from your phone anyway.
All four triggers take images — JPEG, PNG, HEIC and WebP — up to 15 MB each. For a receipt that arrived as a PDF, use the upload button inside ExpenseBot instead; it's the simpler path for PDFs and lands in the same sheet.
Mac-first install works exactly the same way. You set the upload URL once, on whichever device you run the Shortcut on first — iCloud then syncs both the Shortcut and the saved URL to your other Apple devices. There is no "set it up on the iPhone first" step. And pairing the Shortcut with Gmail auto-scan covers the rest: files on your Mac via Quick Actions, email receipts via Gmail, one Google Sheet.
From Mac Receipt to Expense Report
Capture is half the question. The other half — the one Mac searches usually mean by "expense report template for Mac" — is what comes out the far end, and the answer is deliberately not a file you download.
Every receipt you send from Finder becomes a row in a Google Sheet that lives in your own Google Drive. ExpenseBot reads the merchant, date, subtotal, tax and total off the image and writes them into the columns, with each row linking back to the original file. The report is then generated from those rows. So there's no template to keep up to date, no formulas to repair, and nothing to re-key: the sheet fills itself in as receipts arrive, and you open it on the Mac in any browser.
If you'd rather start from a plain spreadsheet and type entries yourself, that's a different tool — see the expense tracker template for the manual version, including the exact columns and formulas.
Auto-Forward Text-Message Receipts (Clover, Square, Toast)
The Photos-app Shortcut handles receipts you photograph. But in-person and point-of-sale merchants — Clover, Square, Toast — often text you a receipt link instead of emailing one. Those SMS receipts never reach your inbox, so Gmail auto-scan can't see them. A second free automation closes that gap: set it up once and text receipts flow in on their own.
On iPhone, you build a free iOS Shortcuts Automation (different from the Photos Shortcut above) that watches for incoming receipt texts and forwards text receipts automatically. When a merchant texts you a receipt link (for exampleclover.com/p/…orsquareup.com/r/…), the automation emails the message to receipts@expensebot.ai from your connected Gmail, and ExpenseBot opens the link, screenshots the receipt, and writes it to your Google Sheet.
Set up the SMS receipt automation (5 minutes)
- Shortcuts app → Automation → + → Message.
- Trigger: "When a message is received containing" → type
receipt(or a specific link likeclover.com/p/). Turn off Run After Confirmation. - Action: Send Email → To receipts@expensebot.ai, Subject Fwd: Receipt, Body = the Shortcut Input variable.
- Set the sending Account to the Gmail connected to ExpenseBot, then turn off Ask Before Running.
That's it — a hands-free text message receipt tracker for every Clover, Square, and Toast receipt automation that lands as an iPhone SMS receipt. No native SMS integration is required; it's your own iOS automation doing the forwarding. Android has no equivalent automation, but you can long-press any receipt text → Forward → send it to receipts@expensebot.ai and ExpenseBot captures it the same way.
What AI Extracts from Each Photo
Merchant name
Cleaned up (CVS #4192 → CVS Pharmacy)
Amount + currency
USD, CAD, EUR, GBP, 20+ more
Purchase date
Even partially cut-off or weird formats
Tax separated
Sales tax, GST/HST, VAT, QST
Category
IRS Schedule C or CRA T2125 defaults, or your custom tags
Photo link
Each row links back to the original in your Google Drive
Who Uses the Shortcut — and When
Freelancers
Scanning a lunch receipt at the table before the client even finishes their coffee. Taps Share, done, back to the conversation.
Uber and rideshare drivers
Scanning gas station receipts in the car immediately after filling up — no app to open, just Share Sheet and done.
Realtors
Scanning client dinner receipts between showings. Fast enough to do in the parking lot without losing track of what came from which client.
Contractors and tradespeople
Scanning Home Depot and supply receipts on-site, often in batches at the end of the day when back at the truck.
For email receipts — online orders, Uber trip summaries, Amazon orders — pair the Shortcut with Gmail auto-scan. Physical receipts come in through the Shortcut; email receipts come in through Gmail. Both land in the same sheet.
Tips for Better Scans
- Lay receipts flat and photograph under even light. Crumpled or backlit receipts reduce accuracy.
- One receipt per photo. The AI processes one receipt per image — don't overlap two on the same shot.
- Full receipt in frame — store name at the top through total at the bottom.
- Scan the same day. The AI uses the photo's creation date as the expense date. Old camera-roll photos will show the original shoot date, which is usually correct.
- Add to home screen for one-tap access: in the Shortcuts app, long-press your Shortcut → Add to Home Screen.
Ready to set it up?
Sign up free to get your personal Upload URL, then install the Shortcut. Takes 5 minutes total.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to download an app to use the Apple Shortcut?
No. Apple Shortcuts is built into every iPhone running iOS 13 or later — nothing to download from the App Store. You install the Shortcut (one tap), then the first time you run it, paste your upload URL once — it remembers it after that. The only thing you need is an ExpenseBot account to get that URL.
Where do I find my Shortcut Upload URL?
Log into ExpenseBot, go to Settings → Integrations → iPhone Shortcut. Your personal upload URL is there — tap to copy. It's unique to your account and wires the Shortcut to your Google Sheet.
Does the Shortcut work on iPhone and Mac?
Yes. Download and install once — the Shortcut syncs to all your Apple devices automatically. On iPhone it appears in the Photos app Share Sheet. On Mac (macOS Monterey+) you right-click a receipt file in Finder and choose Quick Actions → Scan Receipts. The Shortcuts app, the Finder Share menu, and Photos on Mac all work too.
What's the best receipt scanner for Mac?
You don't need a separate scanner app. Apple Shortcuts is built into macOS Monterey and later — install the free Scan Receipts Shortcut once and it appears in Finder's right-click Quick Actions menu, so any receipt already on your Mac uploads in two clicks.
How do I scan a receipt on a Mac without using my phone?
Right-click the file in Finder → Quick Actions → Scan Receipts. If the receipt is on a web page rather than in a file, press ⌘⇧4 and drag over it — the screenshot lands on your Desktop and you run the same Quick Action on it.
The "Scan Receipts" option isn't showing in my Finder right-click menu. How do I turn it on?
Open the Shortcuts app, select Scan Receipts, and tick "Use as Quick Action → Finder" in the details sidebar. It then appears under Quick Actions when you right-click a receipt file.
Can I upload several Mac receipts at once?
Yes. Select multiple receipt images in Finder — or several photos in Photos — and run the Shortcut once; every selected image uploads in the same run. Images only, up to 15 MB each; for PDF receipts use the upload button inside ExpenseBot.
Is there an expense report template for Mac?
There's no file to download and maintain. Scanned receipts land as rows in a Google Sheet in your own Drive, and the expense report is built from those rows — so the sheet fills itself in as receipts arrive, on Mac or anywhere else you can open Drive.
I installed the Shortcut on my Mac first. Do I have to redo anything on my iPhone?
No. You set the upload URL once on whichever device you run first, and iCloud syncs both the Shortcut and the saved URL to your other Apple devices.
How many receipts can I scan at once?
As many as you select. The Shortcut loops through each photo one at a time and sends them to ExpenseBot. For a batch of 10 photos, allow about 5 minutes for all rows to appear in your Google Sheet.
What does ExpenseBot extract from each receipt photo?
Merchant name, purchase date, subtotal, tax, tip, and total — plus an IRS Schedule C or CRA T2125 category assigned automatically. Each row in your Google Sheet links back to the original photo stored in your Google Drive.
Is my receipt data private?
Yes. Photos are sent directly from your iPhone to your ExpenseBot account over HTTPS, processed by AI, and stored in your own Google Drive. Only you have access to your spreadsheet.
Can I trigger it with Siri?
Yes. Once installed, say 'Hey Siri, Scan Receipts' and the Shortcut runs. Siri will ask you to select photos and then send them to ExpenseBot automatically.
Is the Apple Shortcut free?
Yes. The Shortcut itself is free and runs on Apple's built-in Shortcuts app — no App Store purchase, no subscription. You need a free ExpenseBot account (60-day trial, no credit card) to get your personal Upload URL that wires the Shortcut to your Google Sheet.
Can I scan receipts from screenshots, not just photos?
Yes. The Shortcut processes any image in your Photos library — camera photos, screenshots of online orders, saved images from email confirmations. As long as a receipt is visible in the image, ExpenseBot's AI will extract the data.
Can I forward SMS or text-message receipts to ExpenseBot?
Yes — iPhone users can build a free iOS Shortcuts Automation that auto-forwards text receipts. Point it at incoming receipt texts from in-person merchants like Clover, Square, and Toast (the SMS usually contains a receipt link such as clover.com/p/… or squareup.com/r/…). The automation emails the text to receipts@expensebot.ai from your connected Gmail, and ExpenseBot opens the link, screenshots the receipt, and writes it to your sheet — no tapping once it's set up. This is a user-built iOS automation, not a native SMS integration. On Android there's no automation, but you can long-press any receipt text and Forward it manually to the same address.
Does the Apple Shortcut work offline?
You need an internet connection to send the photo to ExpenseBot for AI processing. But you can take receipt photos offline and run the Shortcut later when you're back on Wi-Fi or cellular — the Shortcut will process everything in your selection at that point.
Scan your first receipt in 5 minutes
Free trial · No credit card · Works on iPhone and Mac