How to add and track lab results in Apple Health

How-to guide · Updated July 2026

Unifying your health data

Two ways lab results get into Apple Health

1. Automatically, via Health Records — Apple pulls structured clinical data (labs, medications, immunizations) from healthcare providers you connect.
2. Manually — which, as you'll see, Apple Health only supports for a narrow set of data types.

Option 1: Connect Health Records (automatic — but provider-dependent)

If your provider is a participating institution, this is the cleanest way:

1. Open the Health app → tap your profile picture (top right).
2. Tap Health Records → Add Account (on some versions, Browse → Health Records).
3. Search for your health system or clinic and select it.
4. Sign in with your patient-portal (e.g. MyChart) credentials.
5. Apple imports your available records — including lab results — and new results then sync automatically.

The catch: this only works if your provider is connected to Apple Health Records, which is mostly US health systems (with limited UK/Canada support). If your labs come from a provider that isn't participating, or from a private/direct-to-consumer lab, this route won't capture them.

Option 2: Manually adding a result (and why it falls short)

You can add some data to Apple Health by hand — Health → Browse → tap a category → Add Data — but Apple only offers manual entry for a fixed list of types: a handful of vitals plus things like blood glucose and blood pressure. There is no native way to manually log a general lab value like ferritin, ALT, TSH, or a full lipid panel.

So if you're holding a printed or PDF lab report and hoping to type the numbers into Apple Health, there simply isn't a place for most of them. This is the wall most people hit.

The real gap: PDF lab reports and tracking over time

Two things Apple Health can't do on its own:

• Store and read a lab PDF — it keeps structured records from providers, not documents you upload.
• Track an arbitrary marker over time — even connected records don't give you a clean "plot my ferritin across every test" view.

And tracking is the whole point: a single value means little; the trend across tests is what tells you whether something's improving. (See tracking lab results over time and how to read your blood test results.)

The easiest way to track your blood test results

This gap is exactly what a dedicated lab-tracking app fills: you import a lab PDF, it parses the values, plots each marker's trend, and keeps it alongside your Apple Health metrics — without the native limitations.

Quanome does this on your device: it imports your lab PDFs and reads them locally (never uploaded), tracks each marker over time, pulls in your Apple Health data, and adds an AI coach that reasons across it all — labs, wearables, and even your DNA — in plain language. It's the practical answer to "how do I actually keep and track my blood tests," when Apple Health alone can't. For a broader comparison, see the best personal health record apps and the best apps to combine your health data.

The short version

• Provider on Apple Health Records? Connect it (Option 1) — labs sync automatically.
• PDF from a private lab, or want to track a marker over time? Apple Health can't do it natively — use a lab-tracking app that imports PDFs and plots trends.

For more on owning and understanding your health data, browse the rest of the Quanome blog.

Frequently asked questions

Can you add lab results to Apple Health?

Partly. Apple Health's Health Records feature can automatically pull lab results, medications, and other clinical data from participating (mostly US) healthcare providers you connect. For results a connected provider doesn't push — like a PDF from a private lab — Apple Health has no dedicated place to store them, so a lab-tracking app is the practical option.

How do I manually add a lab result in Apple Health?

Apple Health only supports manual entry for a limited set of data types (such as blood glucose or blood pressure), not general lab panels like ferritin, ALT, TSH, or cholesterol. There's no native 'add a lab value' for arbitrary markers, which is why people who want to log a full panel usually use a dedicated app.

What's the best app to track blood test results over time?

The best fit reads the sources you actually use (lab PDFs, Apple Health), keeps a clear per-marker timeline, and is clear about privacy. On-device apps like Quanome import lab PDFs, track each marker over time, and keep everything on your phone instead of uploading it.

Does Apple Health store lab PDFs?

No. Apple Health stores structured Health Records from connected providers, not arbitrary PDF documents. To keep a lab PDF and track the numbers in it over time, you need an app built to import and parse it.