GoodNotes

  • Add Custom Templates to the Template Library

    How to add templates: 1. Tap the Gear icon in the top-right corner of the Library view then select Notebook Templates. 2. Tap the first dropdown list to choose the template size for your custom templates. 3. If adding as custom covers: tap the Default Cover preview in the upper section. If add...

  • Adding Photos and External Images to an Existing Collection

    1. Tap the Elements tool twice. 2. From the bottom scrollable list, select the collection then its title at the top. 3. Tap Add Photos to add one or more photos from Photos or "Import from" to add an external image from Files.

  • Copying and Pasting Content from Within GoodNotes

    1. Select the Lasso tool then tap it again and make sure to enable the relevant options. 2. Circle the content you want to copy or move. 3. Tap on the selection and tap Cut or Copy. 4. Long-press on the current page, or any page in another GoodNotes digital planner, and choose Paste.

  • Drawing Perfect Lines, Curves, and Shapes

    1. Tap the Pen tool to draw a shape in one stroke, but hold your stylus tip at the end of the stroke, and GoodNotes will perfect the shape. As soon as the shape is created, if you keep holding the stylus and move its tip, the shape will change accordingly. 2. Use the Shape tool and draw a shape ...

  • Enriching and Reusing Notes with the Elements Tool

    1. To add an image as an element, select the Image Tool, tap on an image twice, and choose Add Element. 2. Tap an existing collection to add the element to or you can choose New Collection, name it, and tap Create. 3. To add other content as an element, select the Lasso tool, circle the content...

  • Erasing Handwriting and Highlighting

    1. Tap the Eraser tool. 2. To erase digital ink and highlighting from the page, simply drag your finger or stylus across the ink that you want to erase. 3. You can set the eraser radius in the right-hand side section of the toolbar.

  • Exporting Documents or Pages in GoodNotes 5

    1. From the library view, tap the document title and choose Export All. Alternatively, tap the checkmark icon in the upper right, tap the document, then tap Export at the top. 2. From the document view, tap the Share icon in the navigation bar and choose Export All. 3. To export multiple docume...

  • Highlighting with the Highlighter Tool

    1. Select the Highlighter tool and draw over any words or objects on the page to highlight them. 2. Pen, Highlighter, and Shape tools each have their own set of shortcuts for colors and thicknesses in the contextual section. Tap any of these slots to change the color or the thickness and double-...

  • How to Add Colors to the Pen and Highlighter Presets

    1. Open the Presets. 2. Tap on the Custom tab next to presets in the color pop-up. 3. Choose a color. 4. Tap the Add to Presets button.

  • How to Adjust Zoom Window Return Height for a Template

    1. From the Library view, tap the Gear icon at the top-right corner then Notebook Templates. 2. Tap Edit in the upper right and then on the template name (where you see three dots). 3. Enter the desired value (in points) in the Height field and tap Save.

  • How to Back Up and Restore Data Manually in GoodNotes 5

    1. Tap the gear icon in the top-right corner of the Library view. 2. Select Settings then Backup Data. 3. When the backup process is done, the Share Sheet will show up and you can select a destination or any app to save the backup file (in .zip) to either iTunes, iCloud, supported cloud storage...

  • How to Change a Digital Planner Cover

    1. Open the digital planner and make sure you’re viewing the first page 2. Tap the 3 dots button in the upper right of the screen. 3. Select Change Template. 4. Choose the Cover tab, choose a size and orientation from the dropdown lists, and select a cover. 5. Tap Apply.

  • How to Change a Page's Paper Template in GoodNotes 5

    1. Open the More menu(three dots) in the top-right corner then select Change Template. 2. If necessary, open the first dropdown list to change the size and color of the template. 3. If necessary, open the second dropdown list to change the orientation. 4. Select a template from the template li...

  • How to Change the Background Color of a Template

    1. Open the digital planner, tap the More icon in the top-right corner, and select Change Template. 2. Tap the Paper Color option to set the desired color (White, Yellow, Dark). 3. Choose a template. 4. Select Apply.

  • How to Copy or Move Pages from One Digital Planner to Another in GoodNotes 5

    1. Open the digital planner and tap the four-square icon in the top-left corner to enter a thumbnail view. 2. Tap Select in the top-right corner, then select the pages you want to copy or move. You can tap Select All to select all the pages. 3. Select Copy. If you want to move those pages inste...

  • How to Create a Custom Outline

    1. Open that page and open the More menu in the top-right corner, 2. Then choose Add This Page to Outline. 3. Alternatively, open the thumbnail view, tap the down-arrow under the thumbnail of that page, then choose Add Page to Outline.

  • How to Create a Folder in GoodNotes 5

    1. To start creating a folder, tap on the large plus button in the Documents tab of the library. 2. Choose Folder. 3. To create a folder inside another, open the containing folder, tap the plus icon, then Folder like above.

  • How to Create a Template from an Existing Page

    1. Export that single page as PDF to the Files app. 2. Choose a cloud storage folder as a location for your template. 2. Add that template to Notebook Templates.

  • How to Crop an Image

    1. Select the Image tool and tap on the image. You can also long-press on the image and select Edit. 2. Tap the image again and select Crop. 3. If choosing Rectangle at the bottom, drag one or more of the handles to adjust the cropping. If choosing Freehand, you can freely draw contours to crop...

  • How to Delete Digital Planners and Folders

    1. From the Documents tab, tap the checkmark icon in the top-right corner. 2. Choose the items you want to delete. 3. Select the Trash icon at the top.

  • How to Delete Pages and Covers in GoodNotes 5

    1. Open the digital planner from your library. 2. Tap on the thumbnail view. 3. Choose the Select button in the upper right. 4. Select the pages you want to delete. 5. Tap Trash at the top.

  • How to Empty the Trash

    1. Tap the Gear icon in the top-right corner of the Library view then Trash Bin. 2. Tap on Empty in the upper right. Note that this is permanent and deleted items cannot be recovered anymore.

  • How to Import Digital Planner from a Computer into GoodNotes 5

    How to import files from a computer with iTunes (Windows/macOS) 1. Connect your iPad to a computer via a USB cable. 2. Launch iTunes and locate GoodNotes' internal files in the File Sharing section. 3. Drag the digital planner you want to use in GoodNotes from your computer to GoodNotes Docume...

  • How to Move a Digital Planner or Folder to Another Folder in GoodNotes 5

    1. Tap the checkmark icon in the top-right corner of the library. 2. Tap the digital planner or folder you want to move. 3. Tap Move at the top. 4. Tap the destination folder. 5. Tap Move.

  • How to Open an Email Attachment in GoodNotes

    1. Long-press the attachment in Mail, make sure the attachment is of a supported file type: PDF, Microsoft Word/Powerpoint, Image. 2. Tap Share. 3. Open in GoodNotes or Copy to GoodNotes.

  • How to Open GoodNotes in Multiple Windows on iPadOS

    Ways to open GoodNotes in a new window: 1. Drag the app icon from the dock Tap and hold on to the GoodNotes app icon until it starts "lifting off" the screen. Then drag it to the side of the screen where it will open in a new window. 2. Drag the app icon from the spotlight search Start draggi...

  • How to Open Print Multiple Pages from One Digital Planner

    1. Open the digital planner. 2. Tap the Share icon (to the left of the digital planner title) then select Print and choose Print All. 3. The print preview scrollable section at the bottom will pop up. You can tap the blue circle next to "Page x" to exclude that page from your printout. 4. Sele...

  • How to Redownload the App

    1. Open the Settings app then Apple ID then Media & Purchases then Sign Out. 2. Tap Media & Purchases then Continue. 2. Restart your device, then check your Purchase History again.

  • How to Search Imported Digital Planner

    1. Tap the Gear icon in the top-right corner of the Library view. 2. Select Settings then Search Indexing and make sure the option is enabled.

  • How to Search Your Notes in a Digital Planner

    1. To search tab across all notes, open the Search tab in the library and type in keywords in the search field then tap on a result. 2. To search in an open document, open that digital planner and tap on the magnifying glass in the upper left of the navigation bar. Type in your keyword and tap S...

  • How to Share a Digital Planner with Other Users to Collaborate

    1. Open a GoodNotes digital planner that you want to share. 2. Tap on the Share icon in the navigation bar. 3. Under Collaboration, tap on Collaborate. 4. Enable the Link Sharing option. 5. After Link Sharing is enabled, tap Send Link to share the link or copy it to your clipboard.

  • How to Sync GoodNotes Digital Planners between iPhones, iPads, and Macs

    1. Sign in to the same Apple ID. 2. Open the Settings app on your iOS or iPadOS devices, go to Apple ID then iCloud, and make sure both iCloud Drive and GoodNotes are enabled. 3. Open System Preferences on your Mac, go to iCloud, enable iCloud Drive. Click on Options... next to iCloud Drive and...

  • How to Use Auto-Backup to Automatically Create a Copy of Your Digital Planner in the Cloud

    1. Tap the gear icon in the top-right corner of the Library view. 2. Then select Settings then Automatic Backup, and enable Auto Backup. 3. Choose cloud storage and sign in to it. 4. Change other auto-backup settings if needed, and tap Done.

  • How to Use "Email to GoodNotes" for Importing Digital Planner

    1. Tap Settings from the GoodNotes menu. 2. Select "Email to GoodNotes". 3. Review and accept the Terms and Privacy Policy. 4. Enable Email to GoodNotes. If you can't, please open iPad Settings (not GoodNotes Settings), tap Apple ID then iCloud, and turn on both iCloud Drive and GoodNotes. 5....

  • How to Use Favorites and Bookmarks

    1. To add a library item to Favorites, tap on the Star icon in the upper right of a document or folder thumbnail in your library and it will be added to the Favorites tab. 2. To bookmark a page, open the page and tap the Bookmark icon in the navigation bar. The current page can be found in the F...

  • How to Use the Camera Tool

    1. Tap the Image Tool from the toolbar. 2. Select the Camera icon in the contextual section. 3. Take a photo and tap Use Photo to add the photo to GoodNotes.

  • How to Use the Camera Tool

    1. Tap the Image Tool from the toolbar. 2. Select the Camera icon in the contextual section. 3. Take a photo and tap Use Photo to add the photo to GoodNotes.

  • Importing Files Into GoodNotes 5

    1. To import one file, tap on it. 2. To import multiple files, tap Select in the upper right of the file's interface, select those files, and tap Open. 3. To import from an external app, open or select the file in the other app and tap the Share icon then select either "Copy to GoodNotes" at th...

  • Languages that are Supported for Handwriting Recognition and Search

    GoodNotes can currently recognize the following languages: Chinese (Traditional & Simplified) Dutch English (US) English (UK) French German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (PT/BR) Russian Spanish Thai Turkish

  • Pasting an Image to a GoodNotes Page

    1. Copy that image (which can be from anywhere, like a web page) to the clipboard: Long-press it and tap Copy. 2. Long-press on a GoodNotes page and choose Paste.

  • Recover Deleted Digital Planners, Folders, and Pages from the Trash Bin

    1. From the Library view, tap the Gear icon at the top-right corner then select Trash Bin. 2. Tap Select in the upper right. 3. Choose the items you want to recover. 4. Select Recover to move the selected items back to the original locations. 5. Alternatively, you can tap Move to select a sin...

  • Rename Digital Planners and Folders in GoodNotes 5

    1. To rename a digital planner or folder, tap on its title in the library view to bring up more options. 2. Then select the title field to edit the name.

  • Reorder Pages in a Digital Planner

    1. Tap the four-square icon in the upper left to go to thumbnail view. 2. Long-press a page thumbnail until it starts lifting off the page. 3. Hold on to the page and drag it to the desired location and lift your stylus or finger.

  • Scrolling Direction to Horizontal or Vertical

    1. On a page, tap the More icon in the top-right corner then select Scrolling Direction. 2. Alternatively, you can also tap the Gear icon in the top-right corner of the Library view then Settings then Document Editing then Scrolling Direction.

  • Typing Text with the Text Tool

    1. Tap on the text box with the Text tool. 2. If formatting only some text, tap Edit and select that exact text. 3. Tap the desired text property in the contextual section to modify the entire text box such as font name, font size, alignment and line spacing (applies to the whole text box), col...

  • Using the Image Tool

    By tapping anywhere on the page 1. Tap the Image Tool from the toolbar 2. Tap anywhere on the page 3. Select an image you want to add from "Photos" or "Insert from..." and choose from your Files. From the contextual menu 1. Tap the Image Tool from the toolbar 2. Select one of the images you...

  • Using the Lasso Tool in GoodNotes 5

    1. The Lasso Tool allows you to select objects created in GoodNotes and do all sorts of things on them, such as: Moving Copy/cut & paste Resizing & rotating Converting handwriting to text Taking a screenshot of anything on the page Changing text color Deleting Dragging and dropping 2. Ta...

  • Using the Pen Tool

    1. Select the Pen tool from the toolbar, you can write on the page with a stylus or your finger. 2. Pen, Highlighter, and Shape tools each have their own set of shortcuts for colors and thicknesses in the contextual section. Tap any of these slots to change the color or the thickness and double ...

  • View Your Digital Planners and Folders in a List

    1. GoodNotes allows you to choose either List View or Grid View to display items in your library. 2. Tap the View icon near the upper right to switch between these views.

  • Writing with the Zoom Window

    1. You can write on the Zoom window with your large finger or stylus. The window at the bottom magnifies a part of the page which corresponds to the blue box on the page. 2. Writing in this area will automatically move the blue box on the page forward. 3. You can resize the Zoom box on the page...