Create your first notebook

Create a new notebook

To create a new notebook, just launch the app and choose New... > Notebook.
Now, let's set these properties of your notebook:
- Name: Type a catchy name here.
- Language: Tap to set the handwriting recognition language of the notebook so that you can search your handwriting!
- Size: Tap to set the size and orientation of the notebook paper.
- Color: Tap to set the color of the paper.
Choose a template from the bottom list, then tap Create.

Amazing! You've just created your first notebook!

<aside> 💡 Want to jot down some quick notes without going through the formal steps to create a notebook? Tap New... > QuickNote, or simply double-tap that New… button. This creates a temporary one-page, coverless notebook in the paper template you last chose. Once done, you can choose to save the QuickNote notebook, move it to a folder, merge it with an existing notebook, or discard it.

</aside>

Take notes!

Use the note-taking tools

By default, you’re in Handwriting Mode, and Goodnotes has a lot of tools to help you take great notes! Here are some of the most useful ones:

Pen Tool: This tool works just like a pen on paper! You can select it and write on the page with your finger or Apple Pencil. If you want to change the color or thickness, just use the slots on the right hand side of the toolbar and tap it again to customize it.
Highlighter Tool: This tool is perfect for highlighting important details in your notes. You can set the color and thickness in the same way as the Pen Tool.
Shape Tool: If you need to draw a rough line, curve, or shape, this tool is for you! You can also customize the color and thickness like the previous tools.
Eraser Tool: Made a mistake? No problem! You can use this tool to erase handwriting, highlighting, or shapes. Note that it can't erase other objects like images. You can change the size of the Eraser on the right hand side of the toolbar.
Lasso Tool: This tool is used for selecting content to move, copy, or re-color. Just draw a loop around what you want to select, tap again and choose from the pop up options or drag your selection to move it.
Image Tool: If you want to add images to your notes, this tool does just that! Just tap on the page to insert images from Photos.
Text Tool: Finally, if you need to type up some notes, this tool is for you! Just tap on the page to create a text box and start typing!

Move around your document

To take precise notes, you may want to zoom in for a closer look at the details on the page and navigate easily around your document.

Zoom in: Place two fingers on the screen and spread them apart.
Zoom out: Place two fingers on the screen and pinch them together.
Pan around a page while zoomed: Drag your finger across the screen in any direction. ****If you do not have an Apple Pencil connected, you will need to use two fingers for this.
Scroll between pages: Swipe your finger up or down (or left and right if you're in horizontal scrolling mode). For longer documents, you can scroll the page a little to reveal the scrollbar. Then, long-press the scrollbar until it widens, and drag it up or down to quickly scroll through pages.
Scroll to the top: Tap the status bar at the top of the screen, which shows the clock, today's date, etc.
Fit the paper to the screen width: Double-tap the screen.
Jump to a page:
1. Open the More menu.
2. Choose Go to Page:, then type the page you want to jump to.