Select a drawing mode in Microsoft OneNote On the Draw tab, at the far right of the ribbon, tap the Drawing Mode icon. Next, do any of the following: Turn on the Draw with Touch option to enable drawing with your finger. If this option is. Turn on the Draw with Touch option to enable drawing with.
- OneNote Gem is a specialized site that offers you add-ins to enhance the functionality of OneNote. In here, you’ll find a collection of 15+ templates for personal projects, managing life, and work. It includes weekly assignments, appointments, time management, and a GTD template.
- OneNote for iPad isn’t just for note-taking. You can use its built-in inking features to handwrite notes or to create drawings and sketches. To draw in OneNote, you can use your finger or use a compatible stylus or pen that's paired with your iPad. To begin drawing or writing in OneNote.
- Notability and Apple Pencil: The Ultimate Journaling Toolset
I started journaling a few years ago as a mindfulness practice. My life usually goes at a fast pace from when I wake up in the morning to when I collapse into bed at the end of the day. After all, maintaining my relationship with my wife of eighteen years, tending to the needs of our three children, and performing my full time job as an Engineering Manager leaves very few spare moments in my day.
However, I found that taking time to pause and write in my journal helped me pay attention to the thoughts, memories, and observations that I was missing. Getting these things out of my head and into a journal freed up space in my mind and also provided a sense of calm.
I tried several methods and tools over the years ranging from day planners to notebooks, but I found the perfect solution for me in the Notability app on the iPad and the Apple Pencil. However, it was a journey to get there.
Previous Tools
Paper Journals
- Here are a few of my paper journals. I really loved the one on top.
My earliest journals were thin paper calendar organizers that I used in my years as an undergraduate electrical engineering student at The University of Texas at Austin. I used these calendars to organize my class schedule and also capture my thoughts about the people, places, and events in my life. I have to admit that it’s nice to revisit the things that seemed important to me during those years.
After I graduated and started my career, I started using to thicker paper notebooks that had dedicated pages for journaling. I have a stack of these notebooks in my office and up in the attic. While some of these journals contain work notes like minutes from meetings, I would often write down my thoughts about those years, too.
I loved the physicality of paper notebooks and writing in them with a pen. I’ve found that typing in a word processor didn’t have the psychological weight of writing. I have dozens of electronic journals in cloud storage, but they aren’t as meaningful to me as my stack of paper journals.
I went on to try several different types of paper based notebooks, and I eventually settled on my preferred configuration:
- Lay-flat wire binding that securely held the pages together
- Pre-populated calendar dates on pages so that I wouldn’t have to always write the date for my entries
- High grade (at least 120gsm) paper
- Grid lines to make it easier to draw things
- A place to store my pen
- An elastic closure that firmly kept the journal closed
- A bookmark
- A nice Pilot G2 ballpoint pen that didn’t bleed through the pages
- Despite not having a wire binding, this is what my favorite paper journal looks like open to a blank set of pages.
This planner and notebook (affiliate link) was the one the met most of these requirements, and I loved it!
However, the physicality of paper notebooks was also a weakness. I always feared losing my paper notebooks, and that would mean losing months if not years of irreplaceable thoughts. Also, I once lived in an apartment in Houston that was flooded during a hurricane. Not only did a I lose several photo albums, a number of my paper journals were ruined. I still have an innate fear of losing my paper journals due to another natural disaster.
Apps and Styli
As a technology enthusiast, I tried many software applications over the years to take the place of my paper journals. The major ones I tried were Evernote, Google Keep, and OneNote.
All of these applications provided some form of stylus support, and I tried them with a variety of styli, and they worked to some degree. Most of them had a “drawing” feature that provided a way to make handwritten notes. Many of them could convert my handwriting to text, search through my notes based on a text string, and provided a variety of colors for my journal entries. They all synced my information across multiple devices so I could access my journal on a tablet, laptop, or desktop.
However, none of these applications presented an enjoyable writing experience. There was a slight lag between when I moved the stylus and the writing appearing on the page. I liked a few things about all of the applications I tried, but none of them had a winning combination of features.
My Requirements
My experiences with physical and electronic ways to journal weren’t optimal, but they gave me a good idea of what I wanted:
- The writing experience had to be close to using a pen and paper.
- My journal entries should be backed up to the cloud in case of loss or theft.
- My entries should sync between devices to that I can get to the latest version of my journal entries.
- The application should be easy to use with an intuitive structure for organizing my entries.
- There should be some basic search function so that I can easily find old entries based on keywords
- The feature set should not be overwhelming and not have functionality that I didn’t need
Notability and the Apple Pencil
I eventually found the Notability app a few years ago after I installed and tried a bunch of note-taking apps on what was at the time a brand new iPad. I soon found it to be a simple but powerful solution to keeping an electronic journal.
I initially used Notability with the same simple styli I used with other apps. However, the release of the Apple Pencil (affiliate link) made Notability even more of a joy to use.
Benefits
Writing in the Notability app with an Apple Pencil was almost exactly like writing using a pen and paper. I could focus on writing instead of constantly trying to ignore the nagging feeling that what I was doing didn’t feel like writing.
Notability also has an “infinite scroll” approach to pages. That means that you keep writing and the page keeps scrolling as your write. Some note-taking apps force you to go to a new page when you reach the bottom of the current page. I found that to be very distracting since it took away from the writing experience.
You can also chose from a variety of cloud providers to automatically back up your entries in Notability. I use Google Drive, and I like knowing that if I ever lose my iPad, I can always get to my Journal entries in either PDF or Notability’s special format.
Notability is very simple to use, and the app creators have resisted the urge to throw every bell and whistle into the app. For example, there are a set number of colors to choose from instead of having a huge number of options to pick from a color wheel. Also, Notability selects and erases based on strokes instead of pixels. So, getting “close enough” works for when you need to manipulate something on the page.
My Approach to Journaling in Notability
You can find a lot of ways to journal online ranging from bullet journals to entries that are free form stream-of-consciousness. Some people journal to create a gratitude list, document affirmations, reflect on the past, plan for the future, etc. I don’t have a particular format or method for journaling. It’s more important for me to regularly journal as a personal practice than to constrain what I write.
- I use categories for each month.
I create a category in Notability for each month, and my journal entries are files in each category. As you can see in the image above, the number of entries in a month varies a lot, but I’m glad that I at least have one journal entry in each month since August 2019. While I don’t think I’ll ever write a journal entry every day of the month, I do try to write at least three a week.
- Here's a sample journal entry. It's a combination of a thought I wanted to record as well as a journal writing prompt.
Notability will automatically put a date and time stamp on my journals, but I’ve started putting the date at the beginning of the title for each entry so that it shows up in the filename of the backups stored in Google Drive. I didn’t like having to enter the date when I used paper journals, but this makes it easy to know exactly when I wrote each entry.
Using Journal Prompts
While I don’t stick to a prescribed method for my journal entries, I occasionally use a book called 365 Journal Writing Ideas (affiliate link) to find interesting prompts to respond to in my journal. I usually copy the prompt from an electronic version of the book into a text box and then hand write my response.
Here are some of my favorite prompts that I’ve answered over the past few months:
- What is some of the best advice you have ever received?
- I would like to improve my relationship with ( blank ) because…
- What would the name of your autobiography be and why?
- If you could relive one memory of your life over again, which would you choose and why?
- What is one of the best gifts you have ever received?
- When do you feel the most alive?
- What do people say you are good at?
- What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
- What do you appreciate about your life right now?
- Excluding people and pets what three things would you rescue from a fire?
- What skills do you want to learn and why?
- Tell me about a time when you took a big leap of faith or change of direction in your life.
- What are some of your favorite books and why?
These prompts are great for the days when it’s hard to think of something to write down. It’s been fun to look back on my responses to the prompts a few months ago, and I imagine that it will be very interesting to look back on them a few years from now.
Future Upgrades
I really like using Notability and the Apple Pencil to record my journal entries. It’s the combination I’ve spent years trying to find. However, I do have few ideas for how I want to upgrade my setup.
12.9-inch iPad Pro (4th Generation)
My current iPad is roughly two model years old, and, like most iPads, it’s rock solid. For my needs, it still works as fast as the day I took it out of Apple’s artistic packaging. However, the 4th Generation 12.9 inch iPad Pro (affiliate link) has the new camera array, and, I’d love to have that upgrade. I don’t often take pictures with my iPad, but it’s nice to know I have a couple of solid cameras when the need arises.
Apple Pencil (Second Generation)
I’m currently using the first generation Apple Pencil, and I’d like to eventually upgrade to the Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) (affiliate link). It’s reportedly even more buttery smooth to write with, and it magnetically attaches to the iPad.
Apple Magic Keyboard
I’ve also been keeping my eye on Apple’s Magic Keyboad (affiliate link). I think it’s way too expensive now, but I could see myself buying one when the price eventually goes down. It would be nice to have a keyboard, but I would primarily use it as a protective case and stand for the iPad.
Finding What Works for You
I recommend Notability and the Apple Pencil for keeping an electronic journal, but the practice of journaling is the key. Whether you use some other set of electronic tools or just pen and a paper notepad, regularly writing out your thoughts is a great way to relax and get to know yourself.
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which will send a small commission to me if you use them to make purchases.
Do you love the tactile experience of taking notes on paper but prefer the organization features of digital note-taking apps? We do, too.
And until recently, the best compromise we’d found was taking notes on paper and then scanning them into an app like Evernote.
While this approach worked, it wasn’t as seamless as we wanted. So for a while now, we’ve been experimenting with ways of taking handwritten notes with an iPad. And we’re excited to share that we’ve finally found a method that combines the best parts of writing by hand with the best parts of digital note-taking.
The key is to use a quality stylus, a screen protector that mimics paper, and, most importantly, the right note-taking app.
In this post, we’ll show you six of the best note-taking apps for the iPad. With a bit of practice, these apps will give you all the benefits of writing by hand without sacrificing the convenience of digital organization.
Note: All of the apps below work for both the iPad Pro and Classic, though the Pro’s larger screen size makes note-taking easier.
1. Notability
If we had to recommend just one iPad note-taking app, it would be Notability. The app offers a delightful writing experience, yet it also makes it easy to embed images, annotate PDFs, and even record voice memos.
Sketching and drawing in Notability is easy and downright delightful. Being able to doodle and quickly sketch out illustrations is one of our favorite things about taking notes on paper. Notability does an excellent job of emulating this experience, while also allowing you to do things you can’t do on paper such as resizing and moving your drawings.
In addition, Notability includes a variety of flexible layout options. This allows you to, for instance, have a slide or reference material open on one side of the page while you take notes on the other.
And beyond the layout of individual pages, you can also organize your notes using digital “Dividers” (which is perfect if you’re used to taking notes in a physical binder).
Finally, Notability gives you plenty of options for exporting and sharing your notes, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and AirDrop.
Price: $8.99
Check out the video below to see Notability in action:
2. Noteshelf
Noteshelf was our favorite note-taking app for the iPad before we discovered Notability, and it’s still a superb option.
It has many of the features we love in Notability, including the option to annotate PDFs and multitask with the iPad’s split screen. You can also record voice notes to go along with your handwritten notes, which is perfect for recapping a lecture or meeting at a later date.
If you speak/write multiple languages, you’ll also be pleased to know that Noteshelf can recognize handwriting in 65 different languages. This makes it a powerful tool whether you’re taking a language class or learning a language on your own.
Finally, Noteshelf lets you export your notes to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Evernote. The option to export to Evernote is noticeably missing from Notability, making Noteshelf our top pick for serious Evernote users.
Apple Watch users will also benefit from the app’s ability to record voice notes using the Noteshelf Apple Watch app.
Price: $9.99
3. GoodNotes 5
Up next, we have GoodNotes 5. This app has everything you want for taking notes, including the ability to switch between typing and writing. Plus, you can choose from several built-in note layouts and templates, as well as import your own.
Notably, GoodNotes 5 lets you adjust the sensitivity and palm recognition of the pen to match your writing style. This is perfect if you’re like me and tend to press very hard when writing.
Finally, GoodNotes 5 includes a “Presentation Mode” that lets you turn your iPad into a digital whiteboard. Using either AirPlay or an HDMI cable, you can project what you’re writing onto a larger screen while still being able to see the GoodNotes interface on your iPad. This is handy whether you’re giving a class presentation or pitching a business idea.
Price: $7.99
Want to learn how to take better notes? Check out our guide to the best note-taking systems.
4. Apple Notes
We couldn’t discuss iPad note-taking apps without mentioning Apple Notes. The app comes free with macOS/iOS devices, and it does a great job of letting you type or take notes by hand. The app’s drawing features are also solid, making it easy to add sketches and illustrations to your notes.
Aside from being free, the biggest advantage of Apple Notes is its deep integration with iOS. If you use iCloud and other Apple devices, you can effortlessly switch between taking notes on your iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
Plus, everything you create is automatically backed up to iCloud, and you can even create voice notes using Siri while you’re on the go.
Price: Free
5. Penultimate
Developed by Evernote, Penultimate is designed to be the go-to note-taking app for Evernote users. It has all the standard note-taking features you want, including a variety of layouts and the ability to search your handwritten notes with optical character recognition.
If you already use Evernote, then you can seamlessly add Penultimate to your workflow. Once you sign into the app with your Evernote account, all your notes will automatically sync to the Evernote notebook of your choice.
While the additional writing features of Noteshelf still make it our preferred note-taking app to use with Evernote, Penultimate remains a solid choice (especially if you’re looking for a free app).
Price: Free
6. Microsoft OneNote
Odds are, you’ve used (or at least have access to) Microsoft OneNote at work or school. But did you know that the OneNote iPad app allows you to take handwritten notes?
Use Apple Pencil With Onenote
OneNote lets you write notes either on a blank page or a layout that emulates a sheet of lined paper. The general setup of the app mimics a physical binder, allowing you to organize your notes by topic.
OneNote for iPad also offers a variety of multimedia features. You can type text, insert graphics, and even include voice recordings. You can also search notes for specific words and view your notes across devices. And everything you create in OneNote is automatically backed up to OneDrive.
If you’re already a serious Microsoft app user, then OneNote will integrate seamlessly into your workflow.
Price: Free (with a Microsoft Account)
Start Taking Notes With Your iPad Today
I hope this article has shown you the exciting options you have for taking notes with your iPad. It’s now easier than ever to get the benefits of writing on paper without sacrificing the organization features of digital apps.
Apple Pencil Onenote Review
Of course, to benefit from taking notes, you need to make it a habit. If you’re looking to build the habit of taking notes (or another productive habit), you’ll love our latest course.
Click the button below to learn how you can take it (and thousands of other classes) for free:
Take My New (Free) Class: Productivity for Creatives
If you do creative work—writing, taking photos, making videos and music, etc.—then this class will help you boost your output and take that work to the next level.