How to take notes on iPad

Learn how to create a digital notebook, take notes on PDFs and textbooks, and write with Apple Pencil, all in one app:

• Tap + then Create Note, choose a paper type, tap Done.
• Type, write with Apple Pencil, or add shapes, all in one note.
• Reading a textbook? Insert a blank note page next to it and write side by side.
• Notes are saved as PDFs, synced across devices, and can be exported at any time.

Need to draft a to-do list or capture your impressions while reading a book? You may have used the Notes app on your iPad. If you want the best note-taking app, consider PDF Expert, packed with the tools you need to read and annotate documents and papers in a PDF format. Have a file in a different format? Not a problem, check out how to convert it to PDF. Besides note-taking, it offers options to create a PDF from photos, scan documents, merge files, sync your files with cloud storage, create your own digital library, and much more.

That’s not what you expect from a PDF editor, right? Let’s learn how to take notes on an iPad with PDF Expert.

Create a digital notebook for your notes

Tap the blue plus icon at the bottom right and select Create Note. PDF Expert offers nine different paper types, including lined and grid pages. Whether you want to jot down ideas for your thesis or take notes for a math class, you can select the best option. After choosing the paper type and color, tap Done.

A one-page file is ready for your notes! To add more pages, tap  at the top left. Here, you’ll see the layout of your document. Select  Insert at the top to add a new page. PDF Expert will offer you to add a Blank Page, Scan Page, or add Another File. Choose Blank page, then the paper type and color, and tap Done. You can easily reorder existing pages by using drag and drop.

Take notes from a textbook while you read

Imagine you have a textbook with a list of questions you need to answer. Or maybe you want to write a summary for a particular page or chapter. In PDF Expert, you can add a blank page for notes right to your book. For example, you can read a page on the left and take notes on the right. It helps you focus on your work instead of constantly jumping between a book and a note-taking app.

Open your book and tap the View Settings  at the top right. Tap Two Pages and enable the First Page Alone.

Now, let’s add a blank page for writing notes on your iPad. Tap  at the top left and then tap the insert icon  on the top toolbar. Select the page appearance and tap Done. If you need to move the inserted page, touch and hold it and use drag and drop.

You can always extract the pages with your notes as a separate PDF file for convenient review and storage. Tap  and then Select at the top right. Tick the required pages, then tap Extract on the top toolbar. In a pop-up message, name your file, choose where to save it, and tap Done. Now, you have your notes in one place!

How to take Cornell notes on iPad using PDF Expert

The Cornell method organizes your notes into three sections on a single page, each with a specific job. It was developed to make reviewing faster and more effective than flipping through pages of unstructured notes. You can easily use this method in PDF Expert by dividing a Notes page into four sections:

1. Header: Add the title, date, and topic at the top. This makes it easy to find the right notes later through Search, especially if you're studying from a stack of them.
2. Note-taking column (about two-thirds of the page, on the right): This is where you write during the lecture or while reading. Use short phrases and bullet points rather than full sentences: the goal is to capture ideas quickly.
3. Cue column (about one-third of the page, on the left): Leave this blank while you're taking notes. Afterward, go back and add keywords or questions that correspond to what's in the note column. These become prompts you can use to test yourself later.
4. Summary section (a few lines at the bottom): Once you've finished, write two to four sentences summarizing the page in your own words. This step forces you to process the material rather than just copy it down.

Alternatively, you can use PDF Copilot to generate a quiz based on your PDF to test yourself or ask it to create a short summary of the whole textbook or part of the text. 

However, if you don’t want to create a separate note page and would rather highlight and underline text in your PDF, or add small text notes on top of it, then it’s better to use annotation tools in PDF Expert to mark up your document. Here is how: How to Annotate Textbooks to Remember More

Take notes in the margins

Use the free margin space to note important comments and thoughts while reading. If you need more space, PDF Expert has a solution - Resize Margins. You can change how much blank space is available on an individual page or all pages in a file simultaneously.

To resize margins in PDF Expert:

1. Open a PDF in PDF Expert.
2. Tap View Settings in the top-right corner (the aA icon).
3. Tap Resize Margins.
4. Tick the checkboxes. There are four checkboxes available on each side of a page.
5. Tap the Plus button (+) to add extra space to the selected margins.

Now you have the blank space for all your comments and annotations on the topic of your document.

Have you accidentally added unnecessary space or decreased the margins? You can restore them to their original state by tapping Restore Original.

Write, draw, and record notes with Apple Pencil

Once you open your file, tap Annotate to access powerful annotation tools. When you need to write or draw, select the Pen tool on the toolbar and choose its color, line thickness, and tip sensitivity. You can create four different pen patterns and quickly switch between them while writing. To save the selected pen patterns, tap the Star icon. It will update your pen selection in the tool Pens available in the toolbar via the Plus button.

If you need to delete your writing:

1. Tap the Annotate tab and tap the Eraser tool.
2. Move your finger over the unnecessary annotations to remove them.
3. Tap the Eraser once again to deactivate it.

Enable wrist protection to take notes on the iPad more naturally with a stylus or Apple Pencil. It lets you rest your palm on the screen while writing and prevents the iPad from responding to that touch. 

To activate wrist protection:

1. Open PDF Expert, open My Files.
2. Tap Settings (the Settings icon is located at the bottom left of My Files.)
3. Tap General and tap PDF Viewer.
4. Find Wrist Protection settings and tap Right-handed or Left-handed.

One final tip: You can move the annotation toolbar to make writing more comfortable. Touch and hold the two lines at the end of the toolbar, then move them to the right, left, or top of the screen. For example, if you’re left-handed, you can drag the toolbar to the right to manage tools with your right hand while writing.

How to use Apple Pencil to create searchable handwriting notes

With Apple Pencil Pro, iPadOS 27, and PDF Expert on iPad, you can quickly jot down your notes as if on paper, while still getting the benefits of digital notes. Pick up the Pen or Marker tool, write directly on your PDF, and your notes will keep your handwriting exactly as it is. The difference is that Handwriting Recognition now makes them searchable. Instead of flipping through pages to find what you wrote last week, you can search for a word and jump straight to it, whether it's in the current document or anywhere in your library. Recognition supports 29 languages. It also works on notes written before the update, and even on notes made in other apps. If you'd rather end up with clean, typed text, turn on the autoconversion toggle for the Pen or Marker tool, and your writing turns into digital text as you go. The Text and Note tools do the same with Apple Pencil input. 

Apple Pencil Pro tip: Squeeze the Apple Pencil to bring up a quick tool menu right on the page, so you don’t need to reach for the toolbar to switch tools or adjust settings.

If you’re not a fan of handwriting, just type your notes. Select the Text tool  on the toolbar and tap where you want to add text. You can select the text font size, color, font family, as well as advanced settings for border style, thickness, and color. When you’re finished, tap Done or tap the Text tool once again.

You can always tap text to edit or delete it, as well as resize and move the text field.

If you love visualizations, you can build diagrams and schemes in your notes. Select the Shape tool , choose the shape you wish, and its color. You can easily move, resize, and combine shapes to present the information in the most beautiful and convenient way.

Use sound annotations to capture sudden thoughts or emotions. If writing something down isn’t enough, just say it! Touch and hold anywhere on a page and choose Sound. Say everything you wish and tap the Stop button when you’re finished. Tap it to listen to your note. It’s a great way to comment on a document and literally say what you think.

All your notes are saved as PDFs, making them easy to share and view on multiple devices. You can keep your notes organized with PDF Expert’s built-in file manager. You are always backed up: PDF Expert works with all major cloud storage options, so you can access your files anywhere. Also, if you have PDF Expert on Mac, you can continue editing your notes there.

Bonus for all learners, PDF Expert provides a 30% educational discount for students and educators. 

• How to add a checkmark to a PDF on Mac

Download PDF Expert, one of the best note-taking apps for iPad, and start taking notes on your own with ease.

Got questions? We have answers:

Can I take notes on a PDF on an iPad?

Yes. Open your PDF in PDF Expert and choose the Pen or Marker tool to write directly on the page with Apple Pencil or your finger. You can also add sticky notes, text boxes, stamps, and shapes wherever you need them. Handwriting Recognition makes your handwritten notes searchable, so you can find them later without scrolling through every page. For a step-by-step guide to highlighting, underlining, and other markup, see how to annotate a PDF on iPad.

What's the best way to take notes from a textbook on an iPad?

Most people find it works best to combine a few techniques rather than rely on one:

• Highlight key passages in different colors, for example, one color for definitions and another for examples, so you can scan a chapter at a glance.
• Write short summaries or questions in the margins with Apple Pencil while the material is fresh.
• Use sticky notes for longer thoughts that don't fit on the page.
• Create a Cornell method sheet for a more structured note-taking strategy

When you're revising, search for a term to find both the printed text and your handwritten notes about it.

Does PDF Expert work with Apple Pencil?

Yes. You can use Apple Pencil to write, draw, highlight, and sign on any PDF in PDF Expert on iPad. With Handwriting Recognition, your handwritten notes become searchable while keeping their original look. If you'd rather have typed text, turn on autoconversion for the Pen or Marker tool, and your writing is converted as you go. The Text and Note tools also automatically convert Apple Pencil input into typed text. Apple Pencil hover lets you preview where a stroke will land, and haptic feedback confirms every squeeze and gesture with a subtle tap.

Can I turn my handwritten notes into a PDF I can share?

Yes. Anything you write on a PDF in PDF Expert is saved into the file itself, so you can share it by email, AirDrop, or any app in the Share menu, and your notes go along with it. If your notes are on paper, you can scan them with PDF Expert and convert them to a PDF first. If you need editable text rather than handwriting, use autoconversion or the Text tool to convert your notes into typed text before sharing.