Goodnotes has always been the place to capture your ideas — from quick notes to big plans. Now, it goes even further.
With powerful AI and flexible tools built for your Mac workflow, Goodnotes helps you connect the dots, unlock insights, and turn ideas into action.
*Goodnotes 5 users can continue using it indefinitely or upgrade to the new Goodnotes. Either way, your notes are safe and fully accessible on Mac.*
For professionals: Supercharge your productivity on Mac
- Text Documents + AI: Create intelligent documents that think with you. On Mac, enjoy a superior typing experience with inline blocks and flexible layouts that make the most of your screen. AI-powered summarization, automated note generation, and transcription support help turn rough notes and meetings into polished and shareable content.
- Whiteboard + Goodnotes AI: One of our most requested features is here. Brainstorm, diagram, and mind-map freely on a spacious, infinite canvas that grows with your thinking — perfect for larger screens and multitasking on Mac. Enhanced diagramming tools and real-time collaboration let teams workshop and problem-solve together, while Goodnotes AI helps capture and organize ideas instantly.
- AI Audio & Meetings: Stay focused in your meetings while Goodnotes on Mac works behind the scenes. AI-powered transcription and summarization tools record your conversations and structure them into clear meeting notes, ideal for remote work and hybrid teams. Merge transcripts with your own notes to create polished, shareable documents in seconds.
- Present directly from your Mac via AirPlay or HDMI to an external screen — no need for third-party tools.
- Use Laser Pointer to guide your audience during virtual or in-person presentations.
- Export your notes easily via email, print, or as PDFs.
- Share notebooks via link for collaborative editing — perfect for async work or team brainstorming.
- Import documents quickly by emailing them to your Goodnotes address — available on all your devices, including Mac.
For students: Study smarter, wherever you are
- Record audio notes that sync with your writing, perfect for lectures.
- Instantly search across all your notes with Mac's powerful built-in tools.
- Study Sets turn your notes into flashcards using active recall and spaced repetition.
- Use AI to summarize, rewrite, or edit your notes with tone suggestions and corrections.
For planners & creators: Organize with freedom
- Customize paper size, templates, and colors to match your workflow.
- Add or design stickers, stamps, washi tapes, images, and more to make your workspace yours.
Digital notebooks on Mac: All-in-one workspace
- Combine handwriting and typing on a single page, ideal for hybrid note-taking.
- Choose from customizable templates like Blank Paper, Ruled Paper, Cornell, Checklists, Planners, and more.
- Navigate long documents easily with outlines or imported PDF tables of contents.
- Sync seamlessly across Mac, iPad, and iPhone with iCloud.
- Back up everything to Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive.
- Edit handwriting with your mouse or trackpad — resize, recolor, or reposition effortlessly.
Privacy Policy: https://www.goodnotes.com/privacy-policy
Terms and Conditions: https://www.goodnotes.com/terms-and-conditions
Goodnotes is a digital notepad and PDF markup tool. And it’s very good at both. As a notepad, Goodnotes covers all the bases. Create notes with your keyboard or handwrite them with Apple Pencil. The app transforms your hand-drawn shapes into geometrically perfect ones. It’s also capable of recognizing your handwriting (even when you can’t) and converting it to text.
A bit of kinks here and there but overall a good study app!
Darrell John Cayaban
I love this app, it helps me to study! But, there are some things i'd like to see improved on it. I found that while working on some notes i'd get to the bottom of the page and when it would tell me to make a new page I would add one. However, there would be times when I'd add a new page in between already made notes (if by accident or just because i'd think i'd need the extra page), that when i'd delete the page (even if im currently selected on it), it would instead delete the ones with the already completed page of notes and I can't recover the page anymore, so i'd have to retype everything. There would also be times when the computer would add in already typed out words when it's trying to actively predict your word (e.g. I would type the word "paragraph" and while i'm typing out "paragr-" it would type out "paragrparagraph" or double the word "paragraph paragraph." I also noticed on the flashcards that you can only choose between text,picture, or written/drawing. sometimes my professor would have the pictures that are too big to capture with both the picture and questions in them. When trying to put pictures into the study cards I was disappointed knowing I can't really add in a text with the pictures that doesn't have questions such as putting "Find the amygdala in the picture". Aside from these hiccups that needs to be improved on, I think this app is a very good app.
Life-changing for students
HannahBanana1616
I first discovered GoodNotes (4...?) while starting my undergraduate degree (since we received iPads)-- I can honestly say it has changed my life. Being able to take handwritten digital notes saved me so much time and frustration. I know many fellow students preferred typing annotations to pdf's on their computer, but I wanted to be able to maintain the handwritten mental connection to information that has been proven to be more effective-- while not having to carry around 800 colored pens/ highlighters/ notebooks in order to create notes or having to take the time to redo them all later with these supplies. I am now in medical/ graduate school and it is still the only notetaking app I will use. Our school again provided iPads for students with Notability-- it seems that students frequently have issues with their apps crashing, functionality suddenly changing for the worse, etc. I never have these problems! While I personally enjoy the infinite benefits and organization of GoodNotes (combination of ADHD and the massive amount of information I need to organize in a short time for school), I have also personally gotten many compliments on both new features and how my notes look in real/ a short amount of time with multiple people asking what app I use because they are considering switching. SO worth the cost. Cannot praise this enough. While there are always some bugs and updates that could be made, support has a great forum for tracking requests that you can vote on! <3
Previous user of GoodNotes 4
HeathBlue30
I am a college student and have been using GoodNotes for more than 3 years on an iPad Pro (1st gen) for school. The companion app for the Mac is very useful. I was a bit skeptical when GoodNotes 5 came out and did not convert any of my notebooks to the new app because of it. I started using the new app on my iPad Pro for notetaking and homework. It took some getting used to, but now I find that I much prefer it over the previous version. I have yet to convert my old notebooks and was working in one of them the other day. I found that I actually missed the new interface in GoodNotes 5. I had to think about what I needed to do to change my pen color, line width, etc., where it has become 2nd nature in GoodNotes 5. There are still some bugs to be worked out, but they are things I can live with. I love the integration between apps. I turn in all my homework right from the GoodNotes app. I use the app on my Mac to insert images that are easier to get from my laptop. I also find it easier to insert typed passages from my laptop, too. The best part of the Mac app is that you have your notebooks right there for reference. I save all my stuff on iCloud. I insert an image from my Mac, and a few seconds later, it magically appears on my iPad! It's great! Keep up the good work and I look forward to future updates! I have yet to try the new flashcard feature, but intend to soon. I have a separate app that I currently use for flashcards and I would like to get away from having to use multiple apps.
* Connect your Outlook calendar to get event reminders in Goodnotes, so you'll never forget to take notes. Available for Pro users.
* Added text highlighting for text boxes, sticky notes, and shapes. Pick a color from the object menu to highlight your text and it stays attached as you edit, resize, or move things around. Clear or change the color anytime from the same menu.
* Better protection for locked documents: fixed cases where locked documents could be moved or exported without first being unlocked.
* Improved library and menu polish: fixed off-center select-mode action buttons on iPad and inconsistent folder or study set menu backgrounds on Mac.
* More reliable cloud storage navigation on Mac: fixed cases where navigation and cancel actions could stop responding.
* Sharing and comments open more reliably: fixed issues with the Link Sharing row and links to another participant’s comment thread.
* More stable text editing: fixed a hang when opening the text formatting popover and crashes when using keyboard toolbar buttons or inserting rich text.
* More reliable Handwriting Restyle: fixed issues on rotated pages and review controls that could remain visible after switching document tabs.
* Education: Classroom sample lessons load more reliably: fixed Model Answer getting stuck when using Present as the smart clustering source.
* Education: Teachers can switch between smart views more easily to view student submissions in the way they want
* Education: Experience improvements in Sample Lessons
* Smoother Marketplace browsing: fixed price buttons that could stay stuck loading on first navigation.
* General bug fixes and stability improvements.
Version 7.1.24
The developer, Goodnotes Limited, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Used to Track You
The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:
Identifiers
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Identifiers
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More