Watch the video below to learn more about how to use the tools on Notability

Welcome to Notability: powerful, yet wonderfully simple note-taking and PDF annotation. 

Get started with Notability here! This guide will walk you through navigating the app, using the tools, and our core features.

The Library

The Library houses your notes, subjects, and dividers. It’s where you access and organize your notes. 

Here, you can create new notes, search notes, access the Gallery, and customize the app settings.

Create a New Note

Tap  to create a new note. 

Change the background by selecting Rule, Grid, or Dot at the bottom of a new note.

Select Import to import a new file as a note. 

Select Scan to scan a document, which will be saved as a PDF background in the note. 

The Toolbox

Our Moveable Toolbox is fully customizable to suit your specific needs. The style tray gives you one tap access to your favorite tools and every tool has its own customizable presets. 

All tools including Tape, Ruler and Laser Pointer, are grouped in the Toolbox. Don't see a tool? Swipe left to reveal more. 

• Tap Pen and start writing with your finger or stylus. Tap Pen again to adjust color, line weight, and style. 
• Pencil has pressure sensitivity and texture for sketching and shading.
• Highlighter is a translucent ink that can emphasize the most important parts of a note.
• Eraser to remove anything you write or draw. Partial Eraser allows you to remove precise details and Whole Eraser erases the entire item. 
• Select Text and tap anywhere in the note to start typing. Create text boxes, which can be moved anywhere on the page.
•  Draw selections around ink/sketches to edit; convert handwriting to text. 
• Tap to take photos, scan documents, and add images to your note. Include GIFs and stickers. Insert sticky notes for quick reminders.
•   Use to scroll through your note and access hyperlinks outside of Notability. If another tool is selected, use two fingers to scroll up or down.
• Record lectures and meetings with Audio Recording; Note Replay syncs recordings with ink automatically. 
• Use Tape to cover up key information in your note and quiz yourself. 
• Use Ruler to create straight edges or measure precise angles. 
• Use Laser Pointer to direct your audience’s attention to specific parts of the page during presentations. 

Inside a Note: Undo/Redo, Options Menu, and Page Manager

Tap Undo/Redo  to undo or redo your last action. Enable Undo/Redo gestures in your app’s settings. Tapto export notes, modify your template settings, and select how you view your note.Use Page Manager to quickly navigate and manage pages in your note. 

Multi-Note and Note Switcher: Multi-Note lets you open and work on two notes at the same time in either horizontal or vertical view. Note Switcher allows you to quickly switch between notes.

Watch the video below to learn how to Import Files into  Notability from Google Drive

Import files from other apps like PDFs, PowerPoints, and spreadsheets into Notability. 

Library

1. Press and hold on  in the Library.
2. Select Import.
3. Choose to import from: Files, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, or WebDAV. 

New Note

1. Tap   in the Library.
2. At the bottom of the note’s page, tap .
3. Tap on the file you’d like to import into this note. 

From Other Apps

To import files from other apps, use the share feature in those apps.

Backing Up your Notability Files to Google Drive

Use Auto-Backup to back up your notes to one of several cloud storage services. 

This is a one-way backup—deleting a note in Notability does not delete the backup copy. Similarly, deleting a backup does not delete the original note in Notability. 

Create a Backup Folder in Google Drive

Create a folder specific to the school year for example, Notability Backup 23-24

Enable Auto-Backup

1. In Notability's Library, tap .
2. Tap Auto-Backup.
3. Tap a cloud service to select it:
   • Google Drive
4. Tap Backup Off to disable Auto-Backup.

Destination Folder

Backups go to a folder named Notability by default, but you can choose a different folder.

1. In Auto-Backup's settings, tap Destination.
2. Navigate to the desired destination folder. - The folder you created above
3. Tap Back Up To [folder's name].

File Format Options

You can back up your notes in one of several file formats.

1. In Auto-Backup's settings, tap File Format.
2. Tap a format:
   • PDF
     To include background lines and colors, enable the Paper toggle after you select PDF as your file format. Bookmarks and audio recordings will not be included.
   • RTF
     This is a good way to export typed text that you want to edit in another app.
   • Note
     This is Notability's custom file format. It includes audio recordings and keeps everything in a note editable if you import the file back into the app. This is a good way to share notes with others who use Notability.
   • PDF + Recording
     This makes .zip files that contain a PDF and a folder of .m4a audio files. This is a good way to share recordings with people who don't use Notability. Notability can't open .zip files, so you'll have to unzip them to import their contents back into Notability.
   • RTF + Recording
     This makes files that contain an RTF and a folder of .m4a audio files. Notability can't open .rtfd files, so you'll have to unzip them to import their contents back into Notability.

Subjects to Back Up 

By default, Auto-Backup does not back up password-protected notes. You can enable backups for password-protected notes and disable backups for other notes.

1. In Auto-Backup's settings, tap Subjects to Back Up.
2. Tap a subject to check or uncheck it.
3. If a subject is locked, type in its password and tap OK.

Restoring Backups

Notability can't restore subjects and dividers from a backup automatically, so they must be remade manually. You can import an entire subject of backup files into Notability at once by following the instructions above - Importing Files.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I delete a note in Notability, is the backup copy deleted?

No. The backup copy stays in your backup service.

When are notes backed up?

• When you enable Auto-Backup or change its settings, all of your notes are backed up.
• When you edit a note and return to the Library, that note is backed up.

Can notes be backed up to iCloud?

Auto-Backup only integrates with Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and WebDAV servers. You cannot create a one-way Notability backup with iCloud. You can sync notes across multiple devices via iCloud Sync.