Just tap the iPad lock screen with your Apple Pencil on a compatible iPad or tap New Note in Control Center. Use the attachment browser to find an attachment, such as documents, scans, photos, etc, inside your notes. Use iCloud to keep all your notes stored securely in the cloud and updated everywhere.
- Believe it or not, the built-in Notes app on your iPhone and iPad can do more than just typed notes and dictation. You can definitely add in handwritten notes, sketches, and draw in the Notes app. Just start a new note and select the drawing tool, and write or sketch away!
- The Notes app is good enough to let you make a pretty workable sheet using tables. When you are within a note, tap on the screen to bring up the keyboard along with other options. Check out the tiny little table icon to add it. Then, you can add more row and column as per your need.
- Take beautiful, searchable handwritten notes with the note-taking app that turns your iPad into digital paper Always find what you wrote Thanks to handwriting recognition and OCR technology, your entire library of digital notes is searchable.
The iPad is perfectly suited for an activity such as handwriting. The screens are large, the bezels provide a good rest for your palm, and everything is just laid out so well. Of course, you'll need some great apps in order to do all of this so here are the best handwriting apps for the iPad! If you have an Android device, our sister site has a great list of the best note taking apps for Android!
Jotter
[Price: $0.99 with in-app purchases]
First on our list is Jotter. This handwriting app is a fairly simple app that lets you do pretty much what it says it does which is let you jot stuff down. It does come with unique features like a pen that writes thinner or thicker depending on your writing speed, highlighter functions, zoom, iCloud support, and much more. It's relatively inexpensive at $0.99 with the in-app purchases consisting mostly of various types of paper you can use.
MyScript Calculator
[Price: Free]
MyScript Calculator isn't your usual handwriting app. Instead, it's actually a calculator that lets you jot down equations which it will then solve. It's not overly powerful and it can't do your advanced calculus homework, but simple things and a good deal of algebra shouldn't be too much trouble. It's a totally free application and one of the more unique uses of handwriting we've seen.
Notability
[Price: $5.99]
Notability is one of the more powerful and popular handwriting apps available on the iPad. It has a host of features for all kinds of writing styles and includes a split view so you can browse documents or other PDFs and take notes simultaneously. It also features various fonts, colors, and sizes as well as PDF annotation (including signing PDFs), palm detection to avoid any accidents, and plenty of other features. It's a tad expensive, but there are no in-app purchases
NoteLedge
[Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases]
NoteLedge is a note taking app that was developed specifically for the iPad. It includes some decent features such as a full set of stylus options including pencils, crayons, and watercolor which makes this app good for taking notes or drawing if you want. It has palm detection to help minimize errors and there are even some unique features such as audio and video recording. It's a bit expensive, especially considering it has in-app purchases, but the feature set is solid.
Notepad+
[Price: $2.99]
Notepad+ is a powerful note taking application with a ton of features and a decent price. Some of the features include the ability to annotate PDF files, adding titles to notes, creating a virtual whiteboard, and plenty of others. This one aims for those who need to take notes during things like business meetings, lectures, and conferences and provides a lot of features specifically for those folks. There are also no in-app purchases.
Notes Plus
[Price: $9.99]
Notes Plus is a bit more obscure of an application despite being one of the first note taking applications available after the iPad's first release. It does have a solid set of features, including the option to use handwriting or typed text. You can also upload to Dropbox, insert images into notes, palm rejection, and zoom for close up writing. It can also convert written text to typed text if you need it. It's a bit expensive and newer versions haven't hit the mark with reviewers, but it's a decent app nonetheless.
Noteshelf
[Price: $7.99 with in-app purchases]
Noteshelf is another popular note taking application with handwriting support built right in. The one has a lot of the standard stuff like palm detection, and various customization features like notebook covers and more. However, the real unique stuff is in the security and organization. You can set passwords to protect your notes from prying eyes and the organization features are similar to that of something like Evernote. The in-app purchases are fairly innocuous and shouldn't spur too much anguish.
Note Taker HD
Photoshop free download 2019. [Price: $4.99]
Note Taker HD is another note taking app that's a little more obscure than others. It aims at those who need these apps for business, academia, and similar occupations and activities. It features some decent organization that lets you tag notes in order to easily categorize them. It also supports PDFs, diagrams, and plenty of other rich content to make your notes really sparkle. It even has support for AirPlay. There are also no in-app purchases.
Touchwriter HD
[Price: $2.99]
Touchwriter HD is a cheaper handwriting option that tries to keep things a little more simple. It does still have a decent set of features, including various import and export options and it provides a pretty decent writing experience overall. It also comes with iCloud support, the ability to create to-do lists, emoticons, and plenty of other features. It's not overly powerful, but it's no slouch either.
Penultimate
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Last, but certainly not least on our list is Penultimate. This is a wildly popular note taking application and it also happens to support handwriting. It's developed by the same team that does Evernote so you know it's pretty good. It features support for various styli along with a lot of the same features you'll find in Evernote. That includes its hallmark organization features. It's free to download so there's no harm in trying it out. It's also perfect for those who also use Evernote.
Ipad Notes App Disappeared
Wrap up
If we missed any great handwriting apps for the iPad, tell us about it in the comments below! If you want to stay up to date on the latest in iPad apps, check out our apps page!
Best car mounts for iPad
How to authorize a computer on iTunes
Apple Watch vs Fitbit Blaze – which is right for your lifestyle?
How to pair wireless headphones to the iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
Apple iPad Air 2 vs iPad Mini 4 (2020)
Check your account settings
If you store your notes with a third-party account or email service, like Gmail or Yahoo, check your settings:
- Go to Settings > Mail, then tap Accounts.
- Tap the email account that you want to check.
- Make sure that Notes is on.
If you use Notes with more than one email account, just repeat the steps for each account. If your account is missing, learn how to add it again.
Check your Recently Deleted folder
Ipad Notes Application
If you store your notes on iCloud, check your Recently Deleted folder:
The iPad is perfectly suited for an activity such as handwriting. The screens are large, the bezels provide a good rest for your palm, and everything is just laid out so well. Of course, you'll need some great apps in order to do all of this so here are the best handwriting apps for the iPad! If you have an Android device, our sister site has a great list of the best note taking apps for Android!
Jotter
[Price: $0.99 with in-app purchases]
First on our list is Jotter. This handwriting app is a fairly simple app that lets you do pretty much what it says it does which is let you jot stuff down. It does come with unique features like a pen that writes thinner or thicker depending on your writing speed, highlighter functions, zoom, iCloud support, and much more. It's relatively inexpensive at $0.99 with the in-app purchases consisting mostly of various types of paper you can use.
MyScript Calculator
[Price: Free]
MyScript Calculator isn't your usual handwriting app. Instead, it's actually a calculator that lets you jot down equations which it will then solve. It's not overly powerful and it can't do your advanced calculus homework, but simple things and a good deal of algebra shouldn't be too much trouble. It's a totally free application and one of the more unique uses of handwriting we've seen.
Notability
[Price: $5.99]
Notability is one of the more powerful and popular handwriting apps available on the iPad. It has a host of features for all kinds of writing styles and includes a split view so you can browse documents or other PDFs and take notes simultaneously. It also features various fonts, colors, and sizes as well as PDF annotation (including signing PDFs), palm detection to avoid any accidents, and plenty of other features. It's a tad expensive, but there are no in-app purchases
NoteLedge
[Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases]
NoteLedge is a note taking app that was developed specifically for the iPad. It includes some decent features such as a full set of stylus options including pencils, crayons, and watercolor which makes this app good for taking notes or drawing if you want. It has palm detection to help minimize errors and there are even some unique features such as audio and video recording. It's a bit expensive, especially considering it has in-app purchases, but the feature set is solid.
Notepad+
[Price: $2.99]
Notepad+ is a powerful note taking application with a ton of features and a decent price. Some of the features include the ability to annotate PDF files, adding titles to notes, creating a virtual whiteboard, and plenty of others. This one aims for those who need to take notes during things like business meetings, lectures, and conferences and provides a lot of features specifically for those folks. There are also no in-app purchases.
Notes Plus
[Price: $9.99]
Notes Plus is a bit more obscure of an application despite being one of the first note taking applications available after the iPad's first release. It does have a solid set of features, including the option to use handwriting or typed text. You can also upload to Dropbox, insert images into notes, palm rejection, and zoom for close up writing. It can also convert written text to typed text if you need it. It's a bit expensive and newer versions haven't hit the mark with reviewers, but it's a decent app nonetheless.
Noteshelf
[Price: $7.99 with in-app purchases]
Noteshelf is another popular note taking application with handwriting support built right in. The one has a lot of the standard stuff like palm detection, and various customization features like notebook covers and more. However, the real unique stuff is in the security and organization. You can set passwords to protect your notes from prying eyes and the organization features are similar to that of something like Evernote. The in-app purchases are fairly innocuous and shouldn't spur too much anguish.
Note Taker HD
Photoshop free download 2019. [Price: $4.99]
Note Taker HD is another note taking app that's a little more obscure than others. It aims at those who need these apps for business, academia, and similar occupations and activities. It features some decent organization that lets you tag notes in order to easily categorize them. It also supports PDFs, diagrams, and plenty of other rich content to make your notes really sparkle. It even has support for AirPlay. There are also no in-app purchases.
Touchwriter HD
[Price: $2.99]
Touchwriter HD is a cheaper handwriting option that tries to keep things a little more simple. It does still have a decent set of features, including various import and export options and it provides a pretty decent writing experience overall. It also comes with iCloud support, the ability to create to-do lists, emoticons, and plenty of other features. It's not overly powerful, but it's no slouch either.
Penultimate
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Last, but certainly not least on our list is Penultimate. This is a wildly popular note taking application and it also happens to support handwriting. It's developed by the same team that does Evernote so you know it's pretty good. It features support for various styli along with a lot of the same features you'll find in Evernote. That includes its hallmark organization features. It's free to download so there's no harm in trying it out. It's also perfect for those who also use Evernote.
Ipad Notes App Disappeared
Wrap up
If we missed any great handwriting apps for the iPad, tell us about it in the comments below! If you want to stay up to date on the latest in iPad apps, check out our apps page!
Best car mounts for iPad
How to authorize a computer on iTunes
Apple Watch vs Fitbit Blaze – which is right for your lifestyle?
How to pair wireless headphones to the iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
Apple iPad Air 2 vs iPad Mini 4 (2020)
Check your account settings
If you store your notes with a third-party account or email service, like Gmail or Yahoo, check your settings:
- Go to Settings > Mail, then tap Accounts.
- Tap the email account that you want to check.
- Make sure that Notes is on.
If you use Notes with more than one email account, just repeat the steps for each account. If your account is missing, learn how to add it again.
Check your Recently Deleted folder
Ipad Notes Application
If you store your notes on iCloud, check your Recently Deleted folder:
- Open Notes, then tap Back until you see your Folders list.
- Tap Recently Deleted and search for your note.
If you find your note in Recently Deleted or in another folder, you can move it:
- In the Notes list, tap Edit.
- Select the note that you want to move.
- Tap Move, then select the folder you want to move it to.
If you use notes with another service, like Gmail or Yahoo, check the Trash folder of that account in the Mail app. If you delete a note from the Notes app, your third-party account will usually keep it in the Trash folder. To recover a note from the Trash folder, you need to copy and paste the note to a new note in the Notes app.
Use Search to find your notes
- Open Notes, then tap Back until you see your list of notes.
- Tap the Search bar and type a word, phrase, or the title from the note that you're looking for.
- Make sure All Accounts is selected. Search will check all of your notes in each folder across your accounts, like an email account.
If you don't see the Search bar, you might need to scroll to find it. If you still can't find a note, you might have the note locked. Search will only see the title of locked notes, so you might need to check all of your locked notes to find the specific note that you're looking for.
Manually search for your notes
If Search doesn't show results, you might need to check a different folder and scroll down the list:
- Open Notes, then tap Back until you see your Folders list.
- If you have more than one folder, tap a different folder to see if your note is in there.
If you still can't find your note, it's possible that you're not using the correct word, phrase or title from the note.
Ipad Notes Apps
Learn more about Notes
Ipad Notes Apps
Use Notes to do things like create checklists, sketch ideas, and share notes.
