Do you like taking notes on paper, but are ready to move your note taking to the iPad?
Today’s Tip
Using your Apple Pencil and the Scribble feature, you can write on your iPad as if it was a paper notebook. You can write, draw, highlight, and use the pencil as an extension of your fingertips. With a little practice, you can use your Apple Pencil to take notes, easily transcribe those notes into computer text, and even annotate documents just like you might on paper.
To Get Started with Scribble:
- Go to the Settings app.
- Tap Apple Pencil from the menu on the left-hand side.
- Select Try Scribble. You’ll have the opportunity to try the different Scribble actions like deleting, selecting, joining, or inserting words into a text box.
Uses of Scribble
Once you’ve activated Scribble, you can use your Apple Pencil to do any of the following:
- Draw: With some apps like Notes, Word, and Acrobat, you can draw detailed pictures using your Pencil. Look for the Palette icon in those apps (it looks like a small pen point within a circle). The palette usually gives you a pen, highlighter, marker, eraser, etc. to use on your drawing.
- Write in any text field: You can use your Apple Pencil to write out emails, messages, or even search on Maps. Your iPad will automatically convert your handwriting to computer text.
- Convert handwritten iPad notes to computer text: When you have the Palette open in any app, choose the tool that has the ‘A’ on it to convert any of your handwritten notes to computer text.
Handwritten notes on the iPad that you’ve already created can be transformed into computer text by holding your finger down on a word or sentence, tapping the selected words, and tapping “Copy as Text”. You can then move that text wherever you like.
Additional Support
Check out some of the resources we’ve curated on this topic for more support:
- Using Scribble (a video walkthrough of how to get started)
- Entering Text with Scribble
