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3 very simple ways to take notes on your iPad using an Apple Pencil


Apple’s iPad has many different uses, one of which is using it to replace a tablet of paper and a pen, or a sketchbook and a pencil. There are a few different ways you can jot down your latest idea or quickly draw an example of what you want to create on the iPad.

You’ll, of course, need an iPad and the appropriate Apple Pencil for your iPad model. I’ll include a list of which iPad model uses which version of the Apple Pencil at the bottom of this post. 

1. How to use an Apple Pencil with the Apple Notes app

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Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

The easiest way to start using the Apple Pencil to take notes on your iPad is to open the Apple Notes app, tap the New Note/Compose button in the top-right corner and start writing or drawing. You don’t have to select the Apple Pencil icon before you start using it. That icon only brings up additional tools for you to change the type of tool the Apple Pencil is set to, like an erasure or a marker, along with ink color. 

The Notes app is able to identify handwritten text, allowing you to copy your handwriting as text, or if you switch to the pen tool with an “A” on it, your writing will be automatically converted to text as you write. It’s pretty accurate, even with my horrible handwriting. 

To copy your handwriting as text, long press on the first word until it’s highlighted. Next, drag the highlight selector tool until all of your writing is selected and then wait for the menu to show up, asking what you want to do with your selection. 

2. How to take notes from the lock screen

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Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

This is a hidden feature that I admit I forget about all too often. You can start taking notes using the Apple Pencil directly from the lock screen, even when your iPad is asleep. 

Instead of waking and unlocking your iPad, then opening the Notes app, all you need to do is tap your iPad’s screen with the tip of your Apple Pencil. A blank note page will open, ready for you to start writing or sketching. 

Once you’re done, the document will be saved to the Notes app for future reference. You can control whether a new note is created each time you use this feature, or if the last note you were editing is opened by going to Settings > Notes > Access Notes from Lock Screen.

3. How to use Quick Notes on the iPad

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Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

Starting with iPadOS 15, Apple added a feature called Quick Notes to the tablet. Quick Notes lives as a popup that slides out of the bottom-right corner of the screen, letting you add links to whatever Safari page you’re currently on, or you can begin writing with your Apple Pencil and save it for future access. 

Trigger Quick Notes by swiping towards the middle of the screen from the bottom-right corner. The last Quick Note you were using will show up by default, or you can tap on the compose button and create a new note.

All of your Quick Notes will be saved to the Notes app in a folder labeled Quick Notes. 

If you want to change which corner you use to trigger Quick Notes, open the Settings app, then select Apple Pencil and look for the Pencil Gestures section. 

iPad and Apple Pencil compatibility list

The $129 second-generation Apple Pencil will work with the following iPad models:

  • iPad mini (6th generation)
  • iPad Air (4th generation and later)
  • iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later)
  • iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later)

The $99 first-generation Apple Pencil will work with the following iPad models: 

  • iPad mini (5th generation)
  • iPad (6th generation and later)
  • iPad Air (3rd generation)
  • iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st and 2nd generation)
  • iPad Pro 10.5-inch
  • iPad Pro 9.7-inch



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