Handwrite on a PDF for free, with a stylus, finger or mouse

If you want to write on lecture slides, mark up a worksheet or keep handwritten notebooks without paying for an app, open PDF Notes. It runs in your browser on a tablet, laptop or phone. Open a PDF or start a lined, grid, dotted or blank notebook, write with a pen and highlighter, and export a PDF with your writing on it. It's a free alternative to GoodNotes for people who don't need cloud sync or handwriting search, and there's no limit on notebooks.

Open PDF Notes

Step by step

1. Open PDF Notes. Your library of notebooks appears; it's empty the first time.
2. To write on a document, press Open a PDF or drop the file on the page. To start a notebook, press New notebook, give it a name and pick the paper (Blank, Lined, Grid or Dotted) and the page size (A4 or US Letter).
3. Pick Pen or Highlighter, a colour and a size, and write. With a pressure-sensitive stylus the line gets thicker as you press harder.
4. To remove something, pick Eraser and touch the line. Undo and redo are in the toolbar (Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y).
5. To move writing, pick Select, draw a loop round the lines, then drag them. With a selection you can also recolour it or delete it.
6. Press Page to add a page after the one you're on. Under each page you can change the paper of notebook pages, save the page as a PNG picture, or delete it. Pages shows thumbnails of every page so you can jump to one.
7. Press Export PDF to download the PDF with your writing. Your notebook stays in the library for next time.

Who it helps

• Students who get lecture slides as PDFs and want to write next to them on an iPad, Android tablet or touch laptop.
• Teachers marking worksheets or writing worked examples on a PDF to share with the class.
• Anyone filling in a form by hand who would rather sign and write on screen than print and scan.
• Note-takers who like paper-style notebooks but want them on the device they already have, without another subscription.

Why it's private

PDF Notes is a static page. Your PDFs and notebooks are saved in your browser's storage on your device and are never uploaded, and the exported PDF is made by your browser. The page's security policy blocks it from sending anything to other websites. After the first visit it also works offline.

Tips and limits

• Tablet with a stylus? Turn on More → Draw with a stylus only so your palm and fingers scroll the pages instead of drawing. It turns on by itself the first time you write with a stylus.
• Back up. Clearing your browser data deletes your notebooks. Use More → Save notebook file to keep a .pdfnotes file (it includes the original PDF), and Open notebook file in the library to bring it back on any device.
• Keyboard: P pen, H highlighter, E eraser, L select, + and − to zoom, 0 to fit the width, G for all pages, ? for help.
• Password-protected PDFs can't be opened. Remove the password first.
• What it doesn't do: no typed text boxes, shapes, stickers, handwriting search, audio recording or sync between devices.

FAQ

Is PDF Notes really free, with no limit on notebooks?

Yes. There is no account, no paid tier and no limit set by the app on notebooks or pages. The only limit is your browser's storage.

Does it work with an Apple Pencil or another stylus?

Yes. It uses your browser's pointer events, so an Apple Pencil on iPad, a Surface Pen or a Wacom pen draw directly, and pen pressure changes the line width. The first time you use a stylus, fingers switch to scrolling so your hand doesn't leave marks.

Will the exported PDF keep my original pages?

Yes. The original PDF pages are copied as they are, text and all, and your writing is added on top as vector lines, so it stays sharp when you zoom in.

Are my notes uploaded or synced?

No. Notebooks are saved in your browser's storage on your device. There is no cloud sync. To move a notebook to another device, save a notebook file from the More menu and open it there.

Can I type text or recognise my handwriting?

No. PDF Notes is for handwriting and highlighting. It has no text boxes, shape recognition or handwriting search.

Related tools

• PDF Sign: add a signature to a PDF.
• PDF Fill: type into PDF form fields.
• Flashcards: turn your notes into cards to revise with.
• Study Planner: plan when to revise each subject.
• All guides