Supported formats

Goodnotes is capable of importing a variety of file formats that can be annotated:

• PDF
• Image (.jpg, .png)
• Word (.doc, .docx) and PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) (iPadOS/iOS only)
• Goodnotes document (.goodnotes)
• Goodnotes backup (.goodnotes.zip). See Manual Backup & Restore.
• Comma- or Tab-Separated Values file (.csv, .tsv). The app can import a file in this format to create a study set. See Study with Study Sets.

<aside> ⚠️ Note that while Goodnotes can import Word and PowerPoint files directly on iPadOS/iOS, it may produce better results if you import PDF versions of these files instead. If you do import Word or PowerPoint files, Goodnotes will internally convert them to PDFs, but the final formatting may not be as accurate.

</aside>

Import files as new documents

From within the app

1. Choose New... from the Documents tab of the Library View.

2. Choose what to import:

   • To import an image from Photos, tap Image. Then, find an image and tap on it.
   • To import a physical document by scanning it, tap Scan Documents.
     • Next steps
   • To import a photo with the Camera, tap Take Photo. Then take a photo and tap Use Photo.
   • To import one or more files, tap Import, select the file(s) and tap Open.

From an external app

1. In Goodnotes, open the library view, and ideally open the folder that you want to contain the new document(s).

2. Switch to the other app, then do either of the following:

   • To import one file, tap to open it.
   • To import multiple files, select them from the list of files (if supported by the external app, indicated by the presence of a Select icon).

3. Tap Share (or Open In..., Send a copy, or the like) in that app.

4. Choose either of the following:

   • The Goodnotes app icon from the scrollable list of apps at the top.
   • Open in Goodnotes from the list of commands.

5. Do either of these:

   • To immediately import the new file(s) to the location shown at the top: Choose Import as New Document.
   • Change import details before importing the file(s):
     • Tap one or more title fields to rename the document(s).
     • Tap Location at the top and choose the destination folder.

Via Drag & Drop