A guide to Goodnotes AI

Ever wished your notes could work a little harder for you? We've got something exciting to share! Goodnotes AI is your personal companion that brings your ideas to life in seconds. It's already right there in your notebook, ready to help you organize, summarize, and spark creativity.

What is Goodnotes AI

Goodnotes AI is your assistant that makes note-taking effortless and more productive. Think of it as having a smart assistant right inside your notebooks, ready to help you organize thoughts, solve problems, and bring your ideas to life. Whether you're brainstorming, studying, or working on projects, Goodnotes AI understands what you need and helps you get there faster.

Key Features of Goodnotes AI

Goodnotes AI offers a versatile suite of powerful features designed to enhance your note-taking experience across different document types and use cases.

Using Goodnotes AI for Whiteboard and Notebooks

Whether you're brainstorming on a whiteboard or taking detailed notes in your notebook, Goodnotes AI helps you effortlessly complete tasks such as summarizing key takeaways into a new page or creating a visual summary. It can also create templates from your notes and much more. Learn how to leverage AI features across different document types to enhance your productivity and creativity.

Learn more about Whiteboard on this help article

Using Goodnotes AI for Text Documents

Discover how Goodnotes AI enhances your text documents with smart formatting, content organization, and creative suggestions. Whether you're drafting a report, organizing research, or crafting a story, our AI assistant helps streamline your writing process while maintaining your unique voice.

Learn more about Text Document on this help article

Goodnotes AI for Math

Ready to supercharge your mathematical problem-solving? Goodnotes AI is here to help! Discover how to solve equations, get step-by-step explanations, and enhance your learning experience in our detailed guide.

Learn more about Goodnotes AI for Math on this help article.

Goodnotes AI for Meetings

Transform your voice notes into actionable insights! Learn how Goodnotes AI can help you make the most of your audio recordings in our comprehensive guide.

Learn more about Goodnotes AI for Meetings on this help article.

Accessing Goodnotes AI

Goodnotes AI is available globally except for the following regions:

Afghanistan
Belarus
Iran
Macau
North Korea
Russia
Syria
Ukraine
Venezuela

Goodnotes AI is an easy, natural way to interact and co-create with AI on the canvas. Goodnotes AI works with all document types, notebooks, whiteboards, and text documents. Just open any document, tap the Goodnotes AI icon in the top left, and let your curiosity guide you!

To begin using the Goodnotes AI feature, open any of your notebooks in the application.
Select the Goodnotes AI icon from the navigation bar in the top left.
Your AI assistant will launch in a Floating view.
When the chat is ready, simply ask a question by typing, or using a Quick Action.
Alternatively, use the lasso tool to select content and tap the Goodnotes AI icon to work on the specific section.
Tap on the AI icon again to hide the Agent, allowing you to work in a fully distraction free space.

Different ways to interact with the Goodnotes AI

You can interact with Goodnotes AI in various ways and continue your chat seamlessly.

To choose the display that work best with you:

Simply tap the […] menu
Choose your preferred display method: Floating, Sidebar, or Window.

Floating

When you tap the Goodnotes AI icon in the top left of toolbar, it appears as a floating view that you can move around anywhere on the screen. This allows you to continue working without any visual obstruction.

To move the Floating view simply drag it along the screen.

Sidebar

Goodnotes AI is also available in the sidebar, letting you work on your document while chatting with the AI assistant side by side. The sidebar provides a larger viewing area and shows your full conversation history.

Window

Switching to Window display lets you interact with the AI assistant and view conversation history in a window view.

Access Goodnotes AI using Object menu

Tap and hold on any object to bring up the object menu.
Tap on Goodnotes AI icon to start prompting.

Access Goodnotes AI using Lasso Tool

You can select specific objects to focus the AI assistant's attention exactly where you need it.

Use the lasso tool to select specific content you want to work with.
Then, tap the Goodnotes AI icon to start prompting.

Using the Modify Feature

When generating content with the AI assistant, you can use the Modify feature to experiment with the output.

Prompt the AI Assistant to create content such as an image.
After content is created, tap the Modify button.
A window is opened where you can make further adjustments.

Once you're happy with the created content, tap Insert to add it to your page. If you’d prefer to start over, tap Discard.

Pro Tips: When the Modify window is open, you can tap the minimize icon in the upper left to collapse the window and continue working on your notes while AI processes your request.

You can also prompt the AI assistant for adjustments until you're happy with the result.
After inserting the content, you can move and place it anywhere on the page, giving you total control.

Understanding Create Mode

Choose Your Mode:

Create mode On: (Blue icon) AI assistant will create content and actively edit your document.
Create mode Off: (Black icon) AI Assistant will simply provide information with quicker responses.
Create mode locked: (Grey icon) Create mode is not available on your plan. Please consider upgrading.

Create Mode On - Perfect for active document editing

Use Create Mode when you want to:

Modify selected text or sections
Improve specific paragraphs
Apply formatting changes to selected content
Expand content in particular sections
Edit tables, lists, or structured elements
Create new content like templates or drafts
Create unique images to add to your notes

Pro Tip: Create Mode is ideal when you want Goodnotes AI to take action and make changes directly to your document.

Create Mode Off - Perfect for quick information and guidance

Use Create Mode Off when you want to:

Get information without modifying the document
Ask general questions about any topic
Receive explanations about document content
Get quick answers and suggestions
Research topics without editing your notes

Pro Tip: Create Mode Off is perfect when you need information, explanations, or guidance without making changes to your document.

Using Quick Actions

Quick Actions are suggested questions and prompts derived from the content in your notebook. To use Quick Actions:

Tap the star icon next to the input field where you ask questions.
A list of options such as Generate Diagram (available in Create mode), Summarize, and Suggest Questions will appear.
Simply tap on the one that fits your needs for immediate assistance.
You can scroll horizontally to view more options.

You can choose to perform actions on the entire document or only on lassoed selections. Learn more by tapping on "?" > Quick Actions.

Where is Generate Diagram ?

Generate Diagram has found a new home in Create mode! This feature allows you to create flowcharts, mind maps, timelines and more. It is now available in Create mode because it's all about bringing your ideas to life in visual form, rather than just providing information. If you do not see Generate Diagram, simply switch on Create mode, and you'll find Generate Diagram waiting for you in the Quick Actions menu. It works just like before, and your diagrams will be fully editable once they're in your notes. See a locked icon next to Create mode? This creative feature is not supported in your plan, please consider upgrading to unlock it.

Making the most with Goodnotes AI

While interacting with the Goodnotes AI, you may want to try :

Start with structure: Ask the AI to create an outline or framework for your document
Add details gradually: Request specific sections to be expanded or enhanced
Use specific prompts: For example, "Create a template to capture meeting notes and action items" or "create a table for X"
Varying the level of detail in the query to improve agent output. For example, “Create a visual summary of the key points onto a new page” (vs “Create a summary of the key points”)
Select text: Highlight specific sections if you want to focus on editing them
Adding a new page from a PDF: specify ‘add as a blank page’ in your query, otherwise it will use the ‘template’ of the last page of your PDF document (therefore content may get created on a page that already has content on it)
In the same conversation, you can continue iterating with the AI until it looks just right
When changing topics, start a new conversation to minimise latency issues
if you’re having issues with Goodnotes AI, try quitting the app and opening again

Important Notes About Using Goodnotes AI

Currently, Goodnotes AI cannot automatically detect or insert the current date. If you need to add dates, you'll need to enter them manually.
When editing content, Goodnotes AI typically creates new versions rather than modifying existing text directly. This helps preserve your original content.
The styling options available are limited to those in your document editor. This ensures consistency with your existing document format.
Please note that Goodnotes AI cannot provide real-time data updates, therefore, cannot automatically refresh data.
For security reasons, Goodnotes AI cannot directly handle file operations like uploading, downloading, or directly interact with external files.
More complex requests involving multiple steps may take a few minutes to complete. Please be patient while the AI processes your request.
If Goodnotes AI does not complete an action successfully, you can simply ask it to try again. For example, type: "Please try that one more time" Several helpful AI features run right on your device without using any credits: Math Conversion, Circle to Lasso, Spell Check, Handwriting Reflow, Convert to Text, and Scribble to Erase. The more advanced cloud-powered features (like Goodnotes AI for Whiteboard/Notebook, Text Document, Math, and Meetings) will count toward your monthly credit usage.

Understanding Goodnotes AI Credit