If you deleted the Goodnotes app from your Apple device and reinstalled it, local copies of your notebooks are removed with the app. Use this article to try to recover notes that are missing or greyed-out after reinstall.
Important: Goodnotes does not keep separate copies of your notes on our servers just because you used the app. If your notes were not synced or backed up before you deleted the app, we cannot restore them for you.
Please note: This article is for Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, or Mac). For Android, Windows, or Web, see [Android, Windows, and Web] I have accidentally deleted or lost my notes, can they be recovered?.
Confirm you're signed in the same way as before
After you reinstall Goodnotes, sign in with the same Apple ID and the same Goodnotes account (Apple, Google, or Microsoft sign-in and email) you used before. Notes synced to Goodnotes Cloud are tied to that account and will not appear if you create a new account.
- Open Goodnotes.
- Go to Goodnotes menu (top-right of Library view) > View Account.
- Check that the email and sign-in provider match the account you used before the deletion.
Wait for greyed-out notebooks to redownload from iCloud
If you used iCloud to sync Goodnotes documents, reinstalling the app can leave notebooks greyed-out or showing cloud icons while they download again.
- On your device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and confirm iCloud is on for this Apple ID.
- In Goodnotes, open Goodnotes menu > Cloud & Backup > Cloud Sync.
- Turn on Use iCloud to Sync Documents if it is off.
- Stay on Wi-Fi and leave Goodnotes open. Large libraries can take hours (or longer) to finish downloading.
Greyed-out documents with cloud icons are usually still downloading. Wait until they look normal before assuming they are lost. If a document stays greyed-out after a long wait, it may not have finished syncing to iCloud before you deleted the app, and it may not be recoverable.
Please note: You can also check iCloud storage size. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Storage (or Manage Account Storage) and look for Goodnotes. A size that looks like your library (often hundreds of MB or more) usually means data is still in iCloud.
Check Goodnotes Cloud
If you had Goodnotes Cloud enabled, your notes sync to that account continuously. After reinstall:
- Sign in to the exact same Goodnotes account as before.
- Wait for documents to appear in Library view.
- If some notes are still missing, check Trash (next section) after sync finishes.
Check Trash after notes start returning
After iCloud or Goodnotes Cloud begins restoring your library, some documents may land in Trash.
- Open Goodnotes menu in Library view.
- Tap Trash.
- Restore any notebooks you want to keep.
Restore from Auto Backup
If you turned on Auto Backup to a supported cloud storage (such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive) before you deleted the app:
- Open that cloud storage on another device or in a browser.
- Find the Goodnotes Auto Backup folder for your account.
- Import the backed-up files into Goodnotes.
Last resort: restore your device from a backup
If the steps above do not bring your notes back, and you have an iPhone or iPad backup from before you deleted Goodnotes, you can restore the device from that backup. Restoring a device backup replaces the current device state, so only do this if you are comfortable with that trade-off.
- On your device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and note the last successful backup time.
- If that backup is from before you lost your Goodnotes data, follow Apple’s steps to restore from an iCloud or computer backup.
If you still cannot recover your notebooks
If you did not have iCloud sync, Goodnotes Cloud, Auto Backup, or a device backup from before the deletion, Goodnotes Support cannot retrieve the lost notes. You can still contact our Technical Support if you need help checking whether a sync or backup path applies to your account.