Outlines help you organize and navigate large notebooks and Text Documents without scrolling through every page. You can import a PDF that already contains an outline, create one yourself, or generate one for a notebook with Goodnotes AI.
Automatic outline generation cannot be used in Text Documents. Their outlines are created from heading styles.
View an outline
- Open a notebook or Text Document.
- Open the Sidebar, then select the “Outline” tab.
Create an outline manually
In a notebook
- Open the page you want to add, then open the More menu.
- Select Add Page to Outline, enter a title, and confirm.
- Repeat these steps for each page you want to add.
You can also open the Pages tab, select the down arrow beneath a page thumbnail, and choose Add Page to Outline.
The same page can appear under multiple outline items.
In a Text Document
In a Text Document, apply H1, H2, or H3 heading styles. Each heading automatically appears in the Outline tab.
Generate an outline with Goodnotes AI
- Open the Sidebar, select Outline, then select Generate Outline.
- Choose all pages or enter a page range, then select the Send icon.
- Review the result, expand or collapse its items, then select Insert in Sidebar.
Automatic outline generation uses AI credits. If you run out, create the outline manually, change your subscription, or purchase an AI Pass.
Manage a notebook outline
- Open: Select an item to jump to its page.
- Rename or delete: Touch and hold an item, then select the relevant action.
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Reorder: Drag an item to a new position.
- Nest or unnest: Drag an item onto another item or out of its parent.
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Expand or collapse: Select the right or down arrow.
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Sort: Select the upper-left icon, then select Sort by Page Number.
Deleting an outline item removes its navigation link, not the page or its content. You can nest outline items up to three levels.
Sorting by page number removes your custom outline order.
Manage a Text Document outline
Select an item to jump to its heading. To rename, reorder, nest, or remove an item, edit the corresponding heading in the Text Document.
Questions and answers
Do outlines sync across devices?
Yes. Outlines are part of the document and sync with it through iCloud or Goodnotes Cloud.
Can I search for outline items?
Yes. Search for the outline title and view matches in the Outline tab of the Search Sidebar.
Why has my imported PDF outline lost its order?
If outline items are no longer ordered correctly after updating to version 7.0.22 or later, use Sort by Page Number.
Why is the outline missing from my exported PDF?
Choose Editable PDF. For details, see PDF outlines and hyperlinks are missing when I export a document.