The Tape Tool lets you hide and reveal information in your notebooks with a single tap, making it ideal for studying with active recall. You can use it to cover answers, key terms, or explanations and reveal them only when you are ready.
What is the Tape Tool?
The Tape Tool lets you draw a “tape” over any text or content so it is temporarily hidden. You can then reveal what’s underneath by tapping the tape. It is especially useful for studying with active recall, when you want to quiz yourself without creating a full Study Set.
Beyond solid colors, you can:
- Use preset patterns
- Customize colors to match your style
- Discover more patterns in the Marketplace, where creators share unique designs
These decorative patterns make your notes more visually engaging and can support your study process.
How to use the Tape Tool
You can find the Tape Tool in your Writing Toolbar:
- Select the Tape Tool.
- Use your pen to draw a line over the text or content you want to cover.
- To reveal the text, tap the tape with your finger (not the pen).
- You can also reveal tape while in Read‑Only Mode.
Choose stroke thickness (preset stroke)
You can save different stroke thicknesses as presets:
- Tap one of the stroke slots in the contextual section on the right side.
- To customize the slot, tap it again and adjust the thickness slider.
Set tape style (color or pattern)
You can use both solid colors and patterns for your tape.
- Tap one of the color/pattern slots in the contextual section on the right-hand side.
- To customize that slot, tap it again and choose a color or pattern.
Add or delete color/pattern slots
Add another color/pattern slot
- Tap the [+] icon at the end of the scrollable contextual section.
- Choose a color or pattern for the new slot.
- Tap the Add Slot icon at the end of the scrollable contextual section:
- Choose a color/pattern for the new slot.
Delete a custom color/pattern slot
- Tap the slot twice.
- Tap the Edit
-
Choose Remove Selected Slot and confirm. Note: You must have more than 3 slots for this option to be available.
Tip: To quickly reset everything, choose Restore color/pattern sets to original to delete all custom color/pattern slots at once.
Customize Tape Tool settings
As with other tools, you can tap the Tape Tool again to open its settings.
- Straight tape: Enable it to help you write perfectly straight tape.
- Remove all tape: Clear all tape on the current page.
Manage your tape palette (iOS Only)
You can organize and expand your tape palette on iOS.
- Tap the selected color/pattern slot in the right-hand section > Edit (top-right button):
- From there, you can:
Add a solid color
- Create a color by:
- Choosing from the palette or color wheel
- Entering a HEX color code
- Using the Eyedropper (Color Picker) to select a color from anywhere on the screen
-
Tap Add to Presets.
Add a custom pattern from an image
Add a custom pattern from an image
- Choose Upload from Files and select an image (optimal size: 100 × 100 pixels).
- Goodnotes will generate a repeating pattern from your image.
Customize a preset pattern
Get more tape patterns from the Marketplace (iOS Only)
You can expand your collection with patterns from the Goodnotes Marketplace.
- Open the Marketplace from either:
- The Marketplace icon in the tape color popover, or
- The Tape Patterns category in the Marketplace.
- Browse and purchase new patterns
- Purchased patterns automatically appear at the end of your tape palette. Look for the confirmation alert when they’re installed.
Sharing notebooks that use Tape
You can share notebooks containing tape with other Goodnotes users, and they will also be able to interact with the tape as long as they open the document in Goodnotes. You can share via Collaboration or by Exporting your document.
Please note: If you export a document as a PDF, the tape will appear visually on the page but will not be interactive, since Tape is an exclusive feature of Goodnotes.