Everything You Need to Know to Use Digital Planners in GoodNotes - The Basics
UPLOADING
So you just purchased/created a new planner/notebook for GoodNotes, now you need to get it uploaded so you can start using it! When you download the planner it will normally go either into your Dropbox or your files that are on your iPad (where ever you chose to download the PDF file to).
On the main screen of GoodNotes there will be a plus button surrounded by a dotted rectangle, click on that and a drop down menu will appear. You will then click on IMPORT and find your planner file. Like I mentioned earlier it will be where ever you initially saved the file (Dropbox or iCloud Drive (aka files on iPad). Once you find your file and click on it it will automatically start downloading.
HYPERLINKS/CLICKABLE TABS
If you purchased a planner with clickable tabs/hyperlinks then here is how you will use and navigate through your planner. In the top blue bar there is a few white icons in the right hand corner. The most important one is the pencil icon with a slash through it. When it has the slash through it you cannot use the clickable tabs, this option is for writing, highlighting adding photos, etc. When you click on that icon it will change into a pencil with a circle/swirl shape. This means that you can now click on the tabs, icon and links to navigate through your planner/notebook. Honestly it seems a bit backward and like it should be the other way around, but hey, who knows.
NAVIGATING THROUGH YOUR PLANNER/NOTEBOOK
You can easily navigate through your planner/notebook with the clickable tabs, etc. like I mentioned earlier or there are two other ways which I will explain. The first is in the top blue bar to the left hand side you will see an icon with 4 squares. Clicking on that icon will show you all of the pages in your planner/notebook. The other way is to search for a keyword. This is especially helpful with notebooks because if you are searching for a particular chapter of your notes you will easily be able to find it. Right next to the icon with the 4 squares there is a search icon. Click on that and type the word you are searching for.
ELEMENTS/STICKERS
If you have recently purchased digital stickers from someone and want to get them into your GoodNotes Elements there are a few ways you can do it. In most cases the seller will provide you with a GoodNotes file (to me this is the easiest option because the stickers are already cropped and ready for you, aka a lot LESS work).
To add it to your elements (which is the icon that has a oval with a star in the middle) you will grab your lasso tool (which is the dotted circle shape) and you will select/circle the sticker (doesn’t have to be perfect) and press and hold to have a menu pop up. In the menu you click on ‘Add Element’. A pop up screen will appear and you can either create a new collection or add it to a previous collection. You will continue to do that will each sticker.
The other option is dragging and dropping each individual PNG into GoodNotes, then long pressing on the sticker to crop it. Then you will do the previously mentioned steps to get them into your elements. I would recommend checking out some YouTube videos on this so you can see the steps in action.
CREATING YOUR OWN STICKERS
Instead of explaining this with words, I think seeing it in action would be best. I actually have a video you can watch to learn how to do it. Click here to learn how to make your own stickers for your planners and notebooks!
COVERS
This is something I absolutely LOVE. I love the ability to change my cover anytime I want. I love to see how aesthetic my notebooks look all together and when my vibes change I can easily change the look.
To change the cover of an existing notebook or planner open the planner up, click on the pages tab (the icon with the 4 squares) and go to where your current cover is. Click on the little down arrow below your cover. A drop down menu will appear and you can go ahead and delete (move to trash) that page/cover. Click on the little down arrow below page 1 and click ‘add page before’. Then select ‘More from templates’ and go to your covers. Select the one you want and hit apply, then close. All done!
To add a new cover from an image you have or from covers you purchased you will go back to the main page of GoodNotes, click on the settings icon in the upper right hand corner and click on ‘Notebook Templates’. Click on covers and swipe all the way to the right on one of the rows of covers you see. There will be a + sign that says import. You will click on that and then find the image or file you want to import and that is pretty much it. The same can be done with different paper templates. PDFs you create or pages you purchase from someone you can import to the paper templates in the same way. A great way to create your own paper templates (like a daily planner, journal, to do list, etc. is a website/app called Canva. Click here to check it out.
Hope this helps you out! Definitely message me with any questions you might have and I can see if I can help you out! See you next time!
If you haven’t tried digital planning in the past I have a free one available for you to test out before committing to buy any others. Click here to check out that digital planner! If you already love digital planning check out my Etsy shop! I have different planners, notebooks, paper templates, covers, stickers and more!
xo jacqueline