Annotate a PDF on an iPad with Notability

Annotate a PDF on an iPad with Notability

This article will cover

  1. How to annotate a PDF file on an iPad
  2. How to use the Notability app for annotation
  3. How to store the annotated copy in Google Drive or send it via email

You will need

  1. An iPad with a iPad OS 14 or higher   
  2. An Apple Pencil that works with your iPad
  3. The Notability app installed   

1 - Annotate a PDF stored in Google Drive using Notability

  1. Open the Notability app on your iPad.
  2. Create or select the folder (left side) you want the file to be stored in:

  1. Select the Import button at top right, then choose the Google Drive option (needs to be set up beforehand in your Notability settings).


  1. Navigate to the location of a Google doc or PDF file and select its name. The file will instantly begin to download to your iPad and then a window will appear
  1. Choose the Create New Note option. This will download the PDF file OR create a PDF file copy of a Google doc:



  1. Choose/set the available options and select the Import button at top right:


  1. Select the Done button at top right:


  1. Open the PDF (or the PDF copy of the Google doc file) from the folder you selected in Step 2. Annotate using the provided tools:



  1. Select the Export/Send To button at top left and choose the Google Drive option:


  1. Choose/set the available options (most importantly the Google Drive folder and the file format) and select the Send to Google Drive button:


NOTE: A local copy of the PDF automatically remains in your Notability app’s storage, unlike the workflow for the built-in Markup feature, which requires you to manually save a copy or delete the working PDF file before closing it.

Additional resources

Official documentation

In-house resources


Last Update: May 17, 2022