Write and draw in documents with Markup on iPad

In supported apps such as Mail, Messages, Notes, and Photos, you can use the Markup tools to draw and sketch in your documents. You can also use the Markup tools to annotate screenshots, PDFs, and more.

A note is open in the Notes app, and the Markup toolbar is open at the bottom of the screen. The Markup tools from left to right are: the Pen, Mono line, Marker, Eraser, Lasso, Ruler, and Pencil, followed by color buttons, the Add button, and the More button.

Open the Markup toolbar

To open the Markup toolbar in a supported app, tap or Markup, then do any of the following:

Move the Markup toolbar: Drag the toolbar to any edge of the screen.
(Drag from the middle edge of the toolbar closest to the center of the screen.)
Automatically minimize the toolbar when you’re drawing or entering text: Tap , then turn on Auto-minimize.
To show the full toolbar again, tap the minimized version.
Hide the toolbar: Tap or Done.

Write and draw

In a supported app, tap or Markup.
In the Markup toolbar, tap the pen, marker, or pencil tool, then write or draw with your finger or Apple Pencil (on supported iPad models).
While writing or drawing, do any of the following:
- Change the line weight: Tap the selected drawing tool in the toolbar, then choose an option.
- Change the opacity: Tap the selected drawing tool in the toolbar, then drag the slider.
- Change the color: Tap a color from the color picker in the toolbar, then tap Grid, Spectrum, or Sliders to further adjust your color choice.
- Undo: Tap .
- Draw a straight line: Tap the ruler tool in the toolbar, then draw a line along the edge of the ruler.
  - To change the angle of the ruler, touch and hold the ruler with two fingers, then rotate your fingers.
  - To move the ruler without changing its angle, drag it with one finger.
  - To hide the ruler, tap the ruler tool in the toolbar again.
To close the Markup toolbar, tap or Done.

In apps such as Notes, you can write text with Apple Pencil and have it immediately converted to typed text. See Select and edit drawings and handwriting.

Tip: You can take a screenshot by swiping up from the bottom-left corner of the screen with Apple Pencil and immediately begin marking it up. If you don’t have Apple Pencil, you can take a screenshot, then tap the thumbnail that appears for a few moments in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Move or edit handwritten text or drawings

Choose the Lasso tool (between the eraser and ruler) in the Markup toolbar, then do any of the following to select the content you want to change:
- Select a word or drawn object: Double-tap it.
- Select a sentence: Triple-tap it.
- Select a paragraph or text block: Touch and hold the first word, then drag to the last word. To select more precisely, drag slowly.
  In the Notes app, Markup recognizes handwritten text separately from drawn objects, so you can select handwriting alone. If you want to include drawings in your selection, you can drag over them, too.
- Select multiple drawn objects: With the Lasso tool selected, draw around the objects with your finger or Apple Pencil, then tap the selection.
  Note: If you don’t see the Markup toolbar, tap or Markup. If the toolbar is minimized, tap its minimized version.
After selecting the content you want to revise, tap it, then do any of the following:
- Cut, copy, delete, or duplicate: Tap an option.
- Move: Touch and hold the content until it lifts up, then drag it to a new location.

Tip: After selecting handwritten text and drawings, you can change their color by tapping a color in the Markup toolbar, or move them by dragging them to a new location.

In iPad apps that support Markup, you can write text in any field and have it immediately converted to typed text. See Enter text with Scribble on iPad.

For more ways to edit your handwriting or drawing in Notes, see Draw or write in Notes on iPad.

Erase a mistake

Note: If you don’t see the Markup toolbar, tap or Markup. If the toolbar is minimized, tap its minimized version.

Tap the eraser tool in the Markup toolbar, then do one of the following:

Erase pixels: Choose Pixel Eraser, then scrub over the mistake with your finger or Apple Pencil.
Erase an object: Choose Object Eraser, then touch the object with your finger or Apple Pencil.
Switch between the pixel and the object erasers: Tap the eraser tool again, then choose Pixel Eraser or Object Eraser.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide

Write and draw in documents with Markup on iPad

Open the Markup toolbar

Write and draw

Move or edit handwritten text or drawings

Erase a mistake