Draw in apps with Markup on iPad

In supported apps on iPad, such as Messages, Mail, Notes, and Books, you can annotate photos, screenshots, and PDFs, sketch ideas, write notes, and more using built-in drawing tools.

Tip: You can also write and sketch using drawing tools in the Freeform app.

A hand-drawn plant diagram in the Notes app. The Markup toolbar appears along the bottom of the screen, showing drawing tools and color selections.

Show, move, and hide the Markup toolbar

To show 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.

Draw or write in apps with Markup

In the Markup toolbar, tap the pen, marker, or pencil tool, then write or draw with your finger or Apple Pencil (supported models).

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

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: Choose a color from the color picker in the Markup toolbar.
Undo a mistake: 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.

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

Draw a shape

You can use Markup to draw geometrically perfect shapes—lines, arcs, and more—to use in diagrams and sketches.

In the Markup toolbar in a supported app, tap the pen, marker, or pencil tool.
Note: If you don’t see the Markup toolbar in a supported app, tap or Markup. If the toolbar is minimized, tap its minimized version.
Draw a shape in one stroke with your finger or Apple Pencil (supported models), then pause.
A perfect version of the shape snaps into place, replacing the drawing. (If you prefer to keep the freehand shape, tap .)

The shapes you can draw include straight lines, arrows, arcs, continuous lines with 90-degree turns, squares, circles, rectangles, triangles, pentagons, chat bubbles, hearts, stars, and clouds.

Change your 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.

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.

Double-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.

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.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide