Support

GraphNotes is an iPad app for reading PDFs and writing by hand, where every highlight keeps a link to its passage and every note shows what it links to and what links to it. If something is not working, here is how to get help.

Who reads your message

I make GraphNotes, and I care about it a great deal. I read every message myself, and anything that puts your notes at risk comes first. Because I am one person, a reply can take a little while; thank you for bearing with me. Your library lives on your iPad and in your own iCloud, so nothing in it depends on a reply from me.

Nathan Rischling

When you report a problem

These help find the cause quickly:

• What you were doing, and what you expected to happen.
• Your iPad model and iPadOS version, and the GraphNotes version and build number (shown under About in the app).
• Your Apple Pencil model, if the problem involves handwriting.
• A screenshot or screen recording, if you can. Leave out anything private.

Common questions

My notes are not appearing on my other iPad.

Check that both iPads are signed in to the same Apple Account and that iCloud is on for GraphNotes in Settings › [your name] › iCloud. Changes sync in the background; opening GraphNotes on the other iPad brings them in sooner.

A PDF says “Downloading from iCloud” or “PDF not on this device”.

PDFs live in the GraphNotes folder in iCloud Drive and download when you open them. Turn on iCloud Drive for this iPad and make sure it is online. A PDF on a board shared with you shows its highlights and notes, but the file itself stays with the person who shared it.

My finger does not draw.

That is by design: only Apple Pencil draws, so your fingers can scroll, select and move cards and a resting hand never leaves a mark. You can type everything without a Pencil.

Search does not find something I just wrote.

Handwriting is read on your iPad shortly after you finish writing. Give it a moment, then search again. Search matches handwritten notes, titles and sticky notes, typed notes and highlighted passages; inside an open PDF, use Find.

I deleted something by mistake.

Use Undo right away, or open Trash in the sidebar and restore it. Items stay in Trash for at least 30 days.

How do I get my notes out?

Export All in the sidebar writes your library as Markdown, with links that still point to the right files. Handwriting appears as its recognized text. PDFs, ink drawings and board layouts are not part of the export yet; a complete export is planned before release.

What the beta does not do yet

• Writing directly on PDF pages. Highlight a passage and write your note beside it.
• A complete export with PDFs, ink and boards. Markdown export covers text and links.
• iPhone and Mac versions. The beta is for iPad.
• Board sharing is new. If something looks wrong on a shared board, please report it.
• Reflect on Connection needs an iPad with Apple Intelligence turned on.

Requirements

An iPad on iPadOS 27 or later. Apple Pencil for handwriting. An iCloud account to sync between devices (optional).

Privacy

Your library stays on your iPad and in your own iCloud. GraphNotes has no account, no analytics and no tracking. Read the Privacy Policy.