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How to export your notes from Goodnotes, Notability and Apple Notes

Whether you’re backing up, switching apps or sharing with a friend, here’s how to get your notes out of each app, in bulk where the app allows it.

Updated · 5 min read

In short: Goodnotes and Notability both let you select several notebooks and export them at once, as PDF or in their own format, and both can back up your whole library automatically. Apple Notes exports one note at a time as PDF, or many at once as Markdown on macOS 26.

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October 7, 2026 at 10:55 AM
NoteSessionsBrief
#The Chain Rule

When one function sits inside another, differentiate the outside, keep the inside, then multiply by the derivative of the inside.

ddxf(g(x))=f′(g(x))⋅g′(x)\frac{d}{dx}f(g(x)) = f'(g(x))\cdot g'(x)
Worked examples
ddxsin⁡(x2)=cos⁡(x2)⋅2x\frac{d}{dx}\sin(x^2) = \cos(x^2)\cdot 2x
ddx(3x+1)5=15(3x+1)4\frac{d}{dx}(3x+1)^5 = 15(3x+1)^4
Pen Buddy’s Import Notes: a step-by-step export guide for each app, then your notes come in.

Goodnotes

  1. In the Library, tap Select and choose the notebooks you want.
  2. Tap Export and pick a format: PDF (opens anywhere), Goodnotes (.goodnotes, keeps everything editable in Goodnotes) or images.
  3. Save to Files, or share to another app.

To back up everything, turn on Automatic Backup in Settings and choose a cloud drive and format. (Goodnotes support)

Notability

  1. In the Library, open the ⋯ menu and choose Select Notes.
  2. Choose Export, then a format: PDF, Note (.note, which only Notability opens), or images.
  3. Save or share them.

Auto-Backup can send your notes to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or WebDAV as PDF, RTF or .note. (Notability support)

Apple Notes

  • One note as PDF (Mac): open it, then File › Export as PDF. On iPad, use the Share menu: Print, then share the preview as a PDF.
  • Many notes as Markdown (macOS 26): select the notes, then File › Export and choose Markdown. You get one .md file per note and a folder of attachments. (Apple)
  • Before macOS 26 there’s no built-in bulk export.

Which format to choose

  • PDF opens everywhere and keeps handwriting exactly as written, but handwriting becomes a picture.
  • The app’s own format (.goodnotes, .note) keeps everything editable, but only that app, or an app that imports it, can open it.
  • Markdown is plain text: perfect for typed notes, readable by almost any notes app.

Bringing them into Pen Buddy

Pen Buddy’s Import Notes brings in Goodnotes (a PDF export or a .goodnotes file), Notability .note files, Apple Notes (on the Mac), PDFs, images, Markdown and HTML, with a step-by-step export guide for each app. On iPad you can also share a PDF to Pen Buddy from Files, Mail or Safari and choose the folder it goes into. Notes stay on your device, and any note exports as Markdown. See reading with Buddy.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Select several notebooks in the Library and export them together as PDF or .goodnotes, or turn on Automatic Backup in Settings to copy your whole library to a cloud drive.

Not .note files; only Notability opens those. Export from Notability as PDF, and Goodnotes can import the PDF.

On macOS 26, select the notes and choose File › Export as Markdown. Before that, Apple Notes exports one note at a time, as PDF.