Start writing
- Press Ink OFF in the status bar at the bottom so that it reads Ink ON, then write with Apple Pencil or your finger. While handwriting is on, the highlight and sticky-note tools are off; turn it off to use them again.
- Choose Pen in the toolbar, or press P. Write with the mouse, a pen or a finger. Choose Pen again, or press Esc, to go back to selecting text.
Handwriting is included in the purchase. It is free during the 14-day trial and inside the sample paper. See Trial and purchase.
Color and thickness
- Five colors (black, red, blue, green, orange) and three thicknesses (thin, medium, thick).
Erase
The eraser removes a whole stroke at a time: drag across the strokes you want gone.
- Choose the eraser, or press E. With Apple Pencil, double-tap or squeeze can switch to the eraser (see below).
- Choose Eraser, or press E. You can also drag with the right mouse button while the pen is on.
- Long-press a stroke for Delete Strokes or Clear Page Ink.
Apple Pencil
- Double-tap and squeeze follow the Apple Pencil settings of your iPad (switch to the eraser, switch to the previous tool, or show the palette).
- The palette has the pen, the HL Pen, the eraser and a button to turn handwriting off.
- With an Apple Pencil that supports hover, a ring shows the pen's color and thickness before you touch the screen.
Draw with the stylus only
Handwriting on when a paper opens
- Reader settings › Handwriting mode on by default.
- Settings › Reader › Ink on when a paper opens.
Switching handwriting on or off inside a paper is only for that time; it does not change this setting.
Where your handwriting goes
Whether handwriting appears on your computer and your other devices depends on the edition and on settings. See Sharing handwriting between tablets and PCs. You can also search your handwriting — see Handwriting search. For handwriting in Reading Mode, see Reading Mode.