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Known Limitations and Errors

Updated

This article covers Goodnotes Education Plan features that Free Plan users do not have access to, such as Class Folders and Admin Console. To upgrade, contact your institution's IT administrator.

Known Limitations

We are always working on improving and fixing issues in Goodnotes. Here is a list of limitations or problems we are working on resolving at the moment: 

  1. Account switching: If a user is a member of a Class Folder, they cannot safely switch between different Goodnotes accounts without uninstalling the app in between logins. Switching accounts without app reinstallation may cause sync errors or data loss. Always back up data before deleting the app.
  2. Teachers cannot remove (delete) Class folders.
  3. If Teachers enter Teach mode in a Lesson with no existing Students, they will not be able to add Students. For now, please go back to the Class folder to Add Students.
  4. The auto-backup of Lessons does not properly store the students’ answers in the proper format. Please do not use auto-backup for now.
  5. Teachers and Students can not delete their Goodnotes accounts if they are enrolled in a School. IT Admins need to remove their accounts from the school in order for the users to delete their accounts.

Known Errors

These solutions have been confirmed by the Customer Support and Academic Affairs team in partnership with users. If you find any problems with these solution steps, please inform us immediately so we can update our documentation.

If you are unable to find a solution to an issue or encounter any new errors that are not present on this list or the Education Help Centre, please let us know. We will partner with Engineering and begin an investigation. Please be sure to include any solutions or workarounds that you have found in your email.

If you're encountering any of these errors, we recommend trying the following steps first. It’s always worth checking to see if the issue is device-related before diving into more invasive solutions:

1. "Identity could not be confirmed"

Please ask the user to sign out of their personal Apple Account (Apple ID) in the Settings app. Then, they should be able to join a class folder successfully.

2. "You don’t have access to this Class Folder"

First, please attempt to Restore Lessons.

  • Go to the Library view > Settings Menu > Settings > Troubleshooting > Restore Lessons 

Restoring Lessons should refresh the connection to the School's Organisation on Goodnotes Cloud and add the Class Folder to the Sidebar. 

If this fails, please follow these steps:

  • If using Apple, please go to ASM and ensure that the “Username” and "Managed Apple Account" email address fields are identical.
  • If using Microsoft, please verify your schools subdomain (e.g. school.onmicrosoft.com) by adding a new domain in the Goodnotes Admin Console.

If the issue persists and the user is using "Sign in with Apple" to login, please go through the following steps to resolve this issue:

  1. Perform a Manual Backup.
  2. Remove Goodnotes from Sign in with Apple.
  3. Please delete the Goodnotes account.

When the app is closed and reopened, the user should be able to scan the QR code and be prompted to enter the Access Code.

3. "Your account is deleted"

This error is shown when a user’s account is scheduled for deletion or has been deleted.

  • Ask the user to select "Want to delete your account permanently?" at the bottom of the screen. This will give them the option to immediately delete the account rather than waiting for the full 21-day cooling-off period.
  • If this was not initiated on purpose, please try to "Recover my account".
  • If this doesnt work, please send their diagnostics to educationsupport@goodnotes.com for investigation.

4. “School Organization Not Found” [CLASS-1001]

“We are unable to find your school organization. Please make sure you are signing in with the correct school domain. If the issue persists, contact your school administrator to ensure your Managed Apple ID includes a valid email address.”

Issue: Apple users must include email addresses when creating Managed Apple IDs.

  • When a Managed Apple Account is set up without a matching username/alias, Goodnotes Cloud interprets this as a blank email address and generates a unique address based on the user’s unique ID.
  • It will contain @emptyemail... This will be visible in their Account Info in Goodnotes settings.
  • It’s crucial to always ensure that Managed Apple IDs include the actual email addresses and are not using "Hide my Email".

Solution: In ASM, ensure that the username/alias email field is not left blank when creating Managed Apple Accounts. The “Username” and the "Managed Apple Account" email address fields must be identical.

Users who have already tried to create an account and encountered this error may need to delete their accounts. Then they can create a new account in the Goodnotes app.

5. "School Organization Not Found” [CLASS-1002]

“We are unable to find your school organization. Please make sure you are signing in with the correct school domain. If the issue persists, contact your school administrator to ensure your Microsoft account’s subdomain is verified in the Goodnotes Admin Console.”

Issue: The Microsoft account’s subdomain (e.g., school.onmicrosoft.com) is not verified in the Goodnotes Admin Console, causing authentication failure.

Solution: Every Microsoft account has a subdomain associated with the account which is located in the managed user profile (e.g. school.onmicrosoft.com). Please verify this subdomain by adding a new domain in the Goodnotes Admin Console.

Users who have already tried to create an account and encountered this error may need to delete their accounts. Then they can create a new account in the Goodnotes 6 app.

6. "Account Conflict” [CLASS-1003]

“This account already exists and may be linked to a personal Goodnotes account. Please sign in with your school account or ensure your personal subscription is managed separately.”

Issue: The user is trying to sign in with a personal Goodnotes account, which conflicts with their school account.

Solution: Instruct the user to

  1. Perform a Manual Backup.
  2. Unsubscribe from their personal Goodnotes account.
  3. Delete their Goodnotes account.
  4. Once this has been completed, they should be able to create a new account.

7. [CLASS-1004]

"You have failed to join the Class Folder. Please ensure your account settings are correct and try again. If the issue persists, follow the steps in this support article to reset your account and rejoin the classroom. [CLASS-1004]”

Issue: The user's email address may be linked to another Goodnotes Account, or a previous Goodnotes Account is linked to their Apple ID. 

Solution:

  1. Remove Goodnotes from Sign in with Apple.
  2. Try to sign in again, avoiding the "Hide my Email" feature.
  3. If the issue persists, perform a Manual Backup.
  4. Delete the Goodnotes account and try again.  

8. [CLASS-1005]

"Sign in with Apple is not allowed for this app. Please contact your school administrator to configure Sign in with Apple in Apple School Manager.

As a school admin, in Apple School Manager, go to Access Management > Sign in with Apple > All Apps or Specific Apps and add Goodnotes. [CLASS-1005]”

Issue: Apple School Manager is not configured correctly for Sign in with Apple.

Solution: In Apple School Manager, go to Access Management > Sign in with Apple > All Apps or Specific Apps and add Goodnotes.

In ASM, ensure that the username/alias email field is not left blank when creating Managed Apple Accounts. The “Username” and the "Managed Apple Account" email address fields must be identical.

9. “Apple ID Setup Issue” [CLASS-1006]

“Your Apple ID settings may be preventing account setup. Please check your settings and ensure your email is correctly linked. If the issue persists, you may need to remove the existing account and sign in again with your school email. Before deleting your account, make sure to back up your documents to avoid losing any data.”

Issue: Previous Goodnotes account (GNA) is associated with the Apple ID. 

Solution: 

  1. Remove Goodnotes from Sign in with Apple.
  2. Try to sign in again, avoiding the "Hide my Email" feature.
  3. If the issue persists, perform a Manual Backup.
  4. Delete the Goodnotes account and try again.  

10. [CLASS-1007]

“Something went wrong. We couldn’t create the folder. Please check your internet connection and try again. [CLASS-1007]”

Issue: This issue could have been caused by a number of factors, including but not limited to:

- No internet connection

- Temporary backend service issues

- Unexpected server errors during folder creation

Solution:

  • Test your internet connection.
  • Check Goodnotes Cloud status
  • Force-quit the app (on iOS/iPadOS or macOS) and relaunch it.
  • Restart the device.
  • Update your Goodnotes version.
  • Update your iOS/iPadOS or macOS version.

After going through basic troubleshooting, try again. If the issue persists, please send diagnostic data to CS for investigation. 

11. [CLASS-1008]

“A folder with this name already exists. Try using a different name. [CLASS-1008]”

Issue: Name Conflict - User is trying to create a folder with the same name in the same location.

Solution: Change the name of the folder. 

12. "Please try again" [CLASS-1009]

“Remember to keep the app open. You can also transfer documents and folders one-by-one. [CLASS-1009]” [Try again] [Cancel]

Issue: Goodnotes was interrupted during export/import. This may be due to the app being closed or the device crashing. 

Solution: Try again, but do not allow Goodnotes to be interrupted during import/export. 

13. "An Error occurred moving documents to Class Folder"

This issue is related to Account switching and is caused by Goodnotes Education failing to authenticate your identity properly after an instance of logging out and back into the app. This can affect the ability to connect to your Class Folders. 

  1. Perform a Manual Backup.
  2. Delete the app and reinstall it. You may need to redeploy the app through MDM depending on your institution's set-up. (When deleting the app, please make sure you are not only Offloading but rather deleting the app completely)
  3. Ask the Teacher to sign in again. Make sure they use the correct login method and account that they used when they set up their Goodnotes Education account. 

14. "SyncErrorV2 Error 1" / "An error occurred when syncing with Goodnotes Cloud"

Error Messages:

  • SyncErrorV2 Error 1
  • An error occurred when syncing with Goodnotes Cloud

Issue: These are generic sync error messages that can have multiple underlying causes. The specific error details are only visible in diagnostic data.

Solution: See the troubleshooting steps outlined in our Slow and failed syncing guide.

If basic troubleshooting doesn't resolve the issue, please contact support with your diagnostic data:

  1. Export Diagnostic Data:
    • Open Goodnotes Settings (User icon)
    • View "Account"
    • Go to "Account Settings"
    • Tap "Export Diagnostic Data"
    • Share the diagnostic file with our support team
  2. Contact Support:
    • Include the diagnostic data file in your support request
    • Describe when the error occurs and any recent account changes
    • Our team will analyze the specific error code and provide targeted resolution steps

Important Notes:

  • SyncErrorV2 is a generic error code that covers multiple sync issues
  • The actual cause can only be determined from diagnostic data analysis
  • Do not attempt reinstallation without guidance, as this may cause data loss
  • If you have switched accounts without deleting the app in between, you will see this error. Please see "An Error occurred moving documents to Class Folder" above for the solution. 

15. Only seeing "Sign in with Apple" as an option to log in

Perceived Issue: It is normal for users in the China Mainland region to only see Sign in with Apple as a login option. Google and Microsoft login options are restricted in this region.

When this occurs:

  • App was downloaded while the device's App Store region is set to China mainland
  • Device was purchased in China or user account region is tied to Chinese servers
  • User has moved to another country but account settings still reflect China region
  • Payment methods are still linked to Chinese services (e.g., Alipay)

Solution: To access all login options (Google, Microsoft, Apple), users need to update their account region settings:

  1. Change Apple Account Region:
  2. Remove Chinese Payment Methods:
    • Ensure all Alipay or China-specific payment methods are removed
    • Add a valid payment method for your new region
  3. Reinstall Goodnotes:
    • Create a Manual Backup of your data
    • Delete the current Goodnotes app
    • Restart the device
    • Download the app again from the App Store
    • All login options should now be available

Important Notes:

  • Simply changing the region may not be sufficient if payment methods remain linked to Chinese services
  • The app version is determined by the region settings at the time of download
  • Users may need to wait 24-48 hours after changing region settings before reinstalling

Example Resolution: One user updated their region but could still only see Apple login. After discovering their payment method was still linked to Alipay, they switched to a local credit card for their new region (Thailand), redownloaded the app, and all login options became available.

Please let us know if you see any more errors that are not on this list. 

16. "Institutional Access Expired"

As of [date], your subscription to Goodnotes has expired. Please contact your IT Administrator and ask that they contact the Goodnotes Licensing team in order to regain full access.

Issue: This message is shown when the subscription or trial period has expired. 

Solution: Please reach out to support or your Account Manager/Academic Affairs if you are on a Goodnotes Education trial.

If not, please ensure that your billing and subscription information are all in order within the Admin Console. 

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