This month brings exciting updates to Goodnotes! We released a major update to the App Store version on September 23, followed by the Goodnotes for Schools version update on October 13. Here's everything you need to know about Goodnotes Education:
1. Unified App for Teachers and Students
Following feedback from school IT administrators, we've merged the apps so teachers and students now use the same Goodnotes app for all features. Here's how to decide when to migrate:
For full details, please refer to this article.
If you haven't used the main Goodnotes app personally before
We highly recommend migrating to Goodnotes now to access new features:
- Download Goodnotes
- Sign in with your Goodnotes Classroom account
- Your school organisation and Class Folders will appear automatically
- Private documents in the Documents tab won't transfer automatically, so migrate them if needed:
-
Back up your Goodnotes Classroom files
- Back up your entire library
- Tap the ⚙️ icon in the top-right corner of the Library view > Cloud & Backup > Manual Backup > Back Up Now
- Select a memorable location for the backup .zip file
-
Transfer your personal documents
- Open the Goodnotes app and tap the New... icon (large plus icon) in the Documents tab, then tap Import
- Select the .zip file you saved in Step 1, and tap Open
- Your notebooks will appear in your Documents library with the original folder structure preserved
-
Back up your Goodnotes Classroom files
If you're a regular Goodnotes personal user
We recommend consolidating everything into either your school or personal account. As migration can take time, you can also continue to use the Goodnotes Classroom app and do the migration after the semester ends.
Option A (most recommended): Migrate documents to your school account and use it as your primary account
-
Back up your Goodnotes Classroom files
- Back up your entire Goodnotes Classroom library
- Tap the ⚙️ icon in the top-right corner > Cloud & Backup > Manual Backup > Back Up Now
- Select a memorable location for the backup .zip file
- Keep the app open in the foreground until the backup completes
-
Back up your Goodnotes files
- Back up your entire Goodnotes private library following the same steps
- If you don't use Goodnotes on your teaching device, send the .zip file to it
-
Access the Goodnotes app
- Update and open the Goodnotes app (log out if you're signed in with your personal account)
- Sign in with your Goodnotes Classroom account
- Your school organization and Class Folders will appear automatically
-
Transfer your previous personal documents
- Documents in the Documents tab won't move automatically
- To transfer them, tap the New... icon in the Documents tab, then tap Import
- Select the .zip files you saved in Steps 1 and 2, and tap Open
- Your notebooks will appear with the original folder structure preserved
Option B: Join your school institution with your personal Goodnotes account
Note: Class Folders cannot be migrated yet, so you'll need to create new ones. If you prefer not to do this now, choose Option C.
- Ask your school admin to send an invite email to your personal account
- Update your Goodnotes app
- Open the email and scan the QR code with your iPad camera or click the link
- You've now joined your school institution!
Option C: Continue using the Goodnotes Classroom app and migrate later after this semester
2. New Features in Goodnotes Education
Sub-folders - Organize your content with nested folders
Folder Organisation - Improved folder management capabilities
Archive - Archive old class folders to keep your workspace organized
3. New UI and Document Types in Goodnotes
New toolbar UI
Answer Zone Box
Edit Modes
New document types in Private Library
Text documents
Whiteboards
4. Admin Console Updates
New way to invite users by email (recommended for inviting teachers)
For detailed instructions, see Create and add Teachers and Students.
Bulk invite via CSV or manual input
Now, you can invite any selected users, even outside of your school domain.
Enhanced security settings
If you turned on "Join school when joining a class" (recommended for inviting students), any student who scanned the Class Folder QR Code will be added to your organisation without email invite.
Ability to update user names
Now you can update user names manually in the Admin Console.
5. General Improvements
- Enlarged QR codes
- Bug fixes (sticky notes now display correctly!)
- Faster document uploads
6. Troubleshooting Sync Issues
Since we often receive questions about syncing, here are some suggestions to help improve it:
- Update all devices (we recommend using versions released within the past 3 months)
- Whitelist these domains:
- *.cdn.goodnotes.com (*)
- *.apple.com
- *.goodnotes.com (*)
- *.goodnotescloud.com
-
*.goodnotes-devops.com
(*) If you have .goodnotes.com, it will also cover .cdn.goodnotes.com. However, if your company does not use wildcards for your whitelist, then you would need to add *.cdn.goodnotes.com
- If your school WiFi has limited speed, enable only one backup method (iCloud sync or auto-backup)
- Close background apps and keep fewer active lessons open
- If issues persist, contact our Customer Support for investigation
While service disruptions on our side are rare (only twice in 2025, each lasting less than 4 hours), they do happen. We will actively communicate with you when this occurs!
7. Need Help?
- Book a call with us for questions and clarification
- Contact our Customer Support team via the enquiry form: Contact Support
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in making Goodnotes work seamlessly in your classrooms. We're committed to continuously improving your teaching experience and welcome your feedback.
If you have any questions or need assistance with the migration process, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to help!