This article covers features available on Goodnotes Education with Admin Console. Schools on Goodnotes Education without Admin Console may not have access to these functionalities. To upgrade, contact your Goodnotes account representative.
If your school currently deploys Goodnotes using a License Key, you can migrate to Admin Console deployment to unlock centralised user management and role-based access controls, removing the need to manage deployments through MDM.
This article covers the migration steps. If you have not yet set up your Admin Console, complete that first before proceeding.
Please note: If your school does not yet have Admin Console access, you can register at https://education.goodnotes.com/register.
Before You Begin
Before starting the migration, confirm the following:
- You have Owner or Admin access to your Admin Console at edu-admin.goodnotes.com
- You have your existing License Key details on hand
- Your MDM solution is already configured and able to push apps to your devices
- You have a list of staff and students you want to onboard
Please note: Before starting the migration, we recommend ensuring all users have backed up their data using Auto Backup or Manual Backup as a precaution.
Important: Complete the migration in a single session where possible. Users accessing Goodnotes with the License Key during the transition may temporarily lose access until they are provisioned through the Admin Console.
Will Student and Teacher Data Be Safe?
Yes. Migrating from License Key to Admin Console deployment does not affect any existing notebooks or content on your users' devices. Data is only at risk if the Goodnotes app needs to be deleted and reinstalled during the process, which is highly unusual.
As a precaution, we recommend asking users to back up their data before the migration begins, either through Auto Backup or Manual Backup. This ensures nothing is lost in the unlikely event the app needs to be reinstalled.
Step 1 — Invite Your Users
- Sign in to the Admin Console at edu-admin.goodnotes.com.
- Go to User Management and select Invite Users.
- Select Bulk Invite via CSV and download the CSV template.
- Fill in each user's name, email address, and role (Teacher or Student). Use the school email address that matches your school domain.
- Upload the completed CSV and select Send Invitations.
Tip: If you are using MDM to provision users, go to Settings > MDM Integration, copy your Provisioning Token, and add it to your MDM's Goodnotes configuration profile instead of inviting users manually.
Step 2 — Ask Users to Accept Their Invitations
Each user will receive an email invitation. They need to open it and sign in with the same school email address the invitation was sent to.
Please note: Users must accept the invitation before their access is transferred to the Admin Console. Until they do, they remain on the License Key. Send a reminder if users do not accept within 48 hours.
Step 3 — Verify User Access
Before removing your License Key, confirm that users can access Goodnotes through the Admin Console.
- In User Management, filter by Status: Active.
- Confirm that all expected Teachers and Students appear with the correct roles.
- Ask a Teacher and a Student to open Goodnotes and verify their content is accessible.
- Check Reports > Login Activity to confirm recent logins are coming through the Admin Console.
Step 4 — Remove Your License Key
Once all users are successfully provisioned through the Admin Console, remove the License Key from your MDM configuration.
- Open your MDM solution and locate your Goodnotes AppConfig profile.
- Remove the License Key value from the AppConfig.
- Push the updated profile to your devices.
Important: Devices will lose License Key access as soon as the updated profile is pushed. Ensure all users have completed Step 2 before proceeding.
Troubleshooting
If users report they cannot access Goodnotes after the migration, check the following:
- Confirm the user has accepted their Admin Console invitation (check User Management > Pending Invitations).
- If using MDM, confirm the updated provisioning profile has been pushed to the affected device.
- Check that the user's role is correctly assigned and that their account status shows Active.
If the issue persists, contact Goodnotes Education Support and we can support you further.