Handwriting search

Turn it on

1. Open Settings › General › Handwriting search.
2. Check that Make handwriting searchable is on.
3. Handwriting is read in the background: pages with handwriting are read soon after you write or open them. Pages read: N shows how far it has got.

Turning the switch off deletes everything that was read. Your handwriting itself stays.

What each system needs:

• Mac · iPadiPadOS 27 or macOS 27 or later. On earlier versions the setting does not appear. Apple's handwriting recognition is used.
• WindowsThe handwriting recognition built into Windows, for the language you write in. Settings shows Handwriting recognizers on this PC and a Check again button.
• LinuxRectoly on Linux has no handwriting recognition, so handwriting search is not available there (the setting does not appear). You can still write by hand, and your handwriting syncs.
• AndroidA device with Google Play services. On other devices the setting does not appear.

Find handwriting

• In a paper: open search and type. A Handwriting section lists the matching lines.
• Across papers: in Across papers, the Handwriting section lists matches from every paper on this device.
  • AndroidChoose Handwriting at the top of the search screen.
• Press a result to go to that page. The matching line is outlined.

What is read

• The handwriting in the papers on this device is read.
• WindowsThat includes handwriting written on a tablet that reached this PC through Mendeley or Zotero. See Sharing handwriting between tablets and PCs.
• Mac · iPadHandwriting in Reading Mode is read too. Its results show "Reading Mode handwriting · near p. N".
• AndroidOnly handwriting written on the PDF pages is read. Handwriting written in Reading Mode is not included.
• Nothing leaves the device: the recognition runs on the device itself.

Add the handwriting feature for your language Windows