How to Use Notability to Convert Handwriting to Text? (Steps with Pictures)

Do you like taking digital notes during class or jotting things down to stay organized? Notability is an excellent app for that!

It is a note-taking app for iOS and Mac. With Notability, you can add handwritten and typed text and enhance your notes with multimedia elements. Among its features is converting handwritten notes into neatly organized digital text.

This article will explore Notability’s handwriting-to-text conversion. We will also introduce UPDF for iOS and its online AI assistant if you want a better alternative. Visit UPDF AI Online or download UPDF’s iOS app to convert handwriting to text with more ease!

Let’s get started.

Part 1. How to Convert Handwriting to Text in Notability?

Notability converts handwriting to text manually and automatically. This section will explain these methods and guide you through them with stepwise instructions.

Way 1. Manually

The manual method lets you convert pre-written handwriting into text. It also allows you to choose specific sections for conversion and edit the text afterward.

How can Notability convert handwriting to text manually? Let’s find out!

Step 1. Launch Notability. Open an existing note or press “New” to start a new one.

Step 2. Go to the toolbar above and choose the square “Select” tool.

Step 3. Drag your Apple pencil around the handwriting you want to convert.

Step 4. Tap inside the selection. A menu will open. Select “Convert” from here.

Step 5. Select “Text” to convert to digital text. If the handwriting is a math equation, choose “Math” instead.

Way 2. Automatically

If you want to convert your handwriting to text in real time, Notability has a handy solution. It automatically converts your handwriting to digital text while you’re writing it. This reduces the time spent on manual conversions afterward.

Here’s how it works.

Step 1. First, activate the scribble for your Apple Pencil. To do this, go to your iPad’s “Settings” and tap “Apple Pencil.” Then, choose “Scribble.”

Step 2. Open your handwritten note in Notability. Then, select “Tt” from the toolbar.

Step 3. Tap the circle with three dots in the toolbar at the bottom.

Alt text: select under the text tool and tap the circled dots in notability

Step 4. Enable “Quick Text Boxes” and select “Scribble.” On older versions of Notability, select “T” from the toolbar. Then turn on “Scribble.”

Step 5. Tap on any spot within the note to insert a text box. Write within it. Your handwriting will automatically change to digital text.

That’s all about how to convert handwriting to text in Notability. However, you should know that this feature is part of Notability’s paid subscription. Moreover, Notability is exclusive to Apple devices.

So, is it possible to convert handwriting without Notability? Well, yes! Keep reading to learn about it.

Part 2. How to Convert Handwriting to Text Without Notability?

Fortunately, there are ways to digitize your handwriting without Notability. This section will introduce two free alternatives to carry out the conversion quickly and easily.

Way 1. UPDF AI Online

If you have handwritten text in an image format, you can use UPDF AI Online to extract text from it instantly. It’s a powerful AI assistant built on GPT-4o’s advanced capabilities. Best of all, the first 100 prompts are free. So, visit UPDF AI Online now to test it!

Being an online platform, it’s available through any web browser, allowing you to convert handwriting to text on both desktop and mobile. Here, we’ll show you how it works on a mobile.

Step 1. Go to UPDF AI Online. Click “Login” at the upper right to sign up.

Step 2. Once in, click the “Image” button inside the prompt box. Then, import the image containing the handwriting.

Step 3. Write the prompt “Convert handwriting in the image to text” in the text box and hit “Enter.”

Step 4. UPDF AI will write the handwriting in digital text form. Click “Copy” to save it on the clipboard or “Regenerate” to try again.

Besides extracting text from images, UPDF AI Online has many other features. You can give it a PDF file and ask questions about it, summarize lengthy PDFs, generate mind maps from documents, and more.

Watch the following video for a complete picture of its capabilities!

Besides the 100 free prompts, you can get unlimited access to UPDF AI at cheap price plans. Moreover, one payment covers 6 devices (2 desktops, 2 mobiles, and 2 web access points). Purchase it now to work smarter with AI!

Way 2. UPDF for iOS

If you rely on your iPhone or iPad to handle your notes, UPDF’s iOS app can make your writing and document management much easier.

Its OCR tool offers an excellent alternative to Notability’s handwriting-to-text conversion. You can also create a blank PDF for note-taking and combine handwritten images into a single PDF.

Even better, the app is free to use! So, don’t wait. Install UPDF from the App Store or click the button below to download it directly. Then, use the steps below to get started with your conversion.

Step 1. Open UPDF. Press the “+” button in the lower right.

Step 2. Tap “Photos” or “Files” to import a picture or PDF containing the handwriting. Alternatively, tap “Scan” to capture the handwriting using your device’s camera.

Step 3. Wait for the file to import. Then, open the PDF file,  long-press on the screen, press the right arrow until you see the “OCR” option. Tap it to recognize the handwriting. It will bring up several options.

If your file is image, tap to open it and wait for some time, tap on the "OCR" at the right side corner to extract.

UPDF is a multi-purpose PDF managing app with many excellent features. Download and try it now! You can also read this in-depth review for a deeper understanding of its features.

Final Words

If you want to take aesthetic notes without messy handwriting, Notability’s handwriting-to-text conversion has you covered. With manual and automatic conversion options, you can easily digitize your handwriting and keep your notes organized. But if you want a more accessible and precise solution, try UPDF’s online AI assistant and OCR tool by visiting UPDF AI Online or click the button below to download UPDF to explore these features and keep your documents organized.