How to work with PDFs in Notes on iPad

Thursday October 15, 2026 8:42 pm EAT by Tyler Stephen

In the Notes app, you can attach, view, edit, and collaborate on PDFs, including documents you scanned into a note. You can also annotate or sketch directly on PDFs and scanned documents in your note using Apple Pencil or your finger, and even preview multiple PDFs in the same note.

You can change the viewing size to Small, Medium, or Large, view a PDF in full screen, and search in PDFs. When you collaborate on a note, others get real-time updates as you mark up a document.

Attach a PDF to a note

Do any of the following to attach a PDF from an app like Files or Mail:

Drag the file into a note.
Touch and hold the file, tap the Share button, tap Notes, choose a note, then tap Save.

View and edit a PDF in a note

Open the Notes app on your iPad.
In the note with the PDF, tap the Menu button. Then do any of the following:
- Change the viewing size: Tap View As and choose Small, Medium, or Large.
- View in full screen: Tap Quick Look.
- Copy, save, print, share, rename, or delete the PDF: Choose an action.
When viewing as Medium or Large, you can also do any of the following:
- Show or hide thumbnails: Tap the Thumbnails button.
- Zoom in and see more: Pinch the screen or swipe right to see more pages.
- Edit a page: Tap the thumbnail for the page, tap the More button, and choose an action such as Rotate Left, Rotate Right, Filters, Crop Page, or Insert Blank Page. (Filters and Crop Page are supported only in scanned documents.)

Search in PDFs

For the steps, read our guide, Search through your notes.

Annotate a PDF in a note

Small preview size: Tap the PDF to open it, then tap the Handwriting Tools button.
Medium and large preview sizes: Start drawing or writing with Apple Pencil. Or to draw or write with your finger, tap the Handwriting Tools button.

To learn more about Markup, see our article, Write and draw in documents with Markup.

Collaborate with others

When you collaborate on a note with other people, updates happen in real time, so the people you share with see the changes on their devices as you add a sticker, draw a diagram, or mark up a document.