GoodNotes 6 Digital Planner Setup: Step-by-Step Guide
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Setting up a digital planner in GoodNotes 6 takes three steps: download your planner PDF to the Files app, import it into GoodNotes with the "+" button (or the Share menu), and switch to read-only mode so the hyperlinked tabs work. From there you can write with your Apple Pencil, add stickers, and organize your planner into folders. This guide walks through the full setup, plus the settings worth changing on day one.
GoodNotes is the most popular home for digital planners, and for good reason. It handles hyperlinked PDFs smoothly, the pen tools feel great, and features like the Elements tool make sticker planning genuinely fast. Let's get your planner set up properly.
What Do You Need Before You Start?
Just three things:
- GoodNotes 6 installed on your iPad (it also runs on iPhone, Mac, and other platforms, but iPad with a stylus is the classic setup).
- Your planner PDF downloaded from your purchase email or account. If you have not picked one yet, browse our planner collection.
- An Apple Pencil or compatible stylus, recommended but not required.
If your planner arrived as a ZIP file, open the Files app, tap the ZIP once, and it extracts into a folder. Your planner PDF and any bonus stickers will be inside.
How Do You Import a Digital Planner into GoodNotes 6?
There are two easy ways. Use whichever feels natural.
Method 1: From inside GoodNotes
- Open GoodNotes and go to your Documents library.
- Tap the large "+" (New) button.
- Choose the option to import a file.
- Navigate to your planner PDF in Files and select it.
- The planner opens as a new document in your library.
Method 2: From the Files app
- Open the Files app and find your planner PDF.
- Tap the Share icon.
- Choose GoodNotes from the share options (you may need to tap "More" the first time).
- Confirm the import when GoodNotes opens.
Either way, your planner now lives in GoodNotes as its own document. For a broader walkthrough covering Notability, Noteshelf, and Samsung Notes too, see our complete import guide.
Important: import the whole PDF as one document. Do not split it into separate files, or the hyperlinks between pages will stop working.
How Do You Make the Hyperlinks Work?
This is the number one question new digital planners ask, so here is the short answer:
Hyperlinks work when GoodNotes is in read-only mode, and they are ignored while a writing tool is active. That is by design. When the pen is active, GoodNotes assumes every touch is a pen stroke, so it does not follow links.
Your workflow becomes a simple two-mode rhythm:
- Navigate in read-only mode. Toggle read-only mode (the pen-with-a-slash style icon in the toolbar), then tap any tab or date to jump straight to that page.
- Switch to writing mode to plan. Toggle back to editing, pick your pen, and write on the page you landed on.
- Toggle again to move on. When you want to jump elsewhere, flip back to read-only and tap.
It sounds fiddly written out, but in practice it becomes muscle memory within a day or two. We break this down further, with tips, in our GoodNotes hyperlinks guide.
Which GoodNotes Settings Should You Change First?
A few small adjustments make daily planning smoother:
- Rename your planner. Tap the document title and give it a clear name like "2026 Daily Planner." Future you will thank you.
- Create a folder. Make a "Planners" folder in your library and move the document into it, especially if you also keep notebooks for work or study.
- Set up your favorite pens. Pick a pen style, a comfortable thickness, and two or three go-to colors that suit your planner's palette. GoodNotes lets you save color presets so you are not re-picking them every session.
- Add the planner to Favorites. Tap the star so it always appears in your Favorites tab, one tap from anywhere.
- Check your backup. In GoodNotes settings, make sure cloud sync or auto-backup is on. Your planner will fill up with months of notes you do not want to lose.
How Do You Add Stickers to Your Planner?
Stickers turn a functional planner into one you actually enjoy opening. GoodNotes 6 gives you two good options:
Quick method: copy and paste
- Import your sticker file (usually PNG images, sometimes a GoodNotes-format sticker book) into GoodNotes.
- Open the sticker page, select a sticker with the Lasso tool, and copy it.
- Go to your planner page and paste. Resize and position it with a pinch and drag.
Better for regulars: the Elements tool
GoodNotes' Elements tool lets you save stickers into collections that live inside the toolbar. Once saved, adding a sticker is one tap, no switching documents. If you use the same functional stickers every week (habit trackers, appointment flags, meal icons), set them up in Elements once and reuse them forever.
Full instructions with pictures are in our digital stickers guide, and you can find matching sticker packs, covers, and fonts in our accessories collection.
Quick Reference: Your GoodNotes Planner Setup Checklist
| Step | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Download and unzip your planner | GoodNotes needs the PDF, not the ZIP |
| 2 | Import as a single document | Keeps hyperlinks intact |
| 3 | Test tabs in read-only mode | Confirms links work before you start writing |
| 4 | Rename, folder, and favorite | Easy to find every day |
| 5 | Save pen colors and presets | Faster daily planning |
| 6 | Set up stickers in Elements | One-tap decorating |
| 7 | Turn on backup or sync | Protects months of planning |
What If Something Is Not Working?
Two issues cover almost every setup hiccup:
- Tapping a tab writes a dot instead of jumping. You are in writing mode. Switch to read-only mode and tap again.
- Links do nothing even in read-only mode. The PDF was probably split, flattened, or imported page-by-page. Delete the document and re-import the original full PDF as one file.
If your planner will not import at all, or pages look blank or garbled, the download may be incomplete. Delete the file, re-download it from your purchase link, and try again. Still stuck? Reach out to us and we will help you get planning.
FAQ
Do digital planners work in GoodNotes 6?
Yes. GoodNotes 6 fully supports hyperlinked PDF planners. Import the planner as a single document, use read-only mode for tapping tabs, and switch to a writing tool to plan. Planners made for earlier GoodNotes versions work in GoodNotes 6 as well, since they are standard PDFs.
Why do my planner links only work sometimes?
Because links respond only in read-only mode. In writing mode, GoodNotes treats taps as pen input. If links seem intermittent, you are likely toggling between modes without noticing. Check the toolbar before you tap.
Can I use the same planner on my iPad and iPhone?
Yes. With GoodNotes sync enabled, your planner and everything you write in it stays up to date across your devices. Plan on the iPad, then check your day from your phone.
How do I start a fresh planner for a new year?
Import a new copy of the original PDF as a new document. Your old planner stays intact as an archive, and you begin the year with clean pages. This is also why it is worth keeping the original download saved in Files or cloud storage. Undated planners from our planner collection can be reused this way indefinitely.
Can I add my own pages to a digital planner?
Yes. GoodNotes lets you duplicate any page or insert new pages from templates. Duplicating an existing planner page keeps the look consistent. Note that pages you add yourself will not have hyperlinked tabs, so use the thumbnail view or an outline to reach them.