The latest update sacrifices the utility of the old toolbar in favor of a "minimal" interface, which results in an unwieldy experience. A lot of key features are missing or modified to be much less user-friendly.
Some examples which others have voiced:
* Bookmark option missing. Now I would have to open up the sidebar or three-dot menu to bookmark, which is a hassle that did not exist before.
* Customization option of current tool. It was good before when it was contained within the one bar, such as the pen. It was nice to choose between the different tools like pen, highlighter, since they serve distinct functions and I use them often. Now, the menu is unwieldy as these brushes are coalesced together, and the customization palette pops up below as a second row. The old setup worked much better.
* Text box. Similar to above, the new text functionality is unwieldy, unflexible, and unresponsive. The new functionality also presents constraints. After typing one box, it jumps to the select tool; this is counterproductive if I am trying to make multiple text boxes! This behavior did not occur before. The old UI/functionality was more conducive to typing.
* Shape snap: the previous version allowed the user to draw a shape and by hitting undo, leave behind the filled in section without the outline. Now that this option is not available anymore, there is not a similarly convenient way to highlight-box neatly. The shape snap also seems more restrictive.

Goodnotes has great functionality, but this toolbar update has significantly reduced its useability. I would greatly appreciate the option to revert back to the previous toolbar UI and functionalities/behaviors.

+1 on this post. The new update sacrifices the utility of the old toolbar in favor of a "minimal" interface, which results in an unwieldy experience. A lot of key features are missing or modified to be much less user-friendly.

Goodnotes has great functionality, but this toolbar update has significantly reduced its useability. I would greatly appreciate the option to revert back to the previous toolbar UI and functionalities/behaviors.

This needs to be changed, as well as the insane change to needlessly remove the add bookmark feature and hide it behind three dots. This has made using the app for me so much more of a hassle and is leading me to consider alternatives.

I'm sorry to say that but this has been an exercise of change for the sake of it. I think the app should be designed for effizient use, that's why I chose Goodnotes in the first place. Currently it tries being to "clean" and by that putting in extra steps. I think it's missing the entire point of the app. The most important part is taking notes with the pen and that currently has been downgraded heavily in it's experience. It's so bad that I took the time to write this. Please bring the old menu bar back. Some formulas just work. Change is not always for the better. Gladly give new menu ideas, the app got to evolve, maybe get an beta option and get customer feedback in the app? It might help with such major frustration points.

The new tool bar is so hard to navigate. It’s so frustrating when you’re just trying to write your notes and now you have to deal with a complicated tool bar . There was nothing wrong with the old one matter of fact I loved it . At least give us the option to switch tool bars so that we can choose for ourselves.

why am i on bookmarks only and its not bookmarks only

Students need a reliable notetaking app, not more ai garbage. Please restore the old toolbar, this is extremely useless.

Honestly its really frustrating since all my notes are on goodnotes. Please get rid of the new toolbar and bring back the old one. Its horrible and before i had no motivation to do my work, now i definitely dont.
1 - Change the toolbar back to its former glory
2 - When typing on documents it doesnt let us change the font anymore when typing full page whereas prior update we could change the font. Allow us to change the font please.
3 - If this is somewhat not possible let us update un-update our goodnotes to the old goodnotes. I rather never get an update again than see an update this atrocious.

literally why rearrange the entire toolbar, mind you i pay for this app. i am literally so distraught why would you rearrange the toolbar i dont know up from down and i was already stressed about school and this is not helping. pls give me my old toolbar back or i"ll cry

Restore tool bar previous to 10/2025 update.

Bring back book mark and ruler in the tool bar

Infact just give me back the functional tool bar.

You can still make it move but then don’t have it take up double the space

Most importantly bring back my tools in the tool bar the way it was

YES PLEASE THIS IS SUCH A HORRIBLE UPDATE

I agree!!! if it isnt broken dont fix it!

One thousand times this! The whole bookmark, lass and overall tool bar update is making studies so much harder. Why am I required to click multiple buttons to add a bookmark and see which slides are bookmarked? It worked so well. Just let me revert back to the old option and yall can do whatever it is you want with the new one.

so annoying that i have to manually select the text box every time! also why do i have to click out and click back in just to redrag and resize my text boxes?!?! also pleaseeee stop making the transcript window auto zoom to the bottom every second while its recording like sometimes i want to go back in and see what my prof is saying while i’m still in class but i literally cant because it just zooms back to the bottom

I second this!! You need to make so many unnecessary clicks; it's so unnecessarily unorganized now.

New toolbar is in the way, not customizable, bookmark is gone, and new audio recording gets in the way. I just want my old UI back please.

I opened the app today and suddenly the eholr app changed. I mean, the whiteboard and the new shapes (especially the arrows) are such a good idea but the new toolbar is really uncomfortable to work with… especially the text options and the font changing is really annoying. please bring the previos toolbar back!!! Or at least give an option to decide if we want the old or new designs

Yes, or at least decide by yourself.

Please bring back the previous graphic toolbar layout.
The old version with “Recently Used Graphics/Colors” shown directly on the toolbar was much more efficient.
The new design requires extra steps and slows down the workflow — please revert it!

The new update (Oct 2025) introduced a new terrible toolbar that is unsuable. It is irritating, takes up more Space, hides important features and is unintuitiv. bring back the old toolbar or at least make that an option.