[Sep 2025 Launch] New Toolbar Suggestions
Thread for feedback on the new toolbar.
Feel free to share any bugs or suggestions for improvement regarding the updated toolbar.
Hello! We’re excited to let you know that we’ve updated the Text tool and introduced a new dedicated floating menu for text boxes, including more customization options.
One of the new tools is Pin Text Tool — when enabled, it keeps the Text tool active so you can create multiple text boxes continuously without having to reselect it each time.
This is especially helpful when you're focused on adding or adjusting text in your notes. The pin will automatically turn off once you switch to another tool.
Feel free to try it out and let us know how it works for you!
This improvement is available in the latest Apple update.
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Paulina Sicińska commented
Please bring back the old toolbar!
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Paulina Sicińska commented
Please bring back old layout or at least the function to have old toolbox!
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unholy empire commented
Let us change the tab color please. The current blue one doesn’t fit my taste.
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Belva Wong commented
Completely agree! Since I use my GoodNotes to journal and schedule the most, the zoom window is the most pressed button. Not I can’t get to it quickly and it truly disrupts my flow. Considering changing to another app just because of this change.
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Germany No commented
Agree, the new toolbar is blocking the notebook's view (no matter top, left, right or bottom), and icons are tightly packed together, which makes it harder to use (and causes quite a nuisance)
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Matthew Wong commented
I don't get what the point of this update was. It fixed literally nothing and seems to have caused a lot of problems for others and myself. Please add a way to at least toggle it back to the old toolbar layout!
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Angel
commented
Please give as an option to revert to our previous version. As you can see, majority of users are not satisfied with the new update.
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Kaysha Vallabh commented
the new toolbar update is awful it genuinely has ruined my week. i dislike how i now have to scroll to see my different pen colours and that i must have the pencil, tape and other stuff on it when i never use it and want those features to be off. i would appreciate tool bar customisation for the pens and also to have all the pens and other tools in the same line again. i dont like how the lasso tool isn’t next to the pens and nothing feels easy access anymore. it feels like the apps de-evolving and i am tempted to download another if these changes aren’t made. sorry this is kinda mean im just an everyday goodnotes user and would love to go back to the old model. also you have to click more stuff to change the lasso which doesn’t make sense. the last model was way more efficient
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Thitirat khanthong commented
Hello GoodNotes team,
First of all, I want to say that I truly love using GoodNotes 6. It has made studying and taking lecture notes so much more enjoyable and efficient. I especially appreciate how I can switch between handwriting and typing whenever I need.
However, the new floating text toolbar has made typing lectures significantly slower and less convenient. The toolbar often covers my text, and I have to readjust or reopen settings every time I type. The buttons are also quite small, and I can no longer lock or keep my preferred font style as before.
Could you please consider bringing back the old, fixed text toolbar option? The new design may look modern, but it’s much less practical for long typing sessions.
Thank you for your great work so far, and I really hope this feature can be improved in a future update.
Best regards
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Rick Dougal commented
This update is so unnecessary and is destroying my studying efficiency. PLEASE switch it back or I will be forced to use an entirely different company that does not change their interface drastically so I can STAY used to something.
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Ariq Haqq commented
Also I have the Pencil Pro which had this "Squeeze" Feature. Since I was able to customize the layout of my tools I could have the lasso tool be one of the priority tools. But now its hidden all the way back! It makes me so slow!!!
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Olga Repa commented
BUGGY !
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Kaylie Kloné Gross commented
This update is horrible. I want the old toolbar! Definitely second guessing Goodnotes now - this update is slowing me down.
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Ellie Moller commented
floating toolbar is horrible - at least make it so we can choose to have it floating or back to how it was. i don’t want the toolbar COVERING MY DOCUMENTS WHILE IM TRYING TO WRITE AND HAVING TO MOVE IT ARE WE SERIOUS
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Melli commented
worst update ever, there are so many flaws in this app but instead of working of those they focus on making everything else worse as well
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Pinata commented
This update is horrible I wish there was a way to get the old toolbar back.
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Pinata commented
I agree the new tool bar is not efficient. I wish apps would stop downgrading their function
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暇人
commented
本当にそう思う。
このアプデを何のために行なったのか理解できない。
別のノートアプリに移行することを真剣に検討せざるを得ないゴミアプデ。 -
Payge Peluso commented
might have to switch to notability now after this update. absolutely nothing beneficial for the notetaker with this update
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Natalie
commented
Why do you have to press more buttons to get to the tool you want?? Not only is there less customization, but if I want to switch because the lasso/text/etc tool and the highlighter, for example, I have to press the handwriting tool and then the tool that I want. Before the update you could customize the toolbar and just hide the ones you don’t want, now there’s tool categories that you can’t modify and have to work harder to switch tools!
I agree with what everyone is saying about the toolbar update, and it sucks because I do thinks it’s cuter and I like that the icons reflect the color of the tool. But now it’s just not user-friendly at all.