Apple Pencil Tips and Tricks

Updated 2026-09-29 · By the Notes for iPad team

Most people use the Apple Pencil like a pen and never touch its shortcuts. These tips cover the gestures, settings and small habits that make writing, drawing and note-taking on iPad faster. Some features depend on your Pencil and iPad model, and we say so where that applies.

First, check which Pencil you have. Apple currently sells or has sold four models: the first-generation Apple Pencil, Apple Pencil (2nd generation), Apple Pencil (USB-C) and Apple Pencil Pro. Each one works only with certain iPads, and they don't all have the same features. Apple's compatibility page lists which Pencil works with which iPad. If you're not sure which one you have, the quickest clue is how it charges (see the table at the end).

Shortcuts on the Pencil itself

1. Double-tap to switch tools

On Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil Pro, a quick double-tap on the flat lower part of the barrel switches tools. By default it toggles between the current tool and the eraser. In Settings → Apple Pencil you can change it to switch to the last tool you used, show the color palette, or do nothing. Individual apps decide how they respond, so the behavior can vary from app to app.

Switching straight to the eraser is the setting most note-takers keep. You fix a mistake, double-tap again, and keep writing without reaching for the toolbar.

2. Squeeze for the tool palette (Apple Pencil Pro)

Apple Pencil Pro adds a squeeze gesture. In supporting apps, squeezing the lower barrel brings up a tool palette next to the tip, so you can change pen, color or line width without moving your hand to the edge of the screen. Pencil Pro also supports barrel roll (rotating the Pencil to turn shaped brushes and pens) and gives gentle haptic feedback. These features need a compatible iPad and an app that supports them.

3. Hover to preview (supported models)

On supported iPad and Pencil combinations, the iPad can detect the tip a short distance above the screen. Apps can show a preview of where the mark will land, and some drawing apps preview the brush size and color before you touch the glass. It's most useful for precise work like filling in small boxes or tracing.

System features for Pencil

4. Scribble: handwrite into any text field

With Scribble turned on (Settings → Apple Pencil → Scribble), you can write by hand in a search bar, a message field or a form and iPadOS converts it to typed text. A few gestures help:

• Scratch out a word to delete it.
• Circle a word to select it.
• Draw a vertical line between letters to split or join words.
• Touch and hold between words to insert space for more writing.

Scribble is handy for quick searches and short replies without opening the keyboard. For longer text, the on-screen or a hardware keyboard is still faster for most people.

5. Quick Note from the corner

Swipe up diagonally from the bottom-right corner of the screen with the Pencil to open a Quick Note, a small floating Apple Notes window, from almost anywhere. You can jot a phone number or an idea and swipe it away. The corner gestures can be changed in Settings → Apple Pencil.

6. Screenshot and mark it up

Swipe up from the bottom-left corner with the Pencil to take a screenshot and go straight into Markup. You can circle a detail, add arrows and handwriting, then share it or save it to Files. This is a quick way to annotate a web page, a chart or a slide before sending it to someone.

7. Shape recognition

In Apple Notes and Markup, draw a circle, rectangle, arrow or line and hold the Pencil still at the end of the stroke. The rough shape snaps into a clean one. It's perfect for diagrams in class notes. Other note apps often have their own shape tools, so check the app's pen settings.

8. The ruler

Apple Notes and Markup include a ruler in the tool palette. Place it on the page, rotate it with two fingers to any angle, and draw along its edge for straight lines. It's useful for tables, graphs and underlining.

9. Palm rejection and "Only Draw with Apple Pencil"

The iPad ignores your palm while you write with the Pencil, so you can rest your hand on the screen as you would on paper. If your finger still leaves stray marks, turn on Only Draw with Apple Pencil in Settings → Apple Pencil. Your fingers will then scroll and zoom, and only the Pencil will write. Many note apps have a similar setting of their own.

Writing and drawing tips

10. Zoom in for neat handwriting

Handwriting on glass tends to look larger and messier than on paper. Pinch to zoom in a little and write slightly smaller than feels natural. After a week your notes will look much tidier.

11. Use a small, fixed set of tools

Pick one pen, two or three colors and one highlighter, and use them the same way every time: for example, black for notes, blue for questions, red for key terms. Fewer choices means fewer trips to the toolbar. Our guide on how to take notes on iPad covers a full setup.

12. Use page templates, not blank pages

Lines and grids keep handwriting straight and sized consistently. Lined paper suits text-heavy notes, dot grid works for mixed text and sketches, and graph paper helps with math, charts and diagrams. For lectures, try the Cornell notes template. Notebook apps such as Notes for iPad have templates like these built in, so every new page starts with the right layout.

13. Learn the lasso

Most note apps have a lasso tool. Circle handwriting to move it, resize it, change its color or copy it to another page. It's the fastest way to make room for something you forgot or to reorganize a messy page.

14. Add a matte screen protector

A paper-textured (matte) screen protector adds friction, so the tip doesn't slide around, and many people find their handwriting gets more controlled. The trade-offs: the screen looks slightly less sharp, and the Pencil tip wears faster. If you mostly write notes, it's often worth it. If you mostly watch video or edit photos, maybe not.

Tips, charging and pairing

15. Replace the tip when it wears

Pencil tips are replaceable. Unscrew the old tip counterclockwise and screw a new one on firmly (a loose tip can cause skipping). Replace it when it looks flat or chipped, when strokes become unreliable, or when you can feel metal through the plastic. Writing with a worn tip can scratch the screen.

Charging and pairing basics

To check the battery level, add the Batteries widget to your Home Screen or Today View. If the Pencil stops responding, make sure Bluetooth is on, charge it for a few minutes, check the tip, and if needed "Forget This Device" in Settings → Bluetooth and pair it again.

Quick start: set double-tap to the eraser (if your Pencil has it), turn on Scribble, learn the two corner swipes for Quick Note and screenshots, hold at the end of a stroke for clean shapes, and write on a template instead of a blank page.

Once the Pencil feels natural, pick a note-taking system to go with it. Our overview of note-taking methods is a good place to start.

Try the free Cornell notes template →

Frequently asked questions