How to import a PDF planner into GoodNotes

You bought a digital planner, the download finished, and now the PDF sits somewhere on your iPad. This tutorial walks through getting it into GoodNotes so that tabs and links work, then covers Notability, sticker files and the problems people hit most often. The steps are for GoodNotes on iPad; the iPhone and Mac versions work the same way with different menu positions.

Some context on what you are likely to receive. We read the planner listings on Getly that mention GoodNotes or Notability, measured October 2026: 126 active listings. Of these, 68.3% deliver a PDF directly and 16.7% deliver a zip or rar archive. The PDFs are long: the median file has 30.5 pages, and the longest tenth run past 316 pages, which is what a dated year with monthly, weekly and daily pages looks like. Long PDFs are normal; they only need a little patience on import.

Step 1: download the file to Files

1. Open the download link on your iPad in Safari. On Getly the files are on your order page and in your library.
2. When Safari asks, choose Download. The file goes to the Downloads folder in the Files app (or iCloud Drive, depending on your settings).
3. Open the Files app and find the file under Recents or Downloads.

If you are on a computer, download there and send the file to the iPad by AirDrop or put it in iCloud Drive. Avoid emailing a large planner to yourself; mail apps often shrink or refuse big attachments.

Step 2: unzip if it is an archive

If the file ends in .zip, tap it once in Files. iPadOS unzips it into a folder next to the archive. Inside you will usually find one or more PDFs (for example a Monday-start and a Sunday-start version), sometimes PNG sticker files and a short instruction PDF. A .rar file does not open in Files; you need a free unarchiver app from the App Store, or ask the seller for a zip.

Step 3: open the PDF in GoodNotes

There are two ways, and both create a new notebook:

• From Files. Touch and hold the PDF, tap Share, then choose GoodNotes. GoodNotes opens and asks whether to import as a new document; confirm.
• From GoodNotes. In the Documents tab tap New (the plus), choose Import, find the PDF in Files and tap it.

Large planners take a moment to import. Let it finish before you start writing; an interrupted import can leave blank pages.

New notebook or existing notebook?

Import a planner as a new notebook. Its tabs and page links point to pages inside that same PDF, so it has to stay one document. Importing into an existing notebook is fine for single extra pages, such as a notes sheet or a habit tracker, but links in those pages may point to the wrong place once they are merged.

Step 4: make the hyperlinks work

A hyperlinked planner lets you tap a month tab and jump to that month. If a tap draws a dot instead of jumping, the pen is catching the tap. Two fixes:

• Switch to read-only mode (the pen icon with a line through it) when you want to navigate, then switch back to write.
• In GoodNotes settings, let Apple Pencil draw only, so that a finger tap follows links while the pencil writes.

If links still do nothing, the PDF may not be hyperlinked at all. Only 10.3% of the GoodNotes and Notability listings we read mention hyperlinks at all, so check the words "hyperlinked" or "clickable tabs" before buying.

Step 5: use single pages as templates

Many planners include blank pages (notes, grids, lists) meant for reuse. In GoodNotes you can add a page from the current notebook as a template, or import a one-page PDF as a custom template. Then every time you add a page you can choose that design instead of copying pages by hand.

Step 6: add sticker files

Digital stickers usually come as PNG files with a transparent background. Save them to Photos or Files, then in GoodNotes use the Elements tool (or the image tool) to import them. Once they are in Elements you can drag them onto any page. If a sticker shows a white box around it, the file has no transparency; that is a file problem, not a GoodNotes setting.

Notability

The same PDF works in Notability. From Files, use Share and choose Notability, or in Notability tap the import button and pick the file. Hyperlinks work in Notability too; if a tap writes instead, switch tools or use the mode that lets you tap links. Notability imports long PDFs as one note, so the same patience applies.

Troubleshooting

• "File too large" or the import stalls. Free up storage on the iPad, close other apps and try again. Some sellers offer a lighter version without daily pages; ask if you only need monthly and weekly.
• Pages look blank. Wait for the import to finish, then close and reopen the notebook. If pages are still blank, download the file again; a broken download is the usual cause.
• Links jump to the wrong page. You may have deleted or moved pages. Links point to page positions, so reordering breaks them. Keep the original order and add notes pages at the end.
• Wrong week start. Check whether the archive has a Monday-start and a Sunday-start version.
• Something else is wrong with the file. Contact the seller from your order page. Getly listings have a refund window of at least 30 days.

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