How To Change Pen Thickness In Goodnotes: Precise Stroke Control For Notes

I spent two frustrating hours trying to adjust stroke weight in GoodNotes last semester. The solution was hiding in plain sight.

The pen thickness control lives in the tool settings, not the main menu. On iPad, tap your pen, then look for the slider that appears above the color picker. On iPhone, you’ll find it tucked under the pen’s additional options.

You’ll get precision down to 0.1mm increments, which makes a huge difference for diagrams or handwritten notes. The change applies instantly, so you can test different weights before committing.

Works identically across all iOS devices. Here’s the exact path to get it right the first time.

What Youll Need

Instructions

Here’s the procedure I follow for perfect stroke weight every time in the app.

Open the document and tap the pen icon in the toolbar to activate drawing mode. I always verify I’m using the correct tool first—tapping the fountain pen, ballpen, or highlighter changes the available thickness options.

Once the pen is active, look for the thickness slider in the secondary toolbar that appears above your selection. If it’s not visible, tap the pen icon again to reveal the full customization panel. This is where most users miss the option on first try.

The slider typically ranges from 0.5pt to 10pt, though the exact maximum depends on your pen type. Drag the slider left for thinner strokes or right for thicker ones. The preview line updates in real time, so you’ll see the change immediately.

For quick adjustments, tap the preset dots below the slider—these jump to common sizes like 1pt, 2pt, and 4pt. I recommend testing at 0.7pt for fine details and 3pt for standard note-taking. The app remembers your last setting per pen type.

Draw a few test strokes on a blank area of the page. The thickness appears consistent only after lifting the stylus, so don’t judge by the initial preview. For pressure-sensitive pens like the Apple Pencil, the thickness may vary with pressure even after setting a base value.

If the stroke feels too light or heavy, adjust in 0.1pt increments for precision. This granular control matters most when annotating small text or technical diagrams. The undo button lets you revert if you overshoot the ideal size.

After finding your ideal thickness, tap Save as Custom Pen in the pen settings menu. This creates a reusable preset that appears in your toolbar. I name mine descriptively, like “Thin-Blue” or “Bold-Red,” to remember both color and size.

Custom presets sync across devices via iCloud if enabled. To delete a preset, long-press its icon in the toolbar and select Remove. This keeps your workspace organized without losing the default options.

Open a new document and select your custom pen to confirm the thickness persists. Some users report variations when switching between portrait and landscape mode—this usually indicates a display scaling issue rather than a pen setting problem.

If the thickness changes unexpectedly, check that you haven’t accidentally selected a different pen tool. The app sometimes defaults to the last used tool rather than your custom preset after closing and reopening documents.

Tips and Common Mistakes

Small adjustments make a big difference when fine-tuning your digital writing tools.

Precision Matters: In Step 2, the 0.1pt increments on the slider are your best friend for technical diagrams or small text annotations. I learned this the hard way after ruining several architectural sketches with strokes that were just slightly too thick. Trust me on this.

Tool Verification: Before diving into Step 1, always double-check you’ve selected the right pen type. I’ve accidentally spent 10 minutes trying to adjust thickness on a highlighter when I meant to use the fountain pen—only to realize the options were completely different. The app’s interface can be deceptively similar between tools.

Testing Protocol: Step 3’s advice about lifting the stylus before judging thickness is gold. The live preview often looks different from the final result, especially with pressure-sensitive devices like the Apple Pencil. I now draw three test strokes at different pressures before committing to any setting.

Preset Organization: When saving custom pens in Step 4, use a consistent naming system. I started with vague names like “Pen 1” and quickly lost track. Now I use format like “Thin-0.7-Blue” which tells me thickness, color, and purpose at a glance. It saves so much time when switching between note-taking and diagram modes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Changing pen thickness in GoodNotes is simple once you know where to look! 🎯 Adjusting the stroke weight lets you customize your notes for clarity and style. Now that you’ve mastered this, try experimenting with different pen types or colors to take your note-taking to the next level.