Skip to content
Penlo
Start free
Guides

How to set up Supernote with Penlo

Link Dropbox or OneDrive on your Supernote, sync the EXPORT folder, export notebooks as PDF, and Penlo makes every page searchable from any browser.

Michal Wlosik

Michal Wlosik

· 4 min read

How to set up Supernote with Penlo

Supernote is one of the nicest tablets to write on, and it has handwriting recognition built in. What it doesn't do is make your notes searchable anywhere except the tablet. This guide connects your Supernote to Penlo, so every notebook you export becomes text you can search from your laptop or phone.

How it works: Supernote syncs its own .note files to Dropbox or OneDrive, but other apps can't read them. So you export a notebook as a PDF into Supernote's EXPORT folder, sync, and Penlo reads the PDF from your cloud storage.
A Supernote Manta e-ink tablet
Supernote Manta. Image: Supernote.

What you need

  • A Supernote: Manta, Nomad, or the older A5 X and A6 X, on current firmware.
  • A Dropbox or OneDrive account. Dropbox's free plan has 2 GB, which holds a lot of handwritten notebooks. Not sure which to pick? See Dropbox vs OneDrive for e-ink notes.
  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the Settings icon.
  2. Tap Sync in the left panel (called Drive on some firmware versions).
  3. Tap Authorize next to Dropbox or OneDrive.
  4. Scan the QR code with your phone, or visit the address shown and enter the code, then sign in.

Step 2: Choose the EXPORT folder to sync

  1. Still in the sync settings, tap the Dropbox or OneDrive line, then Select Folders to Sync.
  2. Tick the EXPORT folder. Tick other folders too if you want them backed up, but EXPORT is the one Penlo needs.
  3. Tap Save.

Step 3: Export a notebook as PDF

  1. Open the notebook and tap the Export (share) icon in the toolbar.
  2. Select the pages you want, or all of them, and choose PDF as the file type.
  3. Tap Export. The PDF is saved to the EXPORT folder on the tablet.

Step 4: Sync

Swipe down and tap the Sync icon in the top bar. The PDF uploads to your cloud storage. Supernote doesn't sync to Dropbox or OneDrive on its own schedule, so make syncing a habit after you export.

Re-export after you add pages. An exported PDF is a snapshot. If you keep writing in a notebook, export it again and sync: Penlo sees the new version and reads it.
CTA Image

Supernote works with Dropbox.
New to Dropbox? Sign up through our referral link and get 500 MB extra on top of the free 2 GB. (We get a little extra space too.)

Get Dropbox with 500 MB extra

Step 5: Connect Penlo

  1. Sign up at notes.penlo.app. Every feature is free for 7 days, no card needed.
  2. Pick Supernote as your device, then Dropbox or OneDrive as your storage, and sign in to the same account your tablet uses.
  3. Choose the folder your Supernote syncs to, and inside it the EXPORT folder, so Penlo only reads your PDFs.

That's it. From now on, each PDF that arrives in that folder is picked up within moments: Penlo reads every page, cleans up the text, writes a short summary and makes it searchable alongside the rest of your notebooks. The full tour is in Getting started with Penlo.

Penlo's Supernote setup step
Penlo's setup screen for Supernote.

Already exported a pile of notebooks to Dropbox? Use Import all notes in Penlo's Settings › Sources & sync to bring them all in at once.

A handwritten notebook page in Penlo with its text beside it
Each page next to its text, ready to search, copy or export.

Make your Supernote notes searchable everywhere.
Export, sync, and every page is text you can search from any browser. Try every feature free for 7 days.

Try Penlo free for 7 days

Troubleshooting

My PDF isn't in Dropbox or OneDrive

Check that the EXPORT folder is ticked under Select Folders to Sync, that the tablet is online, and tap Sync again. The PDF only uploads when you sync.

It's in my cloud storage but not in Penlo

Make sure the folder chosen in Penlo (Settings › Sources & sync) is the one the PDF is in, then press Sync now in Penlo.

Can Penlo read .note files?

No. The .note format is Supernote's own, and other apps can't open it. Export notebooks as PDF and Penlo reads those.

What about Supernote's own handwriting recognition?

Keep using it on the tablet if you like it. Penlo reads every PDF you export, including standard notes that were never recognised on the device, and makes them searchable together with notes from any other tablet.

Menus change with firmware updates. If a step doesn't match your tablet, see Supernote's help pages.

✨
Penlo for Android is coming soon to Google Play. Open your Supernote notebooks on any Android phone, with search. Also have a BOOX? It can now sync straight to Penlo, no cloud needed. More about Penlo for Android.

Other setup guides: Onyx BOOX · reMarkable · Kindle Scribe · All devices

Make your Supernote notes searchable
Michal Wlosik

Written by

Michal Wlosik

Builder, product marketer. Creator of Penlo and Ectobuilder. Co-author of The AdTech Book. Writes about turning handwritten notes into searchable, useful text.

Keep reading

How to set up reMarkable with Penlo
Guides3 min read

How to set up reMarkable with Penlo

Add Dropbox or OneDrive as a reMarkable integration, export notebooks as PDF, and Penlo makes your handwriting searchable from any browser, no Connect subscription needed.