Make your handwriting searchable

Outcome: You type a word you wrote by hand into OneNote search, and OneNote finds the page and shows you where the word is.

OneNote does not search the handwriting it receives from your reMarkable. When handwriting search is on for a notebook, ReMarkSync reads your handwriting on your computer and adds a small piece of searchable text just under each word it recognizes. That text travels in the same page as your ink. Your handwriting stays exactly as you wrote it and stays editable.

Handwriting search works on Windows and macOS. It is off until you turn it on for a notebook.

Before you begin

Search reads English handwriting. US, UK and other English spellings all count.
It works for notebooks. PDFs are not supported yet.
On Windows, Windows needs English handwriting installed. Most English versions of Windows already have it. If it is missing, ReMarkSync shows you how to add it: see Install English handwriting on Windows.
On macOS, there is nothing to install.

Turn on search for a notebook

Open Library and find the notebook.
Open the notebook row’s ··· menu. It opens Notebook options. Choose Handwriting search in OneNote.
Read the short summary, then select Turn on for this notebook.
The notebook row now shows Search on.

Animation of Library. Selecting the ··· button on the Strategy Notes row opens Notebook options, where Handwriting search in OneNote reads Off. Selecting it opens Make handwriting searchable in OneNote, with Where processing happens: On this device, and What to expect. Selecting Turn on for this notebook shows the notice Handwriting search is on for Strategy Notes, and the row now shows Search on. — Turning on search for one notebook, from the row menu to Search on. Example using sample data.Open full size

Notebook options for Strategy Notes: Automatically include new pages with On, Off and Use parent setting, and at the bottom Handwriting search in OneNote, Review processing and search options, Off. — The row's ··· menu opens Notebook options. Handwriting search in OneNote is at the bottom. Example using sample data.Open full size

Make handwriting searchable in OneNote for the notebook Strategy Notes: Where processing happens, On this device. What to expect, Handwriting language English, Allow a visible transcript when word locations are unavailable, and the buttons Keep off and Turn on for this notebook. — The search options explain where processing happens and what to expect before you turn search on. Example using sample data.Open full size

Library row for the notebook Strategy Notes with a Search on label next to its Notebook badge. — A notebook with search on shows Search on in Library. Example using sample data.Open full size

Which pages become searchable? Pages that sync after you turn search on: new pages, and pages you change. Pages that were already in OneNote before can be made searchable too, if you ask for it (see the next section).

Example: a shopping list. You turn on search for your Personal notebook, then write a new page: milk, eggs, bread, call Giorgio. After the page syncs and OneNote has had a few minutes to catch up, searching OneNote for eggs finds the page and highlights the spot just under your handwritten word.

Make existing pages searchable

When you turn search on for a notebook that already has pages in OneNote, the options offer Also make existing pages searchable, with the number of pages. It is off unless you select it.

What happens: each of those pages is sent to OneNote again with search text, and the old copy is replaced.
Changes made in OneNote are replaced too. Anything you added to these pages in OneNote, such as typed notes or a new title, is replaced by the reMarkable page. Pages you renamed in OneNote are left as they are, and the options say how many.
It runs slowly in the background. Your new pages always go first, and only a small part of the hourly OneNote limit is used, so it handles about 30 pages an hour: 300 pages take about 10 hours. It continues after a restart.
Later: if search is already on, choose Handwriting search in OneNote again. Handwriting search options opens and offers the same choice; select it, then Save changes.
Progress and Stop: the search options and Activity show how many pages are done, with a Stop button. The page being sent finishes; pages already done keep their search text. Activity history shows one line, Existing pages made searchable.

Animation of Library and Activity. In the search options for Strategy Notes, selecting Also make existing pages searchable (1 page) shows that each page is sent to OneNote again and the old copy is replaced. Selecting Turn on for this notebook shows the notice Handwriting search is on for Strategy Notes, 1 existing page will be made searchable in the background. Activity then shows Strategy Notes · Making existing pages searchable: 0 of 1, with a progress bar and Stop. — Existing pages are an extra choice when you turn search on. Activity shows their progress. Example using sample data.Open full size

Animation of Activity and Library. Activity shows Strategy Notes · Making existing pages searchable: 1 of 2. Selecting Stop shows the notice Stopped making existing pages searchable: The page being sent finishes. Pages already done keep their search text. The progress line goes away. In Library, the notebook's Handwriting search options now read Existing pages: 1 page made searchable. Stopped before 1 page, and offer Also make existing pages searchable (1 page) again. — Stop keeps what is done. The search options say how many pages were made searchable. Example using sample data.Open full size

Example: 300 old pages. You turn search on for Work and select Also make existing pages searchable (300 pages). Over the next 10 hours or so, Activity shows Work · Making existing pages searchable: 42 of 300 while your new notes keep syncing as usual.

The transcript choice

The options also offer Allow a visible transcript when word locations are unavailable. When search text could not be placed safely next to a word, ReMarkSync can add a short, labeled list of those words after your handwriting instead. Leave it off to keep your pages looking exactly like your reMarkable pages.

What search can find

Search finds most handwritten English words, but not every one. Clear writing works best, whether you print or write joined-up.

You wrote	Can OneNote find it?
Everyday English words, like milk or meeting	Usually yes
UK and US spellings, like colour and color	Yes, both
Names and brands, like Giorgio or IKEA	Sometimes. Common names are found more often than rare ones
Dates, times and prices, like 29/09, 14:30, 6pm or £12.50	Often. Clear, separate digits work best
Phone numbers and longer numbers, like 555-0142 or 2027	Often
Short numbers on their own, like 7 or 20	No. A quick mark is too easily read as one
One-letter words, like a or I	No. Searching for them would match almost every page
Words in other languages	No
Drawings, arrows and scribbles	Not searched. Rarely, a scribble can be read as a short word
Handwriting on PDFs, or on rotated pages	No
A word cut in two where a long page is split	No. The rest of the page is still searchable

How many words? In our tests in October 2026, about six to seven in ten words on everyday handwritten notes became searchable, and about eight in ten on neat, clear writing. Dates, times and prices are found about eight times in ten on Windows, and less often on a Mac for now.

Find a word in OneNote

Wait a few minutes after the page syncs. OneNote takes a little time to include new or changed pages in search. In our test, OneNote on the web found a new page about 4 minutes after it synced.
In OneNote, search for the word. Choose where to search, for example the section or the notebook. The choices depend on which OneNote you use.
Open the result. OneNote highlights the searchable text just under or next to your handwritten word.

OneNote on the web searching the Shopping list section for Giorgio: one result, Page 1, and the handwritten page call Giorgio at IKEA 14:30 with Giorgio highlighted in a small box just under the handwritten word. — OneNote finds the handwritten word and highlights the search text under it. The box only shows while it is highlighted. Real OneNote search of a synced test page.Open full size

The searchable text is white, so on a normal white page you do not see it. It is only there for search.

Tip: search for a word that is not too common, like a name or a topic, rather than the or and.

Install English handwriting on Windows

If Windows does not have English handwriting, ReMarkSync tells you in the search options and in Settings. Your ink still syncs, but pages that sync while English handwriting is missing get no search text. They get it the next time you change them on your reMarkable, after English is installed.

Message English handwriting is not installed on this computer, with three steps to install it, a note for when English is not in the list, and a Check again button. — ReMarkSync shows these steps when Windows is missing English handwriting. Example using sample data.Open full size

Open Windows Settings, then Time & language, then Language & region.
Next to English, select the three dots (···), then Language options.
Under Handwriting, select Download.
Back in ReMarkSync, select Check again. When it says English handwriting is ready, new and changed pages become searchable when they sync.

Animation of the search options for Strategy Notes on Windows. A message reads English handwriting is not installed on this computer, with three steps: open Windows Settings, then Time & language, then Language & region; next to English, select the three dots, then Language options; under Handwriting, select Download. Selecting Check again replaces the message with English handwriting is ready. New and changed pages become searchable when they sync. — After you download English handwriting in Windows, Check again confirms it is ready. Example using sample data.Open full size

If the message says English spelling is not installed on this computer, follow the same steps but select Download under Basic typing in step 3. ReMarkSync uses the English spell checker to keep only real words.

No English in the list? In Language & region, select Add a language, choose an English language such as English (United Kingdom) or English (United States), and include Handwriting. A download can take a few minutes. Select Check again when it finishes.

Changing Windows language settings is your choice: ReMarkSync never changes them for you.

On a Mac

On macOS, ReMarkSync uses the text recognition built into macOS. There is nothing to install.

Your handwriting stays on your computer

ReMarkSync reads your handwriting on your computer. It never sends your handwriting, page images or recognized words to an online service to read them.
The searchable text goes to your OneNote page together with your ink, like the rest of the page.
ReMarkSync’s logs and diagnostics keep only counts and codes, such as how many words were found. They never contain your words.

Turn search off

For one notebook: open its ··· menu (Notebook options), choose Handwriting search in OneNote, select Turn off search, then confirm.
For everything: open Settings, find Handwriting search, select Turn off for all…, then confirm the count.

Settings, Handwriting search: On for 1 notebook. Processing happens on this device. Search text is added to your OneNote pages. Buttons Manage in Library and Turn off for all…. — Settings shows how many notebooks have search on, with Turn off for all… to turn it off everywhere. Example using sample data.Open full size

Your ink keeps syncing as before. Searchable text already in OneNote may remain on those pages; turning search off does not change pages that were already sent. If existing pages were still being made searchable, the rest are not sent.

Common problems

What you notice	What to check or do
OneNote does not find a word you wrote.	Wait a few minutes and search again. Check that the page synced after you turned search on, or make existing pages searchable. Check the table above: short numbers, one-letter words and other languages are not searchable. Try another word from the same page.
ReMarkSync says English handwriting or spelling is not installed.	Follow Install English handwriting on Windows, then select Check again.
Activity shows Ink synced; search text unavailable.	The page synced, but without search text. The details say why, for example that the handwriting language is not installed, or that there was no room for search text on the page.
Handwriting search in OneNote is not available.	Update ReMarkSync. Search is available on Windows and macOS, for notebooks only.
A search finds a page where you did not write that word.	Rarely, a scribble or a quick mark is read as a short word. If it happens often, tell us through Contact support and say which kind of page it was. You do not need to send the page.

Manage the Library: find notebooks and their options.
What synced notes look like: how your ink appears in OneNote.
Review Activity and sync history: check what happened to a page.
Privacy and security: what stays on your computer.

Next stepCheck that a page got its search textOpen Activity and look at the page's details after it syncs.

Privacy and analytics choices