The reMarkable 2 tablet’s ability to accurately convert handwriting into typed characters is an amazing feature. But how can users get the most out of this tool and what tips / tricks are available?
What is handwriting conversion on the reMarkable 2 tablet?
Hand writing conversion is the reMarkable 2’s ability to convert notes you’ve written with a pen into typed text. While there are many naysayers on this feature, I’ve been nothing but impressed by the conversions.
reMarkable uses their backend data centers to do the processing (more on the tactical ‘how’ in a moment) and then adds a page to your document with typed text. In my experience, the conversions aren’t perfect but do get enough of my chicken scratch to provide plenty of context.
I also find that if you employ some basic tips (see bottom), you can significantly improve your conversion yield (how much of the note is successfully converted to text).
When can hand writing conversion be useful?
Candidly, I’m still discovering new use cases for handwriting conversion on my reMarkable 2. Below are a couple ideas of ways that you can use the handwriting conversion tool.
- Meeting notes – taking notes on the reMarkable is wonderful because it allow you to stay present in the meeting and not get distracted by lots of apps. Once the meeting is over, converting the notes to text and then sharing with other participants by email is super efficient.
- Trip notes – recently used this on a whirlwind tour of a few manufacturing facilities and it made it super easy to roll up my notes to share with our leadership team and investors
- Brain storming – sometimes ideas just flow better with a pen / pencil and the reMarkable is no exception. I find writing down ideas as a bulletized list and then converting it is a great way to get a start on a Powerpoint presentation, a document, or just a blog post for your website
- Grocery list – this is a new one for me, but keeping a running list in my ‘personal’ folder on my device is an easy way to keep up with items needed for our kitchen. I can convert to text and email it to either myself or my wife for when we’re at the store.
How to perform hand writing conversion on reMarkable 2
Primary method for converting reMarkable 2 handwritten content to text
Converting your note to text is straight forward. First, you need to make sure that you are connected to WiFi. If you have questions about that, visit our post about syncing your reMarkable 2.
Next, locate the “Convert notes to text” button at the bottom of the in-note menu. Click the box with an arrow (known as the ‘Export‘ button, second from the bottom) and then the Concert Notes (designated with a capital ‘A’).
If you see the below error, go back to the top of these instructions and connect to WiFi
That’s it! Your new page with typed text should show up as the next page in your note. Optionally, you can then email this page to yourself or your team.
Alternative method: convert multiple pages to text on reMarkable 2
You can also convert multiple pages of a note to handwriting by navigating to the page view (four small squares). You then select multiple pages by pressing and holding the first page. You’ll know it worked when it highlights with a black border around it. You can then select multiple pages for conversion. Look at the top for the capital ‘A’ icon and select “Convert to text” to convert them all.
Alternative method 2: convert highlighted area to text
In the v3.8 software update, reMarkable added the ability to convert just a section of a document to text. This can be really handy when you’d like to retain figures or drawings during a handwriting conversion.
Step 1: click the “Selection” icon on the sidebar
Step 2: select the block of handwriting that you’d like to convert by drawing a ‘lasso’ around it
Step 3: click the ‘A’ icon to convert that block to text (must be on WiFi) – in the new v3.10 software update, the text will convert directly over your old handwritten text.
Step 4: paste the converted text where you’d like it (no needed in v3.10 software update)
Step 5 (optional): clean up any conversion problems
Tips for improving handwriting conversions on reMarkable 2
- Symbols – there are only a handful of symbols that reMarkable currently recognizes. If you confine your writing to letters, numbers, basic math operators, and punctuation marks you’ll be ok. See the picture at the top of this article for some test results. We’d love to see more symbols in a future software or hardware update.
- Wifi – make sure you’re connected to WiFi if you want to convert a note.
- Layout – You need to keep your note layout relatively vertical so that the handwriting engine can interpret your writing properly
- Bullets – you can draw dots and the reMarkable software will recognize them as bullets. This is great for organizing ideas
- Share document by email – once you’ve converted a handwritten document to text, it’s even better for sharing with colleagues (especially if you have chicken scratch handwriting like me).
- Underline headings to bold them (similar to an H2 heading) in your notes
If you are having issues with your reMarkable 2 handwriting conversion, check out this article where we unpacked some of the most common problems with handwriting conversion and recommended fixes. If you’re experiencing problems with your nib, stylus, or tablet, check out this guide for diagnosing issues.
