reMarkable recently released Software Release 3.22 introduces some highly requested features, which continued to refine this amazing operating system. The headline is obvious — handwritten notes are now (mostly) searchable. But there’s more under the hood. If you’ve ever felt like your reMarkable notebooks turned into a digital haystack, 3.22 aims to solve that.
Here’s what EffectivExec readers need to know.
What’s New in reMarkable 3.22 software update
Based on the official release notes plus early user feedback, here are the key updates:
| Feature | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Handwriting Search (Beta) | If you’re a Connect subscriber, and using version 3.22 or newer, this lets you search your handwritten notes and typed notes. | This is a major shift — going from only typed/text search to including your own writing. It means you can sketch, journal, handwrite lectures, ideas — and still find them later. |
| Recent notebooks swipe down | When you swipe down with two fingers from the top of a page, it opens your recently opened notebooks | Allows easier switching between commonly (or recently) used notebooks. This is a game changer if you regularly bounce between a couple key notebooks. |
| Toolbar position flexibility | The toolbar is now movable. You can drag it, or place it in different spots (top, bottom) depending on your preference. | Small change but big practical impact: more usable space, especially along edges; more comfortable writing depending on how you hold or orient the device. |
| UI / icon updates & typographic tweaks | Freshened up icons; slimmer font in places; some visual refinements. | Keeps the interface feeling modern; less visual noise; helps with clarity especially for folks with many notebooks. |
Perspective on the big changes to the reMarkable 2, reMarkable Paper Pro, and reMarkable Paper Pro Move UI
Handwriting Search on reMarkable
After much testing, waiting a few weeks, and then testing again – I can’t find a place where my reMarkable 2 is actually able to search handwritten (unconverted) text. I know that the feature was called beta and that reMarkable caveated that it would be rolled out over time.
I thought that I would have to edit my reMarkable search post, but it seems that it can stay as is (for now).
Recent reMarkable notebooks quick access bar
The addition of the quick access tool bar, actually ground breaking (for the reMarkable). Previously, one of my few gripes about the reMarkable UI was that there wasn’t an easy way to switch between notebooks that are in different folders.
Enter the quick access bar. With a two-finger swipe gesture, you can bring up a bar with the 5 most recent notebooks you’ve had open. With a right swipe, you can actually also find an additional 5 recent notebooks.
There are actually two tabs at the top of the quick access bar – one for recent reMarkable notebooks and one for favorites.
Which makes switching from my daily notes & meetings notebook (yay digital minimalism) and other notebooks I’ve recently used a snap. Honestly, this is the best feature in at least the last year on the reMarkable.
Ability to relocate the reMarkable tool bar
The last feature of note for this software update is the movable tool bar. You can move the tool bar by long pressing on the tool bar and then dragging it to the new location.
Don’t get too excited, you can only place the toolbar at the top, bottom, left, or right of the screen.
I can think of situations where you’d want to move the toolbar from the default left or right handed location. But I don’t think I’ll be using this new reMarkable feature much.
Final thoughts on the reMarkable 3.22 software update
I thought that I would be most excited about handwriting search, but it turns out that the quick access toolbar (two finger swipe down) has had the most impact on how I use my reMarkable notebook. I look forward to future updates that bring handwriting search out of beta.
