Hi guys, thanks for taking a second to read, and maybe answer my question! this may be a very simple option, but I cannot seem to do any typing in my Notes app. The text option is greyed out and if I click it with my finger or Apple Pencil, nothing happens. I can do everything else without a problem, but the text is not available to me.
Does anybody have any idea what’s going on?
.
iPad Pro, iPadOS 16
Text mode option is greyed out in Notes. The offered answer is that it has been disabled by the administrator and can’t be restored. I am the only user of my IPad Air and haven’t made any changes that I’m aware of. I backed up Notes, deleted the app and reinstalled it. Problem is still the same. Any suggestions please
Text mode option is greyed out in Notes. The offered answer is that it has been disabled by the administrator and can’t be restored. I am the only user of my IPad Air and haven’t made any changes that I’m aware of. I backed up Notes, deleted the app and reinstalled it. Problem is still the same. Any suggestions please
I’ve been frustrated with this, too. I can’t believe a trillion dollar company has us out here, grubbing around for answers to basic UI questions.
Here’s what’s probably happening:
Apple Notes seems to block content types (handwritten vs. text) in rows. So if you have a handwritten note, and want to add text, you must scroll to the bottom of the handwritten section, then click to create a cursor. Then you can type.
This is related to the insane friction Apple put in front of just changing the name of a handwritten Note. The basic directions, to change a name, are to “pull down on the note.” But if the Note is handwritten, THIS DOESN’T WORK.
All the quickie, simplistic responses in the “Community” say, “pull down to edit the name!” But this only seems to work if the Note has a typed text section. So to change the name you must scroll to a new section (usually the bottom), click to add text, and then the title change option appears. Alternately you can paste text over the handwritten section - then the “Aa” button is enabled.
It’s a really sad state of affairs. I imagine some rational UI designers have quit Apple over some ancient belief that this is a good user flow.
Maybe allow us to RIGHT-CLICK on the title like every other app on the planet?
Hey Tkucey,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. We'll do all we can to help you get a solution.
If you're unable to type in Notes, start by restarting your iPad. For help, check out: Restart your iPad - Apple Support
If you continue to have issues, make sure your iPad is unlocked. Also, is this specific to a particular note? Are you able to select other notes or create a new note? If so, create a new note to test things out a bit further.
Keep us posted on the results and we'll go from there.
Take care!
notes app text option greyed out
