OneNote iOS/iPadOS Ink to text not working on iPad Pro

Question

Hi

In OneNote on an iPad Pro (M4 iPadOS 26.3.1) does anyone know why Ink to Text is not working? I've used the Lasso Select tool to select the hand-written notes then selected the Ink to Text tool (Pen with letter A on it), but it doesn't do anything at all.

Many thanks

Jeremy

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/take-handwritten-notes-in-onenote-0ec88c54-05f3-4cac-b452-9ee62cebbd4c

https://www.solveyourtech.com/how-to-convert-handwriting-to-text-in-onenote-on-ipad-a-step-by-step-guide/

Answer 1

Good day @Jeremy Lloyd and thank you for your question.

Based on my research, OneNote on iPad and iPhone currently doesn’t support converting existing handwritten ink into text retroactively. Because of this limitation, when you use the Lasso tool to select handwritten notes and then tap Ink to Text, it may appear that nothing happens. Although the option is visible in the interface, the actual conversion feature isn’t available on iPadOS in the same way it is on Windows. You can find more details in this official article from Microsoft: Lasso select ink strokes in OneNote for iPad or iPhone - Microsoft Support

I know this isn’t an ideal experience, especially on an iPad Pro where handwriting is such a natural workflow. Just to gently set expectations, this is a user‑to‑user support forum, and moderators and contributors here, including myself and external Microsoft employees, aren’t able to intervene in product design decisions or access backend systems. What I can do, however, is help confirm current product limitations so you have a clear and accurate picture of what’s supported today.

If you feel this functionality should be available on iPad, I’d definitely encourage you to share that feedback directly with the OneNote team via the OneNote · Community

This is the official channel where feedback is reviewed by the product team and can be considered for future improvements. If you do decide to post there, feel free to share the link here. I’d be more than happy to support it with a vote to help increase visibility.

If this explanation helps clarify your question, please consider clicking “Accept answer” on this post so other users with the same concern can quickly find the confirmation. Accepting an answer also helps highlight and pin the information, making it more visible to others who share the same idea and may want to add feedback or support your suggestion as well.

Thank you again for your understanding and for being part of the community.

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Answer 2

On iPad and iPhone, OneNote currently does not support converting handwriting to text. The Ink to Text functionality described in some articles is not available in OneNote for iOS, which is why selecting handwritten notes with Lasso Select and then choosing Ink to Text does nothing.

The documentation explicitly notes that OneNote for iPad and iPhone does not support converting handwritten notes to text.

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References:

• Lasso select ink strokes in OneNote for iPad or iPhone
• Handwrite, draw, and sketch in OneNote for iPad or iPhone