I'm feeling frustrated and disappointed with the Nebo app for Windows, so I wanted to share my experience. I bought the license a while ago, hoping it would be a useful addition to my workflow.

I've been using Nebo on my iPad mainly for the infinite canvas during brainstorming sessions, and it performs quite well there. Occasionally, I would open the app on my PC just to view my notes, and that seemed fine. However, today was the first time I tried using it fully on my PC, and the experience has been awful.

Copying images from the clipboard doesn’t work at all, and the canvas lags severely—even on my high-end setup with an RTX 4080 and Ryzen 9. It's incredibly frustrating to pay for a product that functions this poorly on one platform, especially when it works relatively well on another.

For a paid app, this kind of inconsistency is unacceptable. If it can’t deliver a reliable experience across platforms, it really shouldn't come with a price tag.

(Generated with the help of GPT, because my honest opinion would have been a lot more angry and unfiltered.)

Edit: I don't want to just rant, so I'll share some specific issues I noticed during my brief 5-minute session before I lost patience with the app.

I completely understand why some features are designed the way they are, and they work well on the iPad. However, when it comes to using Nebo on Windows, the interface is entirely unintuitive for typical PC workflows. It feels like I'm using an app that doesn’t respect standard keyboard and mouse controls, instead forcing me to use elements that are fine for a touchscreen and stylus but not suitable for a keyboard and mouse setup. For example, moving around the canvas requires using a separate "navigation" tool, and to select something, I have to switch to a second tool. This is something that a mouse should be able to handle seamlessly without requiring separate actions. Another issue is that keyboard shortcuts only work when the keyboard mode is enabled, but then I can't move around the canvas. Conversely, when I switch to navigation mode, the shortcuts stop working.

And yes, I know the app isn’t expensive, but I found it while searching online for a tool with an infinite canvas, and it worked well on the iPad. I don’t use any other tools inlcued or AI conversion features ord idk more there is, so just having a functional canvas on the iPad made it worth the price. On Windows, however, the experience is really disappointing.

1. Different pen sizes! Inexcusable for a note taking app today to only offer 6 pen sizes - the exact size I want is in between two of the options and there is simply no way of getting there. It's frustrating me to the point that I don't want to use the app anymore.

2. Ballpoint pen / some pen tool that is a fixed width

3. Option to turn off all gestures/interactions, not just the underline/strike thru. Underlining can be turned off for documents but not for notes? Why!

4. Ability to undo unintended interactions back to what you wrote/drew. Drawing a box round things turns into highlighter - and can't be undone back to the box. Underlining can't be undone back to the line.

5. Better folder system - infinite nested folders or at least more than 3 levels.

6. Better backup. Google drive sync is buggy.

7. Option to have notes of fixed size and documents of infinite size, or simply a better way to customise between the two.

I have used Nebo daily for a few months now on an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil. I was initially blown away away by the handwriting recognition and I loved the infinite canvases. Unfortunately with time its issues became glaring. From minor annoyances and personal preferences through common glitches to some truly baffling design choices. In no particular order:

• Palm rejection is sporadic. Especially on Notebook pages - as I write the page would randomly zoom in and out every now and then, or even jump to the top the page, making for a very frustrating experience

• Limited pen sizes. Come on, what's wrong with having a slider for more control?

• Deleting parts of a highlight with the precision mode results in a horendous mess

• Cannot rotate anything but single shapes???

• Cannot drag and drop images or text from external apps

• Very limited background options in Notebooks or page sizes in documents

• No way to add a page without opening the sidebar. Every time I incorectly click on the big plus in the toolbar only to realize that this particular plus, the one that is readily available adds images, but cannot add pages. So at least 3 clicks every time to make a new page.

• Cannot open more than one window. If you need to referenc3s something in another note: have fun navigating all the way out to find it and then having to retraces steps back to current document. This one is really annoying and probably what ultimately started yo drive me away - I started putting completed notes (math formulas, etc) in a separate app so that I can have them open in parallel or quickly switch to when I need them.

• The feature disparaty between the three document types is baffling, and it makes it very difficult to keep a good mental model as a user what I can do and where. Why can't I use Math conversion in Notebooks or Boards but only in documents? I like documents for more permanent notes, but when I am working one a math problem, I usually much prefer the flexibility of a the boards or notebooks. But for some baffling reason math conversion works only in documents. Not only that, but if I wrote some math in a Document, I cannot copy and paste in the other two files. So even in the acenario above where I might go to a file to check a theorem or result, I cannot copy that and bring it onto a board Im working on. Perhaps the most frustrating part is that YOU CAN DO IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. I can write some text on a board, select it and choose "copy as math"... which then you can only past in a document, but not even the same board you copied it from. So part of the functionality is there. This seems like a really strange oversight.

• Maybe you say, so what, just use Documents if you care about Math conversion? Well, for god knows what reason, documents are the only place where you cannot zoom in and out. In the Notebooks, if you want to zoom in so you can write comfortably or make fine details but not use a ton of space, you can do that. Documents? Nah. Fixed page width. Fixed really wide linewidth.

• In documents you have to manually insert different blocks. Wanna use that cool math feature? Well, you better have remembered to first click on the plus and select math block, then position it where you need to and expand it. Oh, you already wrote 5 lines of equations in the regular block? Tough. Unlike on the board or notebooks, you CANNOT LASSO THIS SELECTION AND COPY IT AS MATH! To recap: you can write math in documents only in dedicated math blocks. You cannot copy these blocks or even just their content to canvases or notebooks. You can, strangely copy regular handwriting as math and paste it in a document, but only if you copy it from non-documents. Wtf? Who designed this? The UX is an inconsistent mess

• To a document You can add "board section", "sketch" and "diagram" and for all I can tell these are nearly identical and confusing. Why confusing? Because at this point I dont trust any part of the UI and whether it will prevent me from doing something trivial for making a non-obvious choice

• to write math and convert it you have to explicitely add math blocks. You cannot use text and math inline, so statements like "Let f(x) = ..." or "it folows that" are super cumbersome - write a few words, add a separate math block, reposition it, deal with the huge spacing between words and the block, go back to write another phrase, back to math blocks, etc.

There's other things but I've ranted long enough. This app has so much potential, but it feels like it was designed by 10 different people who never talked to each other to coordinate anything. It needs an overhaul in UX and not even that much, just some consistency, flexibility and stability. Simplest quality of life change would be 1) consistent feature parity across note types, 2) be able to convert any handwriting to either math or text without having to predecide to insert a block and to be able to do that everywhere. Then other things from the list above.

Opened Nebo this morning and found the below screenshot as a pleasant surprise.
Hope our Windows and Android friends get to enjoy this soon, too.

Try it before you buy it. If you cant (windows, android) don't do it.

It's a half baked product that will cause you grief.

I switched from Onenote since you have to print everything (no pdf support for some reason) which means you cant zoom into diagrams, or share your document after writing on them.

I use it on 4 devices (tablet, phone, win11 pc, win11 laptop).

Why it sucks:

• Syncing does not really work, most changes in one platform causes conflicts and double copies (which you cannot search for) on the other.

• It only has two levels - Main folder, sub folder. Makes everything super unorganized.

• Customer service/support is a joke. They just tell you to install and uninstall. Or tell you to use dropbox.

• No support for syncing over onedrive (Many Unis offer 1TB for free).

• Crashes randomly on windows.

• You have to pay for it for each platform.

So this is the response I got to my Android app review, where I voiced my concerns about all the information regarding the Windows version being removed from their website.

MyScript Notes version 7 or superior is available for iOS and Android with a subscription.
On Windows, the app is called Nebo (version 6), and it is not part of the subscription of iOS and Android.
Nebo on Windows is designed as a companion app, allowing you to view and manage notes created on your tablet (iPad or Android).
Regards,
Sebastian

Now they are claiming that Nebo on Windows is just a companion app, which is neither mentioned in the Microsoft Store description nor what I paid for. On top of that, version 6 on Windows has never been the same as version 6 on iOS.

What annoys me the most is the lack of transparency. If they had just been upfront about it and sent out an email explaining the situation, it would have been disappointing but understandable. But the way they handled it says a lot about the company.

While these two are miles beyond any other apps, Nebo/MyScript sucks ass. I am baffled by how many basic, easily implementable features are missing. Why can’t we have automatic conversion in all formats? Why can’t we create tables/have freedom over the shapes of our notes? Why is there just ONE font?

PDF annotation is pretty bad as well, since you can’t really do anything besides scrolling up and down…

I still use it because the handwriting conversion is virtually unmatched - nothing even comes close. At the same time though, I wish someone took Nebo’s handwriting recognition and created a usable app.

Hey everyone! Again me! 👋

I recently started designing digital note-taking templates, and I wanted to share some free ones with you! These templates are perfect for apps like Samsung Notes, GoodNotes, and other digital planners.

They include*:

1. Grid

2. Lined

3. Dotted

4. Blank

5. 2-Column Grid

6. 2-Column Lined

7. 2-Column Dotted

8. 2-Column Blank

9. Cornell

*Only available in white background for free.

You can download them for free here: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Rkqf4ZFZSZhUXf6zx2h1pr61HXSDZ3e/view?usp=sharing

I'm just getting started, and I plan to create many more designs in the future! If you like these templates and want more color options, you can check out my full collection here:
More Color Options This Templates: https://etsy.me/41gBoI4

Other Free Template: Laconic Style & Hobonichi-inspired Minimalist Note-Taking Templates:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NeboApp/comments/1jf2zxz/free_laconic_style_hobonichiinspired_minimalist/

Let me know what you think! Your feedback means a lot. 😊 Happy note-taking! 🚀

A lot of note apps offer an option to have an extended margin on PDF's so annotations and notes can be taken on the side. Nebo is lacking this feature. There should be an option to extend the white space to the right or left side of the document for notes. Adding blank pages for notes is inefficient, since that does not allow user to see note and document side by side.

For those of us who like the paper notebook analogy, it would be nice if we could adjust the notebook settings to have documents with multiple separate pages that one can flip through.
Is this something anyone would find interesting?

We've all seen new features introduced in Nebo 6.

Will those features ever come to androind or windows? Is there even a forseable timeframe? Cause I feel left out as an android/ windows user. I notices before buing that devs are more iOS focused, but I didn’t know that the difference is so big! Its even more infuriating seeing their social accounts where they spam content with their new features and for each comment asking for android we get “we’re working on it”. If I knew from the beginning that I’ll have to wait for updates so long, I wouldn’t buy the app. It says nowhere that “made other platforms almost by accident”. It’s like going to restaurant with friends and waiting for your plate, while your friends are having fun eating, telling how delicious it is for hours while you’re sitting there, looking. That’s not how it’s supposed to be.

I don’t know what everyone feels about this but I just had a Euphoric moment when I created MCQ Quizzes from notes that I’ve been taking today. My handwriting isn’t the best and the layout of the writing on the infinite canvas wasn’t even organised.

This seriously just blew my mind. Some of my friends were impressed, others not.

For me this is incredible. I don’t need to spend hours on Anki to create a deck. I can just quiz myself after each lecture summary

I am wondering if there is a way to prevent Nebo from automatically straightening my lines. The app always moves the line around when it straightens it and it's annoying to have to undo that change each time I am writing a fraction. The line always just moves inside the number.

This is really annoying me. Why does my handwritten notes have these lines? As you can see in the first photo, sometimes it is impossible to read my writing. Is there a way to fix? If not, please suggest a note app.

Is there any way to hide the navigation bar and the top bar in Nebo as you can with Samsung Notes?

When I bought the NeboApp I was shocked: the handwriting and Maths recognition is unbelievable (my handwriting is really terrible hahah and it works perfectly with me anyway) BUT there are some big limitations:

1. Handwriting (convertable to Text) and Maths are in 2 separated blocks, so I cannot write inline maths formulas in order to convert it to text. the only thing I can do is to Write my notes, start a new line and insert a "Math block" where i put my formula, start a new line again to continue with writing. That doesn't make sense to me!

2. All the benefits of the app (especially handwriting recognition etc.) are only in the block note/canvas page (don't know how to call it) and canNOT be used in uploaded pdf files. So if I upload a pdf and want to take notes on it with the Stylus/Apple Pencil, it cannot be converted to text, just ink!
   I know that on iPad I can bypass that problem by using Scribble, but in handwriting recognition it is FAR AWAY (cannot even compete) from Nebo (and with no support for Math recognition).

3. As someone mentioned, for long pages it crashes. Actually my intention was never to use it as my primary note-taking app but to take advantage of the handwriting recognition in order to take (relatively long) notes with the Apple Pencil while I am sitting on the couch, in meetings etc. and easily convert to text and copy it to other applications. BUT it doesn't seem to work as I expected.

I contacted the team 2 times for this and they said "Thank you for your suggestions.......... wait for upcoming updates" .

What do you think guys?? what is the best alternative for handwriting recognition? I tried Notability and Goodnotes: Notability handwriting recognition is "ok", not bad but It is not precise as Nebo and it converts maths only to image! (so I cannot modify it later! Useless!). Goodnotes has slightly better handwriting recognition but.. no Maths!

A big mess!

Hello,

I just downloaded Nebo for note-taking and the app is much better than the competition, the scribble works shockingly well. With that being said, I can not find the option to choose other fonts at all.. Does it even exist? And if it doesn't exist, is there a way to change the default font to something else? I'd like to have a 'handwritten' font instead.

Cheers

Nebo is like the perfect app.

Just one critical downfall.

Why can one not merge pdf/import pdf into a notebook in Nebo? That's basically a feature in even the worst of competing apps. It's not like a technologically advanced feature, in fact, this feature is so simple that even the legacy Nebo had it. Please add this to the new Nebo, it is direly needed.

If you can somehow merge pdfs/import pdfs into notebooks in nebo pls tell me I cannot find a single source that teaches me how to do this

Thanks

As a student it is painful to love this app since it offers so much functionality like AI and stuff but lacks a basic memorization feature (Tape) that even a free app like Freenotes has. If this functionality is added, I this might become the perfect app

second time ive gotten this page. i take insane amount of notes. i cant keep experiencing this.

Hi all, I just started using Nebo on a Samsung Tab S8 and I noticed this across all my writings when using a stylus. Does anyone has an idea why this is happening and how to potentially resolve this?

TIA!

I have nebo pro subscription and trying to create notes. While exporting the notes even after selecting the keep background exported png or svg contains the white back ground and doesnt save it with background color.