flxzt/rnote

★ 11,212RustAudience · generalComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((rnote))
    What it does
      Handwritten notes
      PDF annotation
      Sketching
    Input devices
      Stylus pressure
      Drawing tablet
      Typewriter tool
    Canvas modes
      Fixed page
      Infinite workspace
      Continuous scroll
    Tech stack
      Rust
      GTK4
    Export formats
      PDF
      SVG
      PNG
      JPEG

mindmap root((rnote)) What it does Handwritten notes PDF annotation Sketching Input devices Stylus pressure Drawing tablet Typewriter tool Canvas modes Fixed page Infinite workspace Continuous scroll Tech stack Rust GTK4 Export formats PDF SVG PNG JPEG

Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Take handwritten notes on a drawing tablet and export them as PDF or PNG.

USE CASE 2

Annotate an existing PDF by importing it, drawing over it, and exporting the result.

USE CASE 3

Sketch ideas on an infinite canvas with pressure-sensitive stylus strokes.

USE CASE 4

Automate batch processing of .rnote files using the bundled command-line tool.

Tech stack

RustGTK4

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Available as a Flathub package on Linux, install in one click from the app store.

License type not specified in the explanation.

In plain English

Rnote is a free, open-source drawing and note-taking application designed primarily for people who use a stylus or drawing tablet. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and the Linux version is available through Flathub, which is a common app store for Linux systems. The main use cases are handwritten notes, sketching, and annotating PDF files or images. The canvas can be set to a fixed page size, a continuous vertical scroll, or an infinite workspace in any direction, depending on how you prefer to work. You can import PDFs and images, draw over them, and then export your annotations back out as PDF, SVG, PNG, or JPEG files. The app also supports a typewriter tool for typed text alongside handwriting. Stylus input is the primary focus. The app responds to pen pressure and has configurable stroke styles. Stylus button shortcuts can be reassigned to your preference. The README notes that the app works best on Wayland (a modern Linux display system) and that the older X11 display system is not well supported. A few practical details: the file format saves as a compressed JSON file with the .rnote extension. The README warns that the file format is still considered unstable and may change between versions in a way that breaks older files. Tabs let you work on multiple documents at once, and autosave is included. The app is written in Rust using the GTK4 interface toolkit. A command-line tool ships alongside the graphical app for automation tasks involving .rnote files. Translations are community-contributed through Weblate.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I have a .rnote file from the Rnote app. How do I use the Rnote CLI tool to export it to PDF on Linux?

Prompt 2

I want to annotate a PDF with a stylus on Linux. Walk me through installing Rnote from Flathub and importing my PDF.

Prompt 3

Help me set up stylus button shortcuts in Rnote so that one button erases and another undoes the last stroke.

Prompt 4

I use Rnote on Wayland. What are the known limitations if I try to run it on X11 instead?

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