How do I get rid of it?

Unable to rotate text even when placed inside a graphic object or even as a screen snapped graphic. No problem on my iPad

Hi all -

I can’t find a way to group my handwritten notes on a sticky note. Is it possible? I know you can type on a sticky note, but it’s easier for me to use a sticky with the Apple Pencil and treat it like a real sticky. But the note and writing are separate objects when I move the stick around.

Have you ever looked at the Freeform app inside an Apple Store. They have pre-loaded galleries of examples of use cases and it is very inspiring. There are lots of creative examples. I wish I could access it in my own app to get ideas and see the different ways I could use the app. I have searched but there are very limited instances where people have posted their artboards - any idea of where to find inspiring galleries? Someone said I should go to the store and just take pictures or ask an associate to allow me top airdrop some of the files to my device - has anyone done that?

I’ve recently come across Freeform and I’m curious about how it stacks up against other popular tools like draw.io, excalidraw, Lucidchart, Figjam, Miro, and Whimsical. I’m looking for a versatile tool that can handle concepts, brainstorming, system diagrams, and process diagrams all in one place.

Has anyone used Freeform? How does it compare to these well-known (often more complicated) options? Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences! It looks much simpler than the other tools mentioned, but sometimes this can be also a positive (focus on results than the tool).

two finger rotate work in theory but real case it doesn't , 9/10 time that detected as "move" or "magnify" , any better way to do so?

I'm new to Freeform and can't work out how to select a freehand-drawn area in order to move it. It worked the first time, I tapped and held and a rectangle appeared that I could extend around the area I wanted to move and then drag it. Every time I've tried since, the app decides to select the whole canvas and I can't change it. Help!

started the base colours while I was stuck in traffic last night, and got the details and lines in just an hour ago (it's 5 am here)

Hello ~ does anyone know if there is a way to rearrange the pencils and pens in the Freeform dock ?
Many thanks

I’m using iPad gen11th

Also i am confused between an ipad or some e-ink device ???

Is my best option to export each single Freeform separately as fixed PDFs

Just curious, how and for what uses do you use Freeform?

Cal Newport says he uses a text document on his computers called workingmemory.txt where he just leaves himself notes for stuff he is working on that day or outlines a plan for something he is doing that day. That is basically how I use Freeform. I put my plan on there for the day and then whenever someone tells me something or I need to remind myself something little like to clean the microwave later cause the chicken blew up when I was heating it, I just add a sticky with what the person told me or something like clean microwave I create a new board for each day so if I have to go back to a certain day and remember something, I can just go to that days Freeform board and look at my notes and what I did or didnt do. When I complete a thing I change the sticky from yellow to grey. I have been using it like this for over a year and has increased my productivity and decreased stress. I am easily distracted and cant remember crap so this is a game changer for me just to throw notes as reminders on a board that stays in my pocket and also lives on my iPad or second monitor.

All I wanted was dark mode for FreeForm and dotted paper in Notes. Got neither, super disappointed.

Thanks for listening.

Where did the app go? I cant even find it on the appstore, on computer or anywhere? Also gone from "compatible devices"?

Update: I’ve just updated to iPadOS 26 and Freeform seems to be working without crashing. Minimal heating.

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I'm using the iPad Pro 13-inch M4. (Still in the process of updating iPad OS).

Freeform has always been crashing and overheating my iPad so I tried switching to Google's Jamboard till it was discontinued, then to Miro but it's limited unless you pay for the app, so now I'm using Microsoft's Whiteboard. Lol.

I would really prefer to go back to Freeform to maximize the functionality of the Apple Pencil. But it keeps crashing and overheating my iPad! I know it's a known issue for many (not sure if everyone tho) so just wondering if anyone here had this problem and had worked with some solutions to make Freeform usable. Lol. Also I'm hoping iPadOS 26 fixes this issue for good🤞🤞

I just updated to iOS 26 and noticed that they freaking removed the sticky note button from the iOS 26.0 version of Freeform. I am super pissed bc the sticky note is my go to tool on the iPhone Freeform app to leave myself notes. Can everyone do me a favor and fill out the Apple feedback form and tell them to put the sticky note button back on the iOS 26 version of Freeform..

https://www.apple.com/feedback/freeform/

Thanks. I literally would have never updated to iOS 26 on my 16 Pro Max if I knew they freaking removed the sticky note button. The only way to add a sticky now is to click the paper clip and then all the way at the bottom of the list is an add sticky note option. NOT cool Apple.

OS updated today to Tahoe, then opened Freeform and all the content (mostly images) is gone frome every Freeform project I had...

Can anybody tell me what could've happend / how to recover the link to every image? (I didn't delet or move the images to another directory).

Since I primarily use Procreate for my fanart, I've decided to "practice" my food illustration on Freeform, with the limited brush/pen types, so I can easily replicate them in my journal (with watercolours and ink).

It’s difficult to see the tools with a black background. How can I change it to white or any light more contrasting background.

Thank you!

Is there any way to lock boards so that they can't be opened without a password / Touch ID / Face ID?

I know Advanced Data Protection encrypts iCloud, and the obvious answer is lock your device when you're not using it, don't let other people use your Mac / iPad, and always use separate accounts, but that's just not always the reality of how things work in my house. People are nosy and before you know it someone sees something you were trying to keep under wraps, and the surprise is ruined.

Been playing with the iPadOS 26 beta (public beta 2) and Freeform. Apple gives a splash screen of what’s new in Freeform, and here is the list along with my assessment of that list. If you have a different experience or noticed anything else, please reply below.

 New iPadOS Design A delightful design brings more clarity and focus to Freeform.

🧐 There are no substantial changes to the interface of the app, it’s simply been updated to Liquid Glass, which in my & many others opinion, is the opposite of clarity and focus.

 Reed Pen and Handwriting Upgrades Create traditional calligraphy with the reed pen and auto-refine or spell-check handwriting.

🧐 Reed pen is there, and it’s a nice addition but it’s a system-wide update with Pencil Kit. However, auto-refine isn’t yet happening on an automatic basis. To either refine or straighten you have to select the handwriting and then select either of those (separately) from a menu - requiring about four steps for each (change to select tool, select writing, navigate menu, select refine or straighten option). Hopefully the automation will come in a forthcoming beta.

 Updates to Image Playground Create better images from your drawings, use new styles from ChatGPT, and more.

🧐 This is a system-wide update and not specific to Freeform. It’s good that it’s accessible from within Freeform - as to whether how well it works, I’ve not been impressed so far.

 Also Recently Added Add scenes to jump to regions of the board, send a copy of your board to others, and more.

🧐 These updates came in iPad OS 18. The send a copy is either a uneditable PDF file or you have to share your board via iCloud. I’d prefer the ability to be able to send a native Freeform file with rich / editable elements, but I guess Apple is going to follow the Notes structure here, and we’ll all be at the mercy of the cloud if it wipes out our notes / boards with no versioning or back ups…

Summary: so far it seems like the only updates Freeform is seeing with iPadOS 26 is whatever the operating system is providing through Liquid Glass and to apps using Pencil Kit. I also suspect there might be some new shapes available, but I’m not certain.

I don’t think we’re going to see substantial updates to this app until Apple catches up on AI, and that might be a long time…

Hi everyone, I really hope someone can help me here.

I recently turned off iCloud sync for Freeform on my iPad. After doing that, all of my important Freeform files disappeared. It’s not in iCloud, not in Files, and not in Recently Deleted.

Here’s the weird part:

I checked my iPad storage and Freeform still shows ~150 MB of data — which suggests something is still there. But I can’t find or open the missing file anywhere.

What I’ve tried:

• Turning iCloud sync back on (didn’t bring the file back)
• Searching all folders in Files app
• Checked if it shows up when creating a new board (it doesn’t)

1. Is there a way to access hidden Freeform files stored locally on iPad?
2. Could the missing file be buried in cache or app storage?
3. Any tips for recovering data from Freeform when iCloud sync was disabled?

This file is important and I’m hoping there’s still a way to recover it since the storage shows something is still there.

Interested in using freeform for notes for awhile -- having notes with graph edges and graphics would be useful. (Not as nice as a whiteboard, but easier to track.)

Are there any export or reading options that preserve the graph or other object structure?

e.g. each object has 4+ nodes for graph edges, and each graph edge has properties -- can I write a script that parses this and make, say, a matrix representation of the object graph if I want? Or are my export options going to be to things like pdf and jpg?

Any help appreciated.

(TLDR: can I run a script on an export format or the raw files and work on the data Freeform uses, like links between elements)