OrbitNote
Read, annotate, and interact with PDFs your way
OrbitNote helps you turn PDF documents into interactive learning materials. Whether you're reviewing research articles, completing assignments, or studying lecture notes, OrbitNote provides tools to read, highlight, annotate, and organize information directly within your PDFs.
Use OrbitNote to listen to, annotate, and complete your course PDFs, from syllabi and journal articles to scanned chapters and worksheets.
After exploring this guide, you'll be able to:
- Choose, install, and open the version of OrbitNote that fits your device and coursework
- Use reading, annotation, and accessibility tools to understand and organize PDF course materials
- Apply OrbitNote to complete assignments, review feedback, collaborate with classmates, and prepare for exams
Version options
OrbitNote is available across different devices and platforms, so you can choose the version that best supports your coursework. Explore the options below to find the right fit for how and where you work with PDFs.
Choose and install the right version
Which describes you and your work environment?
Web dashboard
- Open PDFs from your computer, Google Drive, or OneDrive
- Read, highlight, and annotate course PDFs without installing software
- Pick up where you left off on any computer
Chrome
- Open PDFs in OrbitNote directly from your Chrome browser
- Use OrbitNote alongside Read&Write for Google Chrome
- Annotate PDFs your instructor shares through your LMS or Google Drive
Edge
- Open PDFs in OrbitNote directly from Microsoft Edge
- Work with PDFs stored in OneDrive or Microsoft 365
- Use OrbitNote alongside Read&Write for Microsoft Edge
Windows and Mac
- Work with PDF documents on your computer
- Use reading and annotation tools to review course materials
- Choose the desktop experience when it better fits your workflow
iOS
- Read and annotate PDFs on your iPad or iPhone
- Add text, drawings, and notes to course materials
- Review documents while away from your computer
Not sure which version to choose?
Start with the OrbitNote web dashboard. If you use Read&Write in Chrome or Edge, add the OrbitNote extension for that browser so PDFs open in OrbitNote automatically.
Installation
Choose a version below to install OrbitNote.
After installing:
- Sign in with your campus email address
- Open a PDF from your computer, Google Drive, or OneDrive
- Select Text-to-Speech, then select a sentence to hear it read aloud
Note: Features and functionality may vary across versions, devices, and your institution's subscription.
Deployment Wizard
Need help getting started?
Answer a few quick questions and we'll show you exactly what to install.
Feature exploration
Explore OrbitNote’s tools for reading, annotating, and completing your course PDFs. Select a feature to see what it does and watch it in action.
Feature availability varies by version
Improve focus and retention
Make PDFs accessible
Scan Text
Turn scanned book chapters and photocopied handouts into text that Text-to-Speech and other tools can read.
Annotate and organize
Highlighting and Collect Highlights
Color-code arguments, evidence, and key terms in research articles, then collect them into a study document or paper outline.
Comment and collaborate
Voice Notes
Record spoken comments on a PDF to explain your thinking, ask your instructor a question, or respond to feedback.
Complete and submit
Insert Image
Add a graph, screenshot, or photo of your work from your computer, Google Drive, or OneDrive.
Feature application
Now that you've explored OrbitNote's features, see how they work together on everyday academic tasks. Each scenario matches a feature group above. Try the activity with a PDF from one of your current courses.
- Read and comprehend academic content
Make journal articles, textbook chapters, and other PDF readings easier to understand.
Try these tools:
- Text-to-Speech: listen to a reading while you follow along
- Click to Speak: hear text on course websites and library databases
- Screenshot Reader: hear text in charts and slide images
- Dictionary and Translator: clarify unfamiliar terms
Put it into practice: Open a reading from your LMS. Listen to the first section, use Screenshot Reader on one chart or image, and look up two unfamiliar terms.
- Improve focus and retention
Adjust how you view a PDF so dense material is easier to work through and remember.
Try these tools:
- Screen Masking: focus on one section at a time
- Rewordify: get the main idea of a complex passage before you read it closely (iOS)
- Text-to-Speech: keep a steady pace when your attention drifts
Put it into practice: Choose the longest reading assigned this week. Turn on Screen Masking and work through it one section at a time. On your iPad, use Rewordify on the hardest paragraph, then reread the original.
- Make course materials accessible
Turn scanned chapters, photos, and files saved in different places into PDFs that work with OrbitNote's reading tools.
Try these tools:
- Select Files: open course PDFs from your iPad, iPhone, or cloud storage (iOS)
- Scan Text (OCR): make a scanned book chapter or photocopied handout readable
- Image to PDF: turn a photo of a whiteboard or handout into an accessible PDF
Put it into practice: Open a scanned reading from your LMS and run Scan Text, then test it with Text-to-Speech. After your next class, photograph the whiteboard and convert it with Image to PDF.
- Annotate and organize information
Actively engage with readings, worksheets, and lecture slides, and organize what you learn.
Try these tools:
- Highlighting and Collect Highlights: color-code claims, evidence, and key terms, then gather them into an outline
- Text, Speech Input, and Sticky Notes: type or dictate notes and summaries, with Prediction suggesting words as you type
- Shapes and Freehand Drawing: circle key data or connect related ideas
- Vocabulary List: build a study list of course terms
- Arrange Pages: remove pages you don't need or put lecture slides in study order
- Math Tools: add equations and notation to STEM worksheets
Put it into practice: Open a research article for an upcoming paper. Highlight claims in one color and evidence in another, add a sticky note summarizing each section, and collect your highlights into an outline. Add the key terms to a Vocabulary List.
- Comment and collaborate on assignments
Use comments and voice notes to communicate with instructors and classmates directly on a PDF.
Try these tools:
- Voice Notes: explain your thinking or ask your instructor a question
- Add Comment: leave typed or dictated feedback for a classmate
- Text-to-Speech: listen to written feedback on your own work
Put it into practice: For a peer review, open a classmate's draft and add two comments and one Voice Note with suggestions. Then open a graded assignment of your own and listen to your instructor's comments.
- Complete and submit coursework
Fill in, finish, and turn in PDF assignments and forms without printing.
Try these tools:
- Text, Speech Input, and Sticky Notes: type or dictate your answers
- Insert Image: add a graph, screenshot, or photo of handwritten work
- Digital Signature: sign forms and agreements
- Save and Export: save your completed PDF for upload
Put it into practice: Open a PDF worksheet or form from your LMS. Type your answers, insert a photo of a diagram you drew, sign it if required, and export it to upload to your LMS.
Your next steps
Start by choosing one or two tools to use with your current coursework, then explore additional features as your needs change. Revisit this guide and the resources provided anytime you need a refresher.
If you receive accommodations through your campus accessibility or disability services office, reach out to them for support or questions specific to your campus' academic requirements.
Explore our support articles for troubleshooting steps to common issues.
Contact our Customer Support team for personalized help with Everway solutions.
Explore all OrbitNote resources that can support your coursework.