Microsoft Office for iPad to Support Apple Pencil's Handwriting-to-Text Feature [Updated]

Microsoft this week released a new beta version of its Office app for iPad with support for the Apple Pencil's handwriting-to-text feature Scribble. The feature allows you to insert and edit text in a Word document, PowerPoint presentation, or Excel spreadsheet using the Apple Pencil, with handwriting automatically converted into typed text.

iPadOS Scribble Feature
After enabling the Scribble feature in Settings → Apple Pencil, the feature can be used by tapping the Scribble Pen button under the Draw tab in version 2.64 of the Office app. The feature can be tested now by members of the Office Insider program via TestFlight, and the update will likely be released on the App Store for all users in the coming weeks.

Scribble was added in iPadOS 14 for any iPad that supports the original or second-generation Apple Pencil, including any iPad Pro, the third-generation iPad Air and newer, the fifth-generation iPad mini and newer, and the sixth-generation iPad and newer.

Microsoft's unified Office app with Word, PowerPoint, and Excel gained iPad compatibility in February 2021 and is also available for the iPhone.

Update: The update to Office for iPad with Scribble support is now available on the App Store.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...

Top Rated Comments

mikebenton Avatar
42 months ago
How about OneNote?!?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FelixDerKater Avatar
42 months ago
That's something to write home about...
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradman83 Avatar
42 months ago
I'd love to see this functionality in OneNote as well, I feel like Scribble is most useful for jotting down quick notes.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
VictorTango777 Avatar
42 months ago

Cool feature, but I don’t find it particularly useful. It might come in handy if you want to just scribble a short phrase, but why would it be useful in MS Office? Is anyone going to write a whole report with his pencil when you can just type?
Scribble is a system feature that is supposed to be available everywhere there is text input. Apple said as much. So you can either question why Apple made Scribble available for all text input or why Microsoft applications don't work with Scribble despite Apple making it a systemwide feature.

Microsoft OneNote for iPad is crippled compared to the Mac version which is crippled compared to the Windows version. Even with Apple Pencil, OneNote for iPad still does not support handwriting recognition, unlike OneNote for Windows.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kc9hzn Avatar
42 months ago

Cool feature, but I don’t find it particularly useful. It might come in handy if you want to just scribble a short phrase, but why would it be useful in MS Office? Is anyone going to write a whole report with his pencil when you can just type?
Think a quick annotation while you’re away from the office and don’t have your Magic Keyboard with you. Or a quick change in a PowerPoint presentation right before you present it. There’s a lot of situations where you might want a short phrase when using Office on a portable device on the go.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NoelWalker Avatar
42 months ago
Cool feature, but I don’t find it particularly useful. It might come in handy if you want to just scribble a short phrase, but why would it be useful in MS Office? Is anyone going to write a whole report with his pencil when you can just type?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)