Install a reMarkable template, end to end.
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Step 1, get the PDF on your computer
Most reMarkable templates are PDFs. If your designer ships native .notebook files, those need a different path; for everything else, start with a PDF on your local drive.
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Step 2, open the reMarkable desktop app
Available for macOS and Windows. Sign in with the same account your device uses. The Wi-Fi sync between desktop and device is automatic once both are signed in.
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Step 3, drag the PDF into the sidebar
Drop it into ‘My Files’ or any folder you want. The file syncs to the device within seconds. You’ll see it appear under My Files on the reMarkable.
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Step 4, open the PDF on the device
Tap to open. The reMarkable enters writing mode automatically; you can write on every page with any pen tool. Annotations save immediately and continuously.
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Step 5, optional: register as a system template
Settings > Notebooks > Templates > Add new. Point it at your PDF. Now the template appears in the new-notebook picker. This is the brittle path; firmware updates have invalidated this twice in the last two years.
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Step 6, optional: USB-C fallback
If the desktop app is being inconsistent, connect over USB-C. The device exposes a local web interface (the IP shows in the desktop app); upload PDFs through that page. Same result, more steps, fewer points of failure.
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Step 7, test before committing
Open the template, write on every page, navigate every hyperlink. Templates that feel right in Figma sometimes break on the device. The five-minute test catches most issues.
Pick the path that matches your priority.
Each path optimises for something different. Pick the one that matches your situation.
Desktop app
Wi-Fi sync, no cables, survives firmware updates. The default path for most users. Requires a working internet connection on both ends.
USB-C web interface
Connect over USB-C, open the local IP in your browser, upload via the web page. Works without internet. Useful when the desktop app is being inconsistent.
System template slot
Settings > Notebooks > Templates. Makes the template appear in the new-notebook picker. Brittle: firmware updates have invalidated this twice in two years. Use only if a template specifically requires it.
Email forward (Connect)
reMarkable Connect lets you email PDFs to a per-account address. Convenient if a designer is sending templates directly. Tied to a paid plan.
Why the document path is the default.
Document path wins
- Survives firmware updates. Document templates are regular PDFs in your file tree. Updates don’t touch them.
- Easier to swap. Drag a new version of the PDF into the desktop app; the old one stays unless you delete it.
- Works for everyone. Every reMarkable user has access to the desktop app or USB-C. System-template registration sometimes requires deeper menus on certain firmware versions.
System template path wins
- Native picker integration. System templates appear in the new-notebook picker. Document templates require navigating to the file each time.
- Cleaner export. System templates produce notebooks that export with cleaner page metadata.
- Better for daily-use templates. If a template is used every day for a year, the picker integration adds up. For occasional templates, it doesn’t matter.
Three sources we trust for reMarkable templates.
Templacity reMarkable Bundle
Sized for the reMarkable 2 and Paper Pro panels. Includes the system-template registration guide where applicable. Single purchase, instant download.
r/RemarkableTablet community
The healthiest free template ecosystem of any e-ink device. PDFs vary in quality designer to designer, but several are excellent and many are well-tested across firmware updates.
Build your own
Figma, Affinity, Sketch, Inkscape. Native panel size (1404 x 1872 for the 2, 1620 x 2160 for the Pro), line weights at 1px or thicker. Two rules and a Saturday afternoon.
The three install failures we see most often.
First: A4-sized templates instead of native-panel templates. The reMarkable will rescale a non-native PDF on every page turn, and line weights drift with each rescale. Always design or buy at the native panel resolution.
Second: hyperlinks that break in landscape. reMarkable’s PDF viewer has had a long-standing bug where landscape-rotated PDFs lose hyperlink targets. Test every link in portrait AND landscape on the device before committing the template to daily use.
Third: system-template registration after a firmware update. If you register a template under Settings > Notebooks > Templates and a firmware update later drops your file, you’ll see ‘Template not found’ in the picker. Re-register the file (it’s the same PDF, the registration just needs renewing). For more on the wider workflow, our reMarkable template hub covers the categories that hold up over time.