Note Taking By Hand vs Computer

After more than 500 hours of taking lecture notes (and now as a lecturer myself), here’s what I’ve learned about taking notes by hand vs on a computer. Including why the method you choose will set you up for easy success (or semesters of pain).

Taking lecture notes on your computer (ideally at the time of lecture) and then using paper and pen for any quick diagrams or visual explanations is the best method that I have found. But let’s break down the pros and cons of handwritten and digital notes so that you can see why…

You can also watch my video on whether it’s better to take notes by hand or on a computer here:

Taking Notes By Hand

Some things are the same no matter how you take notes, you’re writing down what you hear or understand. But handwriting has some unique strengths… although there are some definite downsides too.

Pros of Handwritten Notes

• Symbols and shorthand are faster → Arrows, the “therefore” sign (∴), or sketches can be drawn in seconds. I used to make up my own shorthand abbreviations for words to make taking notes in class faster.It also makes it easier to keep up if your lecturer moves quickly.
• Perfect for maths, science, and technical subjects → Equations, diagrams, and models are far quicker to note down on paper rather than to format it on a computer. You won’t fall behind in class trying to insert complex notation.
• No batteries required → You don’t have to worry about a flat laptop or finding a charger in a packed lecture theatre. If you forget your notebooks you can easily grab some paper and pen from campus.

Cons of Handwritten Notes

• Easy to lose → Unless you stick to one notebook per subject or use a binder, loose pages can disappear (usually right before exams).
• Hard to search later → Even with headings, flipping back through weeks of notes is time-consuming. This becomes frustrating when you’re trying to find material for an essay or revision.
• Slower for long passages → Writing full explanations by hand takes more time than typing, and you usually miss details in fast-paced lectures.

Taking Notes On a Computer

By second year, I started taking most of my lecture notes directly on my laptop, and it changed everything. It made my life so much easier, and here’s why:

Pros of Computer Notes

• Faster and easier to keep up with lectures → Most of us type much faster than we write, which means you can capture more detail without falling behind.
• Organized and editable → You can copy-paste, rearrange, or expand sections later without rewriting from scratch. This makes them more flexible than handwritten notes.
• Searchable → Ctrl+F (or Command+F on Mac) lets you find a keyword in seconds. No flipping through piles of pages the night before a deadline.
• Better for assessments → Since assignments usually count for more of your grade than exams, digital notes make it quicker to gather evidence for essays, reports, and literature reviews.

I also like the fact that digital notes can be saved to the cloud and accessed from anywhere. Your laptop, a friends desktop, the library or campus computer, you can access your notes and keep working on an assignment or study for an exam.

Cons of Computer Notes

• Harder to draw or write equations → Adding diagrams, fractions, or models during lectures is slow and clunky. A pen and paper is often still faster for these.
• Easy distractions → Notifications, emails, or social media can eat into your concentration if you’re not disciplined.
• Reliance on power and tech → Flat battery, crashed software, or forgotten charger = no notes

What the Research Says On Note-Taking

Studies on handwritten vs. digital notes aren’t totally consistent (e.g., Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014; Flanigan et al., 2024):

• Some show no difference in exam performance.
• Others show students actually remember more when typing their notes.

But the bigger picture is that exams aren’t the only reason you take notes. You need them for assignments, revision, and connecting ideas across a whole semester, and that’s where I found digital notes really make the difference.

My Recommendation

I recommend using a hybrid approach to note-taking. Always take your lecture notes and reading notes digitally on your computer (ideally at the time of lecture, or reading etc) and then use paper and pen for any quick diagrams or visual explanations you need to create. Then snap a photo and add it straight to your notes. So…

• Default to computer notes → for speed, organization, and searchability.
• Keep some paper handy → for quick diagrams, equations, or visual explanations, then take a photo and add it to your notes.

This way, you get the best of both worlds: quick recall from paper and long-term usefulness from digital notes.

TL:DR

Best approach: use both computer and paper. Type for speed and organization, but keep paper handy for diagrams, equations, or anything visual.

Aspect	Handwritten Notes	Digital Notes
Speed	Great for symbols, equations, and diagrams.	Faster for text and keeping up with lectures.
Best for	Maths, science, technical subjects.	Essays, reports, literature reviews.
Organization	Can get messy or lost unless well-kept.	Easy to edit, copy-paste, and rearrange.
Searchability	Hard to find info later (lots of flipping pages).	Instant search (Ctrl+F / Command+F).
Reliability	Always works (no battery needed).	Needs power, but can back up to the cloud.
Memory	Forces deeper thinking while writing.	Lets you capture more detail quickly.
Long-term use	Harder to reuse for assignments.	Easier to integrate into assignments and revision.