reMarkable Capture Tool: How It Works and Creative Ways to Use It
The new reMarkable Capture Tool might be my favorite reMarkable software feature in quite a while. Introduced with software update 3.28 in September 2026, it adds a completely new way to work with content on your reMarkable.
reMarkable already had copy and paste through the Selection Tool, so at first glance you might wonder what’s actually new here. The difference is an important one, and it makes PDFs and other documents much more flexible to work with than before.
So, what exactly does Capture do, how is it different from the Selection Tool, and what can you use it for? Let’s take a closer look.
What is the reMarkable Capture Tool?
The Capture Tool is a new feature introduced with reMarkable software version 3.28. It lets you draw around any area of a document and capture everything inside your selection.
That capture is turned into an image and added to your clipboard. From there, you can paste it onto another page or even into another document or notebook. Once pasted, you can move, resize and rotate it to fit exactly where you want it.
And because you can draw your selection freely, you’re not limited to rectangular screenshots. You can simply trace around the exact part of the page you want to grab.
- Tap the Selection Tool in the toolbar and choose the new Capture Tool from the foldout menu.
- Use your Marker to draw around the content you want to capture. Your selection is turned into an image and copied to your clipboard.
- Open the page, notebook or document where you want to use it and tap Paste.
- Move, resize or rotate your capture until it sits exactly where you want it.
You can even leave the original document and open a completely different notebook before pasting, which is where Capture starts to become really useful.
What happens to a Capture?
Once you make a capture, reMarkable turns everything inside your selection into a single image. This is important to understand, especially when you capture text. It may still look exactly like text, but it isn’t converted into editable or typed text.
Once pasted, you can move, resize and rotate the image just like any other captured element. The original content stays where it was, so you’re essentially creating a visual copy rather than cutting something out of the original document.
Captures are placed on top of the content already on the destination page, which also gives you some interesting possibilities when working with existing PDFs and planners.
Capture Tool vs Selection Tool
reMarkable already had a Selection Tool for copying and moving content, so you might be wondering what makes Capture different.
The main difference is what you can select. The Selection Tool works with content you’ve added yourself, such as handwriting and drawings. It doesn’t let you grab content that’s already part of a PDF.
The new Capture Tool does. It takes everything inside your selection and turns it into an image, which you can then paste somewhere else. This means images, diagrams, text and other elements that are part of a PDF can now be reused in your notes or other documents.
It’s a relatively simple change, but one that makes working with PDFs on reMarkable a lot more flexible.
Creative ways to use the reMarkable Capture Tool
This is where Capture gets really interesting. Being able to pick up content that was previously stuck inside a PDF opens up plenty of new ways to use your reMarkable.
Add diagrams and images to your notes
Reading a PDF and come across a diagram, chart or image you want to keep? Instead of trying to recreate it in your notes, you can simply capture it and paste it onto your own page.
This could be particularly useful for study notes, research or work documents. You can bring the useful bits together in one place and add your own handwritten notes around them.
Bring quotes and text into your notes
Capture isn’t just useful for images. You can also grab a piece of text from a PDF and place it directly into your notes.
For example, while working in a Bible or sermon notes template, you could capture a Bible verse from a PDF Bible and place it right alongside your handwritten notes. The same works for quotes, definitions or passages you want to reference later.
Just remember that the captured text becomes an image. You can resize and move it, but you can’t edit the words themselves.
Build better study notes from PDFs
Capture can also make working through textbooks, worksheets and other study materials much easier. Instead of constantly switching back and forth between pages, you can capture the part you’re working on and bring it over to your notes.
For example, grab a math problem, question or exercise from a PDF, paste it onto a fresh page and work out the answer directly underneath. It’s a simple way to turn a static PDF into a much more practical study workspace.
Reuse parts of your planner
This is where Capture becomes especially interesting for planner users. You can grab an element from one planner page and reuse it somewhere else, without having to recreate it by hand.
Think of a checklist, tracker, header or planning box that you’d like to use on another page. Capture it, paste it where you need it, then resize or rotate it to fit. It gives you much more freedom to adapt a PDF planner to the way you actually use it.
Use digital stickers in your planner
This might be one of my favorite new possibilities. Capture makes digital stickers much easier to use on reMarkable.
Open a sticker sheet, draw around the sticker you want, and paste it straight into your planner or notebook. You can then resize, rotate and position it wherever you like. I already have a collection of digital stickers for reMarkable, and the new Capture Tool makes them much more versatile than before.
Create your own library of reusable elements
You can also use Capture to build a collection of elements you reach for again and again. Think checklists, trackers, labels, planning boxes or anything else that regularly finds its way into your notes.
Keep them together on one or more pages and simply capture the element you need whenever you need it. It’s a simple way to create your own little toolbox inside your reMarkable.
Can you customize a PDF or planner with Capture?
To a certain extent, yes. Capture doesn’t actually edit the original PDF, but it does give you much more freedom to play around with an existing layout.
You could capture a planner element, resize it and place it somewhere else on the page. I’ve already seen users get pretty creative with this, rearranging parts of planner layouts to make them work better for their own needs.
Just keep in mind that you’re not actually changing the PDF itself. Captures are images placed on top of the existing page, so I’d see this as a handy way to personalize a PDF rather than a true PDF editing tool.
Limitations of the Capture Tool
Capture is useful, but it’s good to know what it doesn’t do. The biggest limitation is that everything you capture becomes a single image. Text isn’t converted into editable text, and individual elements within a capture can’t be edited separately.
The same goes for things like hyperlinks. If you capture a hyperlinked button or tab from a planner, the capture only takes its appearance with it, not the actual link behind it.
So while Capture gives you much more freedom to work with existing content, it’s best to think of it as a visual copy-and-paste tool rather than a way to turn PDF content into fully editable reMarkable content.
Is the reMarkable Capture Tool actually useful?
For me, absolutely. As someone who works with PDF templates on reMarkable all the time, Capture feels like one of the more useful software additions in quite a while. It makes PDFs feel less static and gives you much more freedom to combine existing content with your own notes.
I’m especially excited about what this could mean for planners, reusable elements and digital stickers. I suspect we’re only just starting to see the creative ways people will use Capture as more reMarkable users get their hands on update 3.28.
If you haven’t received the update yet, it may simply be a matter of waiting. reMarkable started rolling out software version 3.28 in September 2026, and updates can take several weeks to reach every device.
Get Capture-ready stickers and widgets for your reMarkable
The Capture Tool also opens up some exciting new possibilities for the templates I create. I’m already working on widgets, reusable planner elements and other tools designed specifically with Capture in mind, so you can easily grab the elements you need and add them to your own pages.
And you don’t have to wait to start experimenting. My existing digital sticker collection for reMarkable is already perfect for Capture. Simply pick a sticker from a sheet, capture it and add it wherever you like in your planner or notebook.
I’m really excited to see where this new feature takes reMarkable templates.