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Migrating from Goodnotes 5 License Keys to Admin Console

If your organization is transitioning from a Goodnotes 5 License Key to Goodnotes Teams, this guide will help you navigate the migration process smoothly.

Understanding the Migration Challenge

When moving from a Goodnotes 5 License Key setup to Goodnotes Teams, you might encounter an issue where users can't successfully accept organization invitations. This happens because Goodnotes 5 doesn't support the invitation flow – devices need to be running Goodnotes (6 or 7) to join an organization through an invitation.

If users try to accept an invitation while still on GN5, they'll appear as freemium users with only a 7-day trial available, even though they're technically part of your organization.

How to Migrate Successfully

There are two approaches to migrating your devices from Goodnotes 5 to the Admin Console:

Option 1: Collective Migration (Recommended for Full Rollout)

To upgrade your existing deployment to Goodnotes 6, you need to update your managed app configuration:

If you're currently forcing Goodnotes 5: Change the GoodnotesVersion value from 5 to 6 in your existing configuration.

If you don't have a GoodnotesVersion key yet: Add the key GoodnotesVersion with the integer value 6 alongside your existing LicenseKey configuration.

Here's an example of what your complete configuration should look like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>ManagedAppConfigurationVersion</key>
    <string>1</string>
    <key>LicenseKey</key>
    <string>AAAAAA-BBBBBB-CCCCCC-DDDDDD-123456-V3</string>
    <key>GoodnotesVersion</key>
    <integer>6</integer>
</dict>
</plist>

This ensures all managed devices upgrade to Goodnotes 6 simultaneously.

Option 2: Individual Device Migration (Ideal for Testing)

For organizations that want to test before rolling out to everyone, you can migrate individual devices:

  1. Back up all notes manually before starting (this is crucial!)
  2. Remove the test device from your MDM
  3. Uninstall Goodnotes from the device
  4. Reinstall Goodnotes from the App Store
  5. Sign in with the user's organization account

The device will now run Goodnotes 6 and properly recognize the Admin Console membership.

Important: iCloud Keychain Consideration

Here's a critical technical detail that can trip up your migration: If a user has multiple devices signed in to the same Apple Account (at the device level), and even one of those devices is forced to use Goodnotes 5 by a License Key, all other devices using that Apple Account will automatically downgrade to GN5.

This happens through iCloud Keychain synchronization, which shares app preferences across devices with the same Apple ID.

What This Means for Testing

When testing the migration with individual devices:

  • Ensure the test device uses a different Apple Account than any devices still on the License Key system, OR
  • Make sure no other devices with the same Apple Account are forcing Goodnotes 5

Even if iCloud sync is disabled in device settings, the Keychain synchronization can still occur and trigger the downgrade.

Troubleshooting:

"I upgraded to GN6 but it downgraded back to GN5"

If a user successfully installs Goodnotes 6 but then sees it revert to Goodnotes 5 after a few minutes, this is almost always due to the iCloud Keychain sync issue described above.

To resolve this:

  • Check if the user has other devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac) signed in with the same Apple Account
  • Verify whether any of those devices are still running Goodnotes 5 through your MDM
  • Either upgrade all those devices to GN6, or use a different Apple Account for testing

Best Practices

✓ Always remind users to back up their notes manually before migration

✓ For trial periods, use test devices with separate Apple Accounts or ensure no other devices are forcing GN5

✓ Plan your migration timeline to minimize disruption

✓ Consider a phased rollout if you have a large organization

Need additional support with your migration? Our team is here to help – reach out to us here with your organization details and diagnostic data if available.