Cornell notes template for Google Docs and Word

How to open the template in Google Docs

1. 1Download the .docx above and go to drive.google.com.
2. 2Drag the file into Drive, then double-click it. It opens in Google Docs with the table, lines and header intact.
3. 3If Drive shows a ".DOCX" badge, choose File → Save as Google Docs for a native copy you can share in Google Classroom.
4. 4Keep that doc as your master and use File → Make a copy for each lesson.

Cornell notes template measurements

The download uses these, and so do both walkthroughs below. They fit US Letter and A4 with half-inch margins.

• Cue column: 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) wide, down the left.
• Notes column: the rest of the width, about 5 inches (12.7 cm) on Letter.
• Summary row: about 2 inches (5 cm) tall, across the full width.
• Notes row height: about 7 inches (18 cm), which leaves room for a header.

The 2.5 inch figure is not sacred, but keep the cue column narrow on purpose. If it is wide enough for full sentences you will write summaries in it, and then there is nothing to test yourself against.

How to make a Cornell notes template in Google Docs

1. 1Open a blank document. Go to File → Page setup, choose Letter or A4, and set all four margins to 0.5 inches.
2. 2Type your header on the first lines: Name, Class, Date and Topic. Add Period and an Essential question if your class follows the AVID format.
3. 3Insert → Table and pick 2 × 2.
4. 4Select both cells in the bottom row, right-click, and choose Merge cells. That row is the summary.
5. 5Right-click the table and open Table properties. Under Columns, set the left column to 2.5 inches. Under Rows, set a minimum row height of 7 inches for the top row, then click into the bottom row and set it to 2 inches.
6. 6Type "Cues", "Notes" and "Summary" at the top of each cell. In Table properties, change the border color to a light gray so the lines don't shout.
7. 7Keep this file as your master and use File → Make a copy for each lesson, so you never type over last week's notes.

How to make a Cornell notes template in Microsoft Word

1. 1On the Layout tab, set Size to Letter or A4, and Margins to Narrow (0.5 inches).
2. 2Type the header lines: Name, Class, Date, Topic.
3. 3Insert → Table and draw a 2 × 2 table.
4. 4Select the bottom row, then on the table Layout tab click Merge Cells.
5. 5Click in the left column and set its Width to 2.5" on the table Layout tab. For height, open Properties → Row, tick Specify height, choose At least, and enter 7" for the top row and 2" for the bottom row.
6. 6On Table Design, pick a light gray pen color and reapply All Borders.
7. 7Save with File → Save As → Word Template (.dotx). Opening a template always starts a fresh copy, so the original stays blank.

Typing into it, or printing it?

The Word file works for both: every ruled line is a table row, so typing grows the row instead of spilling over. For printing in bulk, a PDF is quicker. The Cornell notes template maker adds grid paper for math, up to 20 pages at once, and a fillable Cornell notes form that students can type into in Kami or Acrobat.

A printable sheet, right here

Press Ctrl+P, or Cmd+P on a Mac. Everything except the sheet below is hidden from the printout. Works on Letter and A4.

Or skip the template: two lines on ordinary ruled paper, one 2.5 inches from the left edge and one 2 inches up from the bottom, and you are done.

Templates do not work on a PDF

This is where most people get stuck, and it is worth being clear about why. A blank template assumes an empty page. Lecture slides, journal papers and chapter scans already have content across the full width, so there is nowhere to lay the grid.

You have three options, and only one of them is good.

• Print it small. Scale the PDF to about 70% and print with wide margins. It works. It also uses a lot of paper.
• Keep a separate page. Notes in one file, source in another. The link between a note and the line that caused it is lost immediately.
• Widen the page. Add real margin space either side of the existing content, so the cue column and notes column appear beside the original rather than on top of it.

The third is what SidePDF does. It expands the page geometry of the PDF itself, so you get a narrow column on the left and a wide one on the right, and the notes stay part of the document when you open it anywhere else. It is free, and it is the closest thing to running this template over a file you did not write.

If you want to print instead, the Add to a PDF option in the template maker rebuilds every page with a cue column and summary strip around the original, ready for paper.

Related reading

If you want the method rather than the layout, start with how the Cornell method actually works. The template is the easy part. The recite step is the part that does the work.

Frequently asked questions