How do I open a SMART Notebook file without SMART Notebook?

Drop it on this page. It reads the lesson in your browser, so it works on a Chromebook, an iPad or a home computer without SMART's software or a licence. To keep a copy that opens anywhere, choose Print or save as PDF.

How do I convert a .notebook file to PDF?

Open it here, choose Print or save as PDF, and pick Save as PDF as the printer in the print dialog. Each page of the lesson becomes one page of the PDF.

Why is something on the page missing?

Interactive parts - widgets, games, videos, sounds and objects that appear when clicked - only work inside SMART Notebook, so they show as they sit on the page or not at all. Objects hidden behind the screen shade or set to be invisible stay hidden here too.

Can it open older .xbk files?

No. SMART Notebook 9 and earlier saved .xbk files in a different format. Open one in a current version of SMART Notebook and save it as .notebook, and that file opens here.

Is the lesson uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is unpacked and drawn by this browser tab on your own device; pupils' names or work in it stay on your computer.

Stays on your computer How this works

Free SMART Notebook viewer: open .notebook files without SMART

Open a SMART Notebook lesson on any computer, tablet or Chromebook: page through it as it looks on the board, then print it, save it as a PDF or the pages as pictures, and copy its text. The file is opened in your browser and is not uploaded.

Drop a .notebook file here, or click to choose oneIt is opened by your browser, on this computer. Nothing is uploaded.

About the SMART Notebook viewer

A .notebook file is a lesson made in SMART Notebook, the software behind SMART Board interactive whiteboards in many classrooms. Teachers share them with each other and with pupils, and they turn up in school shared drives and resource sites. But SMART Notebook is paid software for Windows and Mac, so on a home computer, a Chromebook or an iPad the file usually will not open at all.

This page reads the lesson and shows each page as it looks on the board, with its pictures, shapes, pen strokes and text. Print it or save it as a PDF to hand out, save a page as a picture for slides, copy the words to reuse them, and save any files attached to the lesson. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and while the page stays open, a feature you have already used keeps working offline.

What you can do

Open .notebook lessons from SMART Notebook 10 and later, with nothing to install
See every page with its pictures, shapes, ink and text, and move through them with the arrow keys
Print the lesson, or save it as a PDF, one page to a sheet
Save the page you are on as a PNG picture
Copy the words on a page, or save all the lesson's text in one file
Save files attached to the lesson, such as worksheets
Works on Windows, Mac, Chromebooks, iPads and Linux

How to open a SMART Notebook file

Drop the .notebook file on the box above, or click the box and choose it.
The first page appears with the others listed beside it; click one, or use the arrow keys.
Choose Print or save as PDF for a copy you can open anywhere, or Save page as PNG for one page.

Questions

How do I open a SMART Notebook file without SMART Notebook?: Drop it on this page. It reads the lesson in your browser, so it works on a Chromebook, an iPad or a home computer without SMART's software or a licence. To keep a copy that opens anywhere, choose Print or save as PDF.
How do I convert a .notebook file to PDF?: Open it here, choose Print or save as PDF, and pick Save as PDF as the printer in the print dialog. Each page of the lesson becomes one page of the PDF.
Why is something on the page missing?: Interactive parts - widgets, games, videos, sounds and objects that appear when clicked - only work inside SMART Notebook, so they show as they sit on the page or not at all. Objects hidden behind the screen shade or set to be invisible stay hidden here too.
Can it open older .xbk files?: No. SMART Notebook 9 and earlier saved .xbk files in a different format. Open one in a current version of SMART Notebook and save it as .notebook, and that file opens here.
Is the lesson uploaded anywhere?: No. The file is unpacked and drawn by this browser tab on your own device; pupils' names or work in it stay on your computer.