An image forming apparatus includes a determination unit, a process identifying unit, a color changing unit, and an image forming unit. The determination unit determines whether the writing image identified by a writing image identifying unit matches a preliminarily determined writing pattern. The process identifying unit identifies a color change process corresponding to the writing pattern when the writing image is determined to match the writing pattern at the determination unit. The color changing unit deletes the writing image from the image and changes a display style in the image to a display style with the writing color indicated in the color information in accordance with the color change process identified by the process identifying unit. The image forming unit forms an image obtained such that the color changing unit changes the display style in the image to the display style with the writing color on a recording sheet.