About Apple Notes

• Introduced: Apple Notes debuted with the original iPhone in 2007.
• Where to use it: Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Notes sync across devices using iCloud.
• Cost: Free. No separate subscription is required to use the app.
• Portability: Export notes as PDF or Markdown. Import formats like .md, .txt, .html, and .enex.

Why Use the Notes App?

Lock a Note

Keep private information a little more secure by locking a note.

• Lock a note: Open the note, click the More button (•••), and choose Lock Note. Follow the prompts to use your device passcode or create a Notes password, depending on your settings and device.
• Unlock a note: Click the locked note and authenticate when prompted.
• Lock it again: Click the Lock button or close Notes to lock protected notes, depending on your settings.

Keep in mind: Some notes can’t be locked, including shared notes. Locking a note adds privacy, but it doesn’t make Notes a suitable place for every kind of sensitive information.

Group Notes Without Moving Them

Organize notes by topic without having to move them between folders.

• Add a tag: Type # followed by a word, such as #brainbreak or #gaetc. Tags can appear anywhere in a note.
• Find tagged notes: Select a tag in the Tags section of the sidebar to see notes containing it.
• Create a Smart Folder: Create a new folder and choose Convert to Smart Folder or select New Smart Folder, depending on your device. Set rules to gather notes that match specific tags or other criteria.
• Let Notes do the organizing: Smart Folders automatically collect notes that match your rules. They don’t move or duplicate the original notes.

Put it to work: Create a #fieldtrip tag to find planning notes, checklists, and other resources related to field trips, even when they’re stored in different folders.

Keep the Formatting when Importing and Exporting

• Markdown is a simple way to format text using characters like # for headings, * for emphasis, and - for lists.
• Paste as Markdown: On Mac, choose Format → Paste as Markdown to preserve supported formatting when pasting content from sources such as Google Docs.
  • To copy Markdown in Google Docs, right-click the selected text and choose Copy as Markdown.
• Import and export Markdown: Import Markdown files into Notes or export notes as .md files to use in compatible apps.

Add Notes with Siri

When your hands are busy, ask Siri to capture an idea before you forget it.

• Create a note: “Siri, create a note that says …”
• Add to an existing note: “Siri, add … to my note about …”
  • Example: “Add glue sticks and colored paper to my Art Supplies note.”
• Capture ideas hands-free: Useful while driving, cooking, or moving between activities.
• Check the result: Open Notes afterward to review what Siri captured and make any needed edits.

Tip: Be specific about what you want recorded. You can speak naturally, but review the note to make sure Siri got it right.

Keep Key Notes Handy

Keep your frequently accessed notes easy to find by pinning them to the top of a folder.

• Pin a note: Swipe right on a note and tap the pin icon on iPhone or iPad. On Mac, drag the note to the top of the list or right-click and choose Pin Note.
• Find pinned notes: Pinned notes stay at the top of their folder, above your other notes.
• Unpin when needed: Use the same controls to remove a pin when a note is no longer a priority.

Tip: Pin notes you use frequently, such as your weekly plans, meeting notes, or go-to classroom resources.

Give Your Note a Thumbnail Picture

• The first image in a note becomes its thumbnail.
• Thumbnails appear square in List view and widescreen in Gallery view.
• Choose an image that helps you recognize the note at a glance.

Create Visual Hierarchy

• Use the Text Styles button (Aa) to make titles and headings stand out.
• Use headings to organize long notes into sections that are easier to navigate.
• Titles, Headings, and Subheadings can be collapsed and expanded.
• Collapse all or Expand all under the View menu on Mac.

Add Visual Flair

Recolor Text

• 💻 On Mac, select text and choose Format → Font → Show Colors to change its color.
• 📱 iPhone and iPad display custom text colors but don’t let you change them directly.

Insert a divider line to visually separate sections of a note.

Three ways to insert one:

• 💻 Press ⌘ + L
• 💻 Edit → Insert Divider Line
• 📱 Long-press → tap the right arrow (→) → Insert Divider Line

Emphasize Key Information

• Use bold to make important words and phrases stand out.
• Use colored highlights to draw attention to key information.
• Highlight sparingly so the most important details are easy to spot when scanning later.
• Insert emojis 📌 as visual cues to help categorize information or make 🔑 key items easier to spot.

Organize Information with Tables

• Use tables to organize related information into rows and columns.
• Great for schedules, comparisons, lesson plans, and other information that benefits from a grid.
• Tap or click a cell and press Tab to move to the next cell. Press Tab in the last cell to add a new row.
• Add or delete rows and columns using the controls at the edge of the table.

Table Tricks

Know the Table Limitations

Make Quotes Stand Out

• Use block quotes to set quotations or important passages apart from the rest of your text.
• Great for emphasizing key takeaways, advice, or memorable words.
• Tap the Aa formatting button, then select Block Quote.

Picture It

• On iPhone or iPad: Open a note, tap the attachment button (📎), and choose Take Photo.
  • 💻 On Mac: Choose Take Photo under your iPhone’s name. Your iPhone’s camera opens, and the photo you take is inserted directly into your note.
• Select text with Live Text: Double-click a photo in the note on your Mac. Drag the mouse across words in the picture to select them as text. Then you can copy them.
• Find it later: Search Notes for a word that appears in the photo to find the note containing it.

Examples

Scan It In

• Find the scanner: Open a note, tap the attachment button (📎), and choose Scan Documents.
• Point your iPhone or iPad camera at a paper document. Notes can capture pages automatically or let you press the shutter.
• Scan multiple pages, then tap Save to keep them together in your note.
• Fun shortcut: Touch and hold the Notes app icon on the Home Screen, then choose Scan Document to start scanning without opening a note first.

Pencil Me In

• Quickly sketch an idea, draw a simple diagram, or jot down a thought by hand.
• Add a sketch:
  • 📱 On iPhone: Tap the Handwriting Tools icon (the Pen tip icon). You can draw with your finger in a new section at the bottom of the note.
  • 💻 On Mac: Click the Attach button (📎), then choose Sketch under your iPhone’s name. Draw on your iPhone and tap the checkmark to insert the sketch into your note.

Make It Useful

• Keep images, scans, extracted text, and your own thoughts together in one searchable place.
• Capture text instantly:
  • 📱 On iPhone: in a note, tap the attachment button and choose Scan Text to capture text directly into the note instead of keeping a picture of the page.
• Mark it up: Open a scanned document, tap the Markup button, and highlight or annotate important information.

Hear It Again

• Start recording: Open a note, tap or click the attachment button (📎), and choose Record Audio.
• Let it roll: Tap or click Record (🔴) and start talking. You can continue working with your notes while recording.
  • Recordings are about 0.5 MB to 1 MB per minute.
  • Recording length is limited by storage space and battery life.
• Pause for applause: Pause the recording when needed, then select Done when you’re finished.
• Keep it together: The recording stays in your note alongside your text and other content.

Read What You Hear

• Watch the words appear: Click the Transcription button to view the transcript while recording.
• Revisit the conversation: Open an existing recording to review its transcript.
• Find the good stuff: Search within the transcript to locate a particular detail without replaying the entire recording.
• Skip to the good stuff: Click a word in the transcript to begin playing the audio at that point in the recording.
• Bring the words into your note: Copy the transcript or add it directly to the note.

Give AI a Listen

• Get the highlights: If Apple Intelligence is available, open the recording and click Summary to generate an AI summary of the transcript.
• Bring your AI BFF into the conversation: Copy the transcript and paste it into your favorite AI tool. Ask it to summarize key points, identify action items, organize ideas, suggest next steps, pull out quotes, etc.

Put It to Work

• Capture your own planning thoughts before you forget them.
• Keep track of key ideas from a meeting.
• Turn a spoken brainstorm into something you can organize and build on.
• Record a presentation so you capture all the information.
• Always follow school policies and obtain appropriate consent before recording other people.

Crunch the Numbers

• Try a simple calculation: Type a math expression followed by an equals sign. Notes calculates the answer right in your note.
  28 x 6 = 168

  144 / 12 = 12
• Suggest or Insert or Off:
  • Choose whether the calculated answers are automatically inserted, suggested, or turned off for your note.
    • 💻 On Mac: Go to the Format → Math Results.
    • 📱 On iPhone: Tap the More (•••), select Math Results.
  • Suggested is the default and you have to click Return, Enter, or Tab to insert the math result into the note.
• Keep the context: Write a description alongside your calculation so you remember what the numbers mean.
• Go beyond basic math: Notes supports parentheses and more advanced mathematical expressions, too.
  (1/5) * (1/2) + 2 = 2.1

  120^2-900 = 13500

Make Variables Work for You

• Name your numbers: Assign a value to a word or letter, such as Students = 28.
• Use them in calculations: Type Students × 1.25 = to calculate the supply cost at $1.25 per student.
• Change a value: Update the number of students, and calculations that use that variable can update automatically.
• Important: Defined variables need to come first in the note, otherwise Notes won’t use them in calculations.

Put It to Work

Can I bring up my grade?

Plan a field trip

Find an average

• Quiz scores: 18, 22, and 15 points
• Average score: (18 + 22 + 15) / 3 = 18.33

Link Your Notes

• Link to another note: Type >> in the body of a note, start typing the title of the note you want to link to, then select it from the suggestions.
• Link to a specific heading: Type >> and select the note you want to link to. Then type / and choose a heading within that note.
• Find your way back: On Mac, press Option + Command + [ to return to the note you came from after following a link.

Connect to the Web

• Add a website link: Copy a URL from your browser and paste it into a note.
• Link text: Select text you want to hyperlink, then:
  • 💻 On Mac: Go to Edit → Add link or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘ + K.
  • 📱 On iPhone: With text selected, tap > in the floating menu bar and tap Add link.
• Keep AI conversations handy: Copy the URL of a useful AI conversation and paste it into a note. This makes it easier to find the conversation later without having to remember which chatbot or account you used.

Keep Files Close

• Add a file: Drag a PDF or another file into a note, or use the Add files button (📎) and choose Attach File.
• Just the right size: Right-click or long-press a file and select View As to change how large it appears in your note.
• Keep the context: Add a sentence or heading to explain what each file is and why it’s useful.

Make a Checklist

• Start a checklist: Click the checklist button in the Notes toolbar to create a checklist item.
• Add more items: Press Return after an item to create the next one.
• Reorder: Click and drag the circle to change its position in the list.
• Check things off: Click the circle beside an item when it’s done. Checked off items drop to the end of the checklist.
• Reuse a checklist: Create a template note, then duplicate it whenever you need a fresh copy. In the Notes list, right-click or long-press the note and choose Duplicate Note.
• Checklists in action: Use checklists for grocery lists, action items from meetings, lesson or presentation prep, field trip planning, and anything where you need to keep track of tasks or remember what needs to get done.

Share and Collaborate

• Share a note: Click the Share (↥) button and choose the collaboration option, then invite the people you want to work with.

• Work together: Collaborators can add items, check off tasks, and update information in the same shared note.
• Put it to work: Use a shared checklist for event planning, classroom projects, or coordinating responsibilities with colleagues or family members.