iPhone Notes: Everything You Need to Know

Notes is a powerful and complex app that provides many features. Here are a few tips on how to use the basic Notes features, as well as advanced features such as encrypting notes, drawing in notes, syncing notes to iCloud, and more.

How to Create a New Note in the iPhone Notes App

Making a basic note is simple:

1. Tap the Notes app to open it.

2. Tap Add Note (the pencil and a piece of paper icon that's located in the lower-right corner).

3. Use the on-screen keyboard to type a note.

4. Tap Done to save the note.

5. Select Notes at the top to return to your main list of notes.

   By default, the note is assigned a filename that includes the date (or time) and the first few words of the note. It's positioned at the top of the list of notes.

How to Format Text in iPhone Notes

To make the note visually appealing or better organized, add formatting to the text.

1. Tap a note to open it.

2. Tap on a line of text in the note to display the keyboard with a formatting menu. If you don't see it right away, tap the plus sign located above the keyboard.

3. Tap Aa to reveal the text-formatting options.

4. Tap the text and drag the handles to define the selection to format. Then, format the text however you want. Options include bold, italic, underlined, strikethrough, alignment, color, and more.

5. Tap Done when you're finished formatting the text.

How to Make a Checklist in an iPhone Note

The Notes app can be used as a to-do list if you create checklists. Here's how:

1. Open an existing note (or start a new one), then tap anywhere in the note to display the keyboard.

2. Tap the + icon above the keyboard to reveal the formatting tools.

3. Select the text that should be in the list, then tap the checkmark icon to add a circle in front of the selected items.

4. Tap Return on the keyboard to add an additional checklist item. Tap the checklist icon, if needed, and continue until you've created the full list.

5. As you finish each item on the checklist, tap in the circle in front of it to mark it as done.

How to Draw in Your Notes on iPhone

If you're a visual person, feel free to sketch in your notes. In an open note, tap the pen icon (or squiggly line in some versions of the app) above the keyboard to reveal the drawing options. 

The available options differ depending on the version of the iOS. In recent versions, you can select a tool—pick from a pencil, marker, highlighter, eraser, and more—and any color you want.

How to Attach Photos and Videos to Notes on iPhone

When you want to quickly reference other information, attach a file to a note. Attachments can be any type of file including documents, photos, and videos.

1. Tap the body of the note to display the options above the keyboard.

2. Tap the attachment icon, + icon, or camera icon, depending on your iOS version.

3. Tap Take Photo or Video to capture a new item. To select an existing file, tap one of the relevant options, like Attach File, Take Photo or Video, or Choose Photo or Video.

4. Depending on the option you chose, the camera app or file picker will open. Take a new picture/video or select a file to add to the note.

How to Scan Documents in iPhone Notes

In iOS 11 and up, the Notes app includes a feature that scans and saves documents in Notes. This tool is especially useful for storing things like receipts.

1. From the formatting toolbar in any note, tap the attachment icon or the + icon.

2. Tap Scan Documents.

3. In the camera view, position the document on-screen so that it's surrounded by a yellow outline.

4. The document will be identified and captured automatically. Or, you can tap the shutter button for some fine-tuning; drag the corners to match the corners of the document.

5. Tap Save if you like the auto-capture. For a manual capture, choose Keep Scan to save it or Retake to try again.

How to Attach Other Kinds of Files to Notes

Photos and videos aren't the only files you can attach to a note. Files can also be imported from other apps. For example, follow these steps to attach a location to one of your notes, after which you can return to the exact location by opening the attachment:

1. Open the Maps app and find the location you want to attach.

2. Tap the Share button.

3. Tap the Notes app from the list.

4. Tap Save to store the location, or add extra details first by typing in the text box. This screen also lets you choose whether the attachment should be included in an existing note or a new one.

How to Organize Notes Into Folders on iPhone

If you have a lot of notes or like to keep your life super organized, create folders in Notes.

Create Folders in the Notes App

1. In the notes list, tap the arrow in the upper-left corner.

2. Select the New Folder button at the bottom.

3. Give the folder a name and tap Done or Save to create it.

   If your version of Notes includes smart folder capabilities, you'll see that option under its name. A smart folder automatically organizes notes based on things like tags, date created, pinned notes, etc.

Move Notes to Folders in the Notes App

1. From your list of notes, tap the three lines at the top to open a menu.

2. Choose Select Notes from the menu, then tap the notes you plan to move into a folder.

3. Select Move or Move To.

4. Choose a folder from the list or tap New Folder to make a different folder.

How to Password Protect Notes on iPhone

When your notes contain private information such as passwords, account numbers, or plans for a surprise birthday party, consider hiding the note behind a password. When someone else (or even you) tries to open the note, they'll be stopped immediately and forced to provide the password.

Here's how to set this up:

1. Open the Settings app to Apps > Notes.

2. Tap Password.

3. Choose Use iPhone Passcode, or pick Create password to make a new password to use specifically for protecting the Notes app.

4. Tap Done to save the change.

5. Open the Notes app and select a note you want to protect.

6. Tap the three dots at the top, or the Share icon in some versions of Notes.

7. Select Lock or Lock Note.

8. Tap the lock icon to lock the note.

How to Sync Notes Using iCloud

The Notes app used to exist only on the iPhone, but it's also available on iPads and Macs, as well as iCloud on the web. Because these devices can sync content with your iCloud account, you can create a note anywhere and have it appear on all your devices.

Follow these directions to make sure your notes are kept in sync across all your devices:

1. Confirm that the devices you want to sync notes to are signed in to the same iCloud account, that is, they all use the same Apple ID/Apple Account.

2. Open Settings on your phone.

3. Tap your name at the top of the screen. You can skip this step if you're using iOS 9 or earlier.

4. Tap iCloud.

5. Tap Notes and then turn on Sync this iPhone. In some versions of Notes, you just need to tap the toggle next to Notes.

6. Repeat this process on every device you want to sync the Notes app with via iCloud. Now, every time you create a new note or edit an existing one on any of your devices, the changes are synced automatically to all the other devices.

How to Share Notes on iPhone

Notes are a great way to keep track of information for yourself, but you can share them with others. To share a note, open the note and tap the Share icon. A window appears with many options, including:

• AirDrop: This tool is a wireless file-sharing feature built into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. It lets you send a note to the Notes app on another Apple device using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Learn how to use AirDrop on iPhone.
• Message: Send the contents of a note in a text message. When sending to another Apple device, this option uses Apple's free, secure iMessage system.
• Mail: Convert a note to an email by tapping this button. It opens in the default Mail app.
• Save Image: If an image is attached to the note, tap this button to save the image (not the entire note) to the Photos app on the device.
• Print: If you're near an AirPrint-compatible printer, this option wirelessly sends the note to the printer for a quick hard copy.
• Assign to Contact: This option works only with attached images. Tap it to assign an image in a note to be the default photo for a person in your Contacts app.

How to Collaborate With Others on Shared Notes

Invite others to collaborate on a note with you. In this situation, everyone you invite can make changes to the note, including adding text and attachments or completing checklist items—think of shared grocery or to-do lists.

1. Tap a note, such as your grocery list, in the Notes app to open it.

2. Tap the Share button at the top.

3. Ensure Collaborate is chosen, then select how to invite other people to collaborate on the note. For example, select Message to text the invite, or Mail to request collaboration over email.

4. Send the invitation like you would send any message. For a text, for instance, select the recipients from your address book.

When people accept the invitation, they're authorized to view and edit the note. To see who has access to the note, tap the person with plus sign icon. Use this screen to invite more people or stop sharing the note.

How to Delete Notes on iPhone

There are several ways to delete notes. To delete notes from the Notes list, when you first open the app:

• Swipe right to left across a single note and tap Delete or the trash can icon.
• Tap the three-dot menu and choose Select Notes. Tap each note you want to delete, then choose Delete at the bottom, or Delete All, depending on your iOS version.

From within a note:

• Tap the trash icon at the bottom. If you don't see it, tap Done in the upper-right corner, and it appears. Or, choose the three-dot menu at the top followed by Delete.

How to Recover Deleted Notes

If you deleted a note that you now want to get back, the Notes app retains deleted notes for 30 days, so you can recover it.

1. From the Notes list, tap the arrow in the upper-left corner to access the list of folders.

2. Tap Recently Deleted.

3. Tap Edit.

4. Tap the note or notes you want to recover.

5. Tap Move or Move To at the bottom of the screen.

6. Select a folder to move the notes into. Or, tap New Folder to make another folder. The note is transferred there and no longer marked for deletion.

Advanced iPhone Notes App Tips

There are endless tricks to discover and helpful ways to use the Notes app. Here are a few extra tips to make things easier:

• Use Siri: Activate Siri and say, "take a note" or "start a new note." Then say what the note should contain. Siri transcribes the note for you.
• Create Notes From Other Apps: If you use an app that lets you select text, like Mail or Safari, create a note by highlighting text. In the menu above the selected text, tap Share, then select Notes or Add to Notes. In the window that appears, add any additional information and tap Save to create a new note.
• Permanently Delete Notes: Notes that you delete are kept for up to 30 days. If you want to delete notes right away, go to the Recently Deleted folder. Then, swipe right to left across a note and tap Delete > Delete Note. The note is deleted immediately.