17 clever Apple Notes tips you might not know
Apple Notes is available if you buy an iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer – oh, and it’s also available on the web. Introduced with the first iPhone in 2007, Notes is now one of the most ubiquitous apps. And over the years, it has added more and more features to its basic note-taking structure.
Even if you use Apple Notes every day to create lists, track your tasks, or jot down random thoughts, you may not be aware of everything Notes can do for you. It’s an incredibly capable and versatile app, despite its unpretentious interface, and you should find at least some of these tips useful.
1. Collaborate on notes
You can collaborate on notes with others, via iCloud, which is convenient for families and work teams. From a note, tap the Share button (the arrow and square), select Collaborate at the top of the next screen, and you will get a link that you can send to others.
2. Attach tags to notes
Tagging is a very effective way to organize your notes: all you have to do is add the tag with a hashtag (like “#work”) anywhere in the note. You’ll see a list of tags used on the main notes screen, and you can then tap any hashtag to navigate to the corresponding notes.
3. Add lines and grids
If you’re using one of the drawing tools to scribble in a note, whether drawing or handwriting, lines and grids can be helpful guides. You can drop them into any note when it’s open by tapping the three dots (top right) and then choosing Lines and grids of the menu.
4. Drop tables into your notes
Tables can be a very useful way to organize a note. When you’re in text-editing mode in a note, tap the table icon in the toolbar (it looks like four rectangles) to add one. Tap the handles around the table to add and remove columns and rows as needed.
5. Quickly access attachments
You can now attach all sorts of things to your notes, including photos, files, and web links. To quickly access your attachments from the main list of notes, tap the three dots (top right), then choose View attachments– this can save you a lot of time searching and scrolling.
6. Change the layout
New notes will start with a larger, bold title by default, but you don’t have to stick to that if you don’t want to. From the main iOS Settings screen, choose Applications SO RemarksSO New notes start with: The available options are Title, Title, SubtitleAnd Body.
7. Reread notes with AI
Apple Intelligence is now available in Notes, if you need it: from inside a note, tap the Apple Intelligence button in the toolbar (it looks like a pen inside a star), then choose Proofread to have the AI ​​check spelling, grammar, and sentence structure.
8. Solve equations
Notes can solve basic equations and sums for you, like a calculator app or spreadsheet: you don’t need to do anything special to enable this, just write your calculations followed by an equals sign. You can also do conversions, like “8 centimeters to inches=”.
9. Link the notes together
You can link notes together, Wikipedia style, if you need to. Select text in a note where you want to create the link, and then choose Add a link in the context menu (scroll to the right if necessary). Next, enter the name of the note to link to, and select it.
10. Add analytics to notes
It is possible to scan all kinds of documents into your notes, if you need to. From a note, tap the three dots in the upper right corner, then choose Scanning and point your camera at what you want to scan (from documents to illustrations). You can also annotate your scans.
11. Put your notes in subfolders
Notes supports folders, so you don’t need to have everything in one big compartment. From the main notes screen, tap the back arrow (top left) to view your folders and create new ones (via the new folder icon, top right). You can also create subfolders via the To modify button.
12. Create Smart Folders
Smart folders are really convenient. Each time you create a new folder, you have the option to make it a Smart Folder, and then it can be populated automatically using a range of different criteria: specific tags, what it contains, when it was last modified, if it’s locked, and more.
13. Switch to gallery view
You don’t have to settle for the default list view for your notes: on the screen showing all your notes, tap the three dots in the upper right corner, then choose View as gallery in the context menu. Your notes are then displayed as thumbnails, in reverse chronological order.
14. Record voice notes
Your notes can be accompanied by voice clips, making it a convenient, albeit basic, way to organize audio recordings. To add a voice clip, tap the paperclip icon in the floating toolbar, then choose Record audio. Press the red record button and you can start talking.
15. Highlight text in a note
Highlighting can help certain blocks of text stand out. Highlight any text in a note by double-tapping, then tap the pen icon in the floating toolbar to highlight it. Press the pen again and you can choose from five highlighter colors: Purple, Pink, Orange, MintAnd Blue.
16. Take quick notes from anywhere
It’s possible to create a “Quick Note” from anywhere on iOS: the Quick Note link is in the share menu (the arrow and rectangle icon) and you can also add it to Control Center. Any notes you create via Quick Note Overlay can be found in the Notes app.
17. Lock a note
If there are specific notes that you want to make sure stay private, you can lock them with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID (whatever you currently use to lock your iPhone). From a note, tap the three dots in the upper right corner, then tap the button Lockdown icon.
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