Use Tags and Smart Folders in Notes on your iPhone and iPad

Use tags to quickly categorize your notes so you can easily find them later. Just add one or more tags—like #work or #shopping—anywhere in a note. You can also use Smart Folders for even more organization and search options.

Add a tag to a note

In iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and later, you can add a tag anywhere in a note, including the title:

  1. Open a note in the Notes app.

  2. Type # followed by a tag name.

  3. Add a space or tap enter. The text will change color to show the tag has been added.

Tag names need to be one continuous word, but you can use hyphens, numbers, and underscores to make tag names longer—for example, #gardening-supplies. You can also add tags in your drawings with Apple Pencil on iPad: just sketch # and the tag name within a note.

To add a tag to multiple notes:

  1. Go to a folder with the list of notes.

  2. Tap the More button, then tap Select Notes.

  3. Select the notes, then tap Tags at the bottom of the screen.

    Select multiple notes and tap Tags to add a tag to multiple notes at once.

  4. Select the tags you want to add to the notes, then tap the Checkmark button.

  • If you create a tag on a device running iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or later, the tag appears on your other Apple devices running iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, or later. If your other devices use older software, the tag may appear as plain text.

  • You can't lock a note that has a tag, and you can't add a tag to a locked note.

If you are unable to create tags in Notes

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Tap Apps.

  3. Tap Notes.

  4. Check if Auto Convert to Tag is enabled.

View and share your notes with tags

When you create a tag, you can find it in the note itself and in the Tags browser.

  1. Open Notes.

  2. Scroll to the Tags browser below your list of Folders.

  3. Tap All Tags to see a list of every note with tags, or tap a specific tag to see a list of all notes with that tag.

You can also tap two or more tags and filter to show notes containing all of the selected tags (for example, both #Gardening and #Grocery) or any of the selected tags (for example, either #Gardening or #Grocery).

You can view all notes containing a specific tag by using the Tags browser in Notes.

If you share a tagged note with someone who's using iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, or later, they should see the tagged word and have it appear in their Tags browser. If you share a tagged note with someone who’s using an older software version, the note will be shared but the tag may appear as plain text.

Rename or delete tags from your notes

With iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or later, you can rename your tags or delete them when you’re done using them.

  1. Open Notes.

  2. Go to the Tags browser at the bottom of the Folders list view.

  3. Touch and hold the tag you want to edit.

  4. In the pop-up menu, tap Rename Tag or Delete Tag.

    In the Tags browser, you can select a tag and either rename or delete it.

  5. Type a new name and tap Rename to confirm, or tap Delete to confirm.

The Tags browser only shows tags that are used in your notes. If a tag is no longer used in any of your notes, it's removed from the Tags browser.

Create a Smart Folder

Smart Folders are a great way to further organize notes without moving them from their original folders. In Smart Folders, you enable filters that determine which notes appear, so you can easily access certain ones and categorize them in different ways.

To create a Smart Folder:

  1. Open Notes.

  2. Tap the New Folder button.

  3. Enter a name for your folder, then tap Make Into Smart Folder.

  4. Choose the filters you want to use to automatically select notes for your Smart Folder, then tap the Checkmark button. You can choose filters based on tags, when a note was created, when a note was last edited, and more.

  5. Tap the Checkmark button again to create your Smart Folder.

    You can filter your notes by selecting multiple tags in Notes.

You can also create a Smart Folder from the Tags browser. Just tap the tag, then tap the More button, tap Create Smart Folder, add a name, and tap the Checkmark button.

Convert an existing folder to a Smart Folder

  1. Open Notes.

  2. View the folder you want to convert and tap the More button.

  3. Scroll down and tap Convert to Smart Folder.

When you convert a folder, its notes are moved to the Notes folder and tagged with the name of the Smart Folder. You can’t convert shared folders, a folder with a subfolder, or a folder that contains locked notes.

When you convert a folder to a Smart Folder, it can't be undone. If you no longer want the Smart Folder, you need to delete it.

Edit a Smart Folder

  1. Open Notes.

  2. Touch and hold a Smart Folder.

  3. Tap Edit Smart Folder.

    In iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and later, you can edit the name of your Smart Folder in Notes.

  4. Change the name or tap Manage Smart Folder to change the current filters.

  5. Tap the Checkmark button.

Do more with Notes

Learn more about the Notes app on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

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