Use Notes on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

With Notes, you can capture a quick thought, create checklists, sketch ideas and more. And with iCloud, you can keep your notes updated across all of your devices.

Start a new note.

Do more with notes

With Notes, you can pin your top notes, draw, create checklists, scan and sign documents, and add attachments – such as photos, videos or web links.

Undo changes to a note

If you want to reverse a change you made in a note, tap the Undo button at the top of the screen. You can undo any changes you’ve made while you have the current note open.

Record and transcribe audio

In iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, you can record and transcribe audio within a note. Tap the Attachment button, then tap Record Audio to get started.

On supported iPhone devices, you can then tap the Transcript button to view the generated text. You can add the transcript text to a note, search the transcript or copy transcript text to other documents. If you have Apple Intelligence turned on, you can summarise the text too.

Find out how to record a call in FaceTime or Phone and get a transcript in Notes on your iPhone

Link to a note

In iOS 17 and later, you can link to other notes within a note:

1. In a note, touch and hold blank space. Let go to bring up the options menu.

2. Swipe or tap the Forward button to find Add Link, then tap Add Link.

   

3. Enter the title of the note you want to link to and select it from the list.

4. Turn Use Note Title as Name on or off. Enter different link text if needed.

5. Tap Done.

You can also type “>>” in the body of your note, enter the title of the note you want to link to and select it from the list.

Create folders

1. If you’re in the Notes list, tap the back arrow icon to see your Folders list.

2. In the Folders list, tap the New Folder button.

   

3. Choose where to add the folder. To create a subfolder, drag the folder that you want to be a subfolder to the main folder. It will move below the main folder and be indented.

4. Name your folder, then tap Save.

Move a note to a different folder

1. If you’re in a note, tap the back arrow icon to go back to your Notes list.

2. In the Notes list, tap the More button, then tap Select Notes.

3. Tap the notes that you want to move.

   

4. Tap Move, then select the folder that you want to move them to.

See your notes in Gallery view

Gallery view gives you a new way to see your notes, making it easier than ever to find the note you're looking for. Open a folder or list of notes, tap the More button, then tap View as Gallery.

To sort your notes inside folders:

1. Go to the folder that you want to sort.

2. Tap the More button, then tap Sort Notes by.

3. Choose how you want to sort your notes.

To sort all of your notes automatically, go to Settings > Apps > Notes, then tap Sort Notes By. Then choose how you want to sort your notes.

Search for a note or attachment

To search for a specific note, just tap the Search field, then enter what you’re looking for. You can search for typed and handwritten notes. Search can recognise what's in the images inside your notes. For example, if you search for "bike", search will show you all of the images you have with a bike. Search can also find specific text inside scanned documents or images, such as receipts or bills.

To search for something in a specific note, select the note, tap the More button, then tap Find in Note and type what you're searching for.

You can also search for attachments. While you're in a Notes list, tap the More button, then tap View Attachments. To go to the note with the attachment, touch and hold the thumbnail of the attachment, then tap Show in Note.

Delete a note

1. Swipe left over the note in the Notes list.

2. Tap the Bin button .

   

You can also open the note, tap the More button, then tap Delete.

Find out what to do if you're missing notes

Recover a deleted note

1. In the Notes app, go to the Folders list.

2. Tap Recently Deleted.

3. Tap the note you want to keep.

4. Tap anywhere in the note, then tap Recover.

   

Proofread, summarise and more with Writing Tools and Apple Intelligence in Notes

On Apple Intelligence capable devices with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, you can use Writing Tools to proofread, rewrite, summarise or change the tone of text. Select the text you want to change, tap the Forward button >, then tap Writing Tools to get started.

Do more with Notes

• Draw in Notes and use the Image Wand on an Apple Intelligence-capable device.

• Use maths formulas and equations in the Notes app and Calculator, and find out how to handle errors.

• Share your notes with friends and family, and invite others to collaborate on selected notes.

• Use Tags and Smart Folders to organise your notes and filter your tagged notes easily across your folders.

• Create an instant note from the Lock Screen with an Apple Pencil and a compatible iPad.

• Use password protection to keep your notes secure.