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 your devices.
Get started
Make sure that your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch has the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
To use the latest features of Notes, make sure that you set up Notes with iCloud or have notes saved on your device. Many Notes features won't work with other email providers.
Create a new note
Open Notes.
Tap the
, then create your note.Tap Done.
The first line of the note becomes its title. To change the formatting style of the first line, go to Settings > Notes > New Notes Start With, then select an option.
You can also quickly access Notes from Control Center. Go to Settings > Control Center, and add Notes. Then open Control Center and tap Notes to create a note. Or, just ask Siri to "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 — like photos, videos, or web links.
Pin a note
Pin your favorite or most important notes to make them easier to find. To pin a note, swipe right over the note, then release. Or go to the note, tap the
, then tap the . To unpin a note, swipe right over the note again.Format a note
When you're in a note, tap the
or the to add a table, title, heading, or bulleted list. You can also to quickly open a list of formatting options.Undo changes to a note
If you want to reverse a change you made in a note, tap the
at the top of the screen. You can undo any changes that you made while you have the current note open.Add an attachment
To add something from another app, like a location or website, tap the
in the app that you want to share from. Tap the Notes app, then select the note that you want to add an attachment to, then tap Save.Add a photo or video
To add a photo or video, tap in a note, then tap the scan documents and add them to your notes.
. Tap Take Photo or Video to create a new photo or video, or Choose Photo or Video to add an existing one. Tap Use Photo or Use Video, or tap Add to add an existing one. You can alsoLink to a note
In iOS 17 and later, you can link to other notes within a note:
In a note, touch and hold blank space. Let go to bring up the options menu.
Swipe or tap the
to find Add Link, then tap Add Link.Enter the title of the note that you want to link to and select it from the list.
Turn Use Note Title as Name on or off. Enter different link text if needed.
Tap Done.
You can also type ">>" in the body of your note, enter the title of the note that you want to link to, and select it from the list.
Create folders
If you're in the Notes list, tap the
to see your Folders list.In the Folders list, tap the
.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.
Name your folder, then tap Save.
Move a note to a different folder
If you're in a note, tap the
to go back to your Notes list.In the Notes list, tap the
, then tap Select Notes.Tap the notes that you want to move.
Tap Move, then select the folder 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
, then tap View as Gallery.To sort your notes inside of folders:
Go to the folder that you want to sort.
Tap the
, then tap Sort Notes By.Choose how you want to sort your notes.
To sort all of your notes automatically, go to Settings > Notes, and 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 recognize what's in the images inside of your notes. For example, if you search for "bike," search will show you all images that you have with a bike. Search can also find specific text inside scanned documents or images, like receipts or bills.
To search for something in a specific note, select the note, tap the
, 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
, 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.Create an instant note from the Lock Screen
You can use an Apple Pencil with a compatible iPad to create an instant note from the Lock Screen or pick up where you left off on your last note. To change these settings, go to Settings > Notes, tap Access Notes from the Lock Screen, and choose an option.
Tap the Lock Screen with your Apple Pencil and create your note. Whatever you create is automatically saved in Notes.
Keep your notes secure
The Notes app lets you lock any note that you want to keep private from anyone else that might use your device. Depending on your device, you can use your device's passcode or your Mac login password, along with Face ID or Touch ID, to lock and unlock your notes.
Use password protection with your notes
Delete a note
Swipe left over the note in the Notes list.
Tap the
.
You can also open the note, tap the
, then tap Delete.Learn what to do if you're missing notes
Recover a deleted note
In the Notes app, go to the Folders list.
Tap Recently Deleted.
Tap the note that you want to keep.
Tap anywhere in the note, then tap Recover.
Set up Notes with iCloud
You can use iCloud to update your notes across all of your devices. To set up Notes with iCloud, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud, then turn on Notes. You’ll see your notes on all of your Apple devices that you’re signed in to with the same Apple ID.
Learn more about Notes
Learn how to draw with Notes on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Share your notes with friends and family, and invite others to collaborate on select notes.
Use Tags and Smart Folders to organize your notes and easily filter your tagged notes across your folders.
Use iCloud Notes from a web browser
To use Notes on iCloud.com, go to icloud.com and sign in using your Apple ID (the one you use with iCloud). Click on the Notes app.
If you’re using another iCloud app, you can switch to Notes by clicking the app’s name at the top of the icloud.com window.
When working with Notes on iCloud.com, make sure that you use a browser recommended in System requirements for iCloud.
If you only see Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Settings on iCloud.com, you don’t have an iCloud Notes account set up. To save your notes to iCloud, which lets you sync notes between your different devices and lets you access your notes on the Web, go to the iCloud Settings > Accounts on your device and turn Notes syncing on.
If you try to use Notes on iCloud.com, but get a message that says an iCloud email address is needed, your iCloud isn’t set up with a free @icloud.com email account. iCloud uses this email account to store notes for the original Notes app on iCloud.com and your devices. If you don’t have an @icloud.com email address, you can create one by turning on Notes in iCloud preferences on your Mac or in Settings on your iOS device.