How to Get the Most Out of the Notes App on iPhone and Mac
Apple's Notes app is more powerful than most people realize. Learn how to use it for checklists, locked notes, shared notes, document scanning, and syncing across devices.
Make a checklist note
~28sQuick Tip
Quick Tip: Ask Siri to "Add milk to my note" or "Add milk to my shopping list note" and Siri will add it to the note you specify without opening the app.
Lock a note with Face ID
~23sQuick Tip
Locked notes use a separate password from your phone passcode by default. You can change this in SettingsNotesPassword.
Share a note for collaboration
~19sScan a document into a note
~17sUse Quick Note on Mac
~17sYou Did It!
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Apple's Notes app comes pre-installed on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac — and most people only use it for basic text notes. But it has a surprising range of features that make it genuinely useful for organizing your life.
Key features worth knowing:
Checklists
: Turn any note into a checklist with checkboxes. Great for grocery lists, to-do lists, and packing lists. Tap the checklist icon in the formatting bar to add checkboxes.
Locked Notes
: Protect sensitive notes (passwords, PINs, personal info) with Face ID/Touch ID or a separate passcode. The note content is hidden until you unlock it.
Shared Notes
: Share a note with family members and collaborate in real time. Great for a shared grocery list that everyone can edit from their own phones.
Document Scanner
: Use your phone camera to scan paper documents and save them as PDFs right inside a note.
Tables and Headers
: Organize notes with tables (like a simple spreadsheet) and section headers.
Tags
: Add hashtags to notes (like #recipe or #travel) to organize them and quickly filter to see all notes with a tag.
Quick Notes on Mac
: Hover in the bottom right corner of your Mac screen to open a small floating note instantly without opening the app — useful for jotting something down quickly.
Notes sync via iCloud, so anything you write on iPhone appears on your Mac and iPad automatically.
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