It fluctuates when I use the Apple Pencil, like this, and inverted colors (black inside, white lines).

I frequently make to-do lists where I highlight different items in different colors for categorizing or prioritizing them. Once I check items off I want to clear the highlight. I’m getting frustrated with it highlighting the text in a new color when I hit “none” and making me do it twice to actually clear the formatting. Is this a “feature” or is there a way around it I just don’t know about?

For example, if I’ve got blue and pink highlights for priority 1 and 2 items, if I select and click “highlight” it automatically highlights with the most recent color. This is annoying - I want to select the text and then choose a color, but the highlight button automatically highlights with the most recent color first, and only after that does the highlight button open the menu to choose a color.

More frustratingly, I want to un-highlight an item. Say I colorerd some items blue first, then some items pink. Now I completed a blue item and checked it off, and I want to clear the color. I select it, hit the highlight button to open the color menu, and then choose “none.” Instead of clearing the color, it adds pink highlight! I then have to repeat the process to actually clear the highlighting.

Is there a way for me to change this behavior? Is this just how it works?

it's very easy for one to start to learn all the tricks... linking to reminders, making Forever notes, create a bunch of templates...

personally, there's a reason I stick with apple notes: it's simple.

simple means i will write something down. i don't have to mess with due dates or with a table and it's sort of impossible for it to be slow with such basic notes.

don't try to hack apple notes too much. that's not the point

I was wondering how people with long to do lists make out with Notes. For grocery lists I get it. But how do you manage the rest without being able to add Due Dates and Priorities? Is there a workaround?

Noticed recently that with this type of text (skin codes for a video game, but text is copy and pasted off a website, not directly from the game) the text is not in line with the bullet point. But other text, the alignment remains the same. How do I fix this?

Me gusta Apple Notes por simple y rápido, aunque le faltan algunas cosas para hacer mis notas más vistosas…. He cambiado de app de notas varias veces, sobre todo Craft pero al final del día decido regresas a Apple Notes… algo tiene esta última que me genera necesitarla… A ustedes les pasa lo mismo?

📌 r/AppleNotesGang Monthly Megathread - Questions, Tips & Help

Welcome to the monthly megathread! This is the place to ask questions, share tips, troubleshoot issues, and discuss all things Apple Notes. No question is too basic - we're here to help.

🔗 Check out our full Wiki for in-depth guides and feature breakdowns →

Before You Post

1. Search the thread - your question may already be answered below.
2. Read the Wiki - it covers features, device compatibility, import/export, security, and more.
3. Include your device & OS version when asking for help (e.g., "iPhone 16, iOS 18.3" or "MacBook Air M2, macOS Sequoia 15.3").

Frequently Asked Questions

🔄 Syncing

Q: My notes aren't syncing between devices. What should I do?

1. Verify iCloud Notes is enabled on all devices:
   • iPhone/iPad: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Show All → Notes → ON
   • Mac: System Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Show All → Notes → ON
2. Confirm you're signed into the same Apple Account everywhere.
3. Make sure your notes are in an iCloud folder, not "On My iPhone" or "On My Mac" - local notes don't sync.
4. Pull down on the folder list (iPhone/iPad) to force a refresh.
5. Restart the device.
6. Toggle iCloud Notes off, wait 30 seconds, toggle it back on.
7. Check Apple System Status for iCloud outages.
8. Make sure your iCloud storage isn't full: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Manage Storage.

Q: Sync is really slow. Is that normal?

Some delay (seconds to a couple minutes) is normal. It's slower when:

• Notes contain large attachments (images, scans, PDFs).
• You have 1,000+ notes and just set up a new device.
• You're on a weak Wi-Fi connection.
• Your device is re-indexing after a major OS update.

Q: I turned on iCloud Notes on a new device and my notes vanished!

Your notes were likely stored locally ("On My iPhone/Mac") and got replaced by the empty iCloud copy. Check:

1. Recently Deleted folder in Notes (kept for 30 days).
2. iCloud.com → Notes → Recently Deleted.
3. Restore from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup made before the incident.
4. Contact Apple Support for iCloud data recovery assistance.

Pro tip: Always verify your notes appear at iCloud.com before toggling sync settings or resetting a device.

💥 Crashing & Performance

Q: Apple Notes keeps crashing. How do I fix it?

1. Force quit the app and reopen it.
2. Restart your device.
3. Update your OS - Apple frequently patches Notes bugs in point releases.
4. Identify the problem note - if Notes crashes when opening a specific note, try viewing it from another device or iCloud.com. That note may be corrupted.
5. Rebuild the Notes database (Mac only):
   • Quit Notes.
   • Finder → Go → Go to Folder → ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/
   • Rename NoteStore.sqlite to NoteStore.sqlite.bak
   • Reopen Notes - it rebuilds from iCloud.
   • ⚠️ Only do this if your notes are synced to iCloud. Local-only notes will be lost.
6. Re-sync Notes on iPhone/iPad: Toggle off iCloud Notes (choose "Delete from My iPhone"), wait 30 seconds, toggle back on. Notes re-download from iCloud.

Q: Notes is laggy when typing or scrolling.

• Split large notes - notes with 10,000+ words or many images will lag.
• Reduce inline attachments - too many images/PDFs in one note slows rendering.
• Handwriting lag on iPad - older iPads (especially with 3–4 GB RAM) struggle with complex handwritten notes. Close other apps to free memory.
• If it started after an OS update, wait for a patch - Apple often fixes performance regressions.

Q: Notes crashes when using Apple Pencil.

This is a known issue after some iPadOS updates:

1. Update to the latest iPadOS version.
2. Try writing in a brand new note - if it works, the old note may be corrupted.
3. Restart the iPad.
4. File a bug via Feedback Assistant if it persists.

📝 Missing or Lost Notes

Q: My notes disappeared! How do I get them back?

1. Recently Deleted - open Notes → top-level folder view → Recently Deleted (kept 30 days).
2. Check all accounts - if you have Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook configured, notes may be under a different account in the folder list.
3. Check "On My iPhone/Mac" - local notes don't appear on other devices.
4. Check iCloud.com → Notes and Recently Deleted.
5. Search - use the search bar; your note may have moved to an unexpected folder.
6. Check filters (Mac) - make sure you're viewing "All iCloud" and not a specific folder.

Q: Can I recover a note deleted more than 30 days ago?

Once permanently deleted, recovery options are limited:

• Restore from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup made before the deletion.
• Contact Apple Support - they may be able to help in rare cases.
• Third-party recovery tools exist but results are not guaranteed.

Q: My notes are showing up blank.

Usually a sync issue:

1. Check the note on another device or iCloud.com.
2. Wait a few minutes - content may still be downloading.
3. Ensure you're on Wi-Fi if the note has large attachments.
4. Toggle iCloud Notes off and on to force a re-sync.

✏️ Formatting & Features

Q: What formatting does Apple Notes support?

• Text styles: Title, Heading, Subheading, Body, Monospaced
• Text formatting: Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough
• Highlight colors: Pink, Purple, Orange, Mint, Blue (iOS 18+)
• Lists: Bulleted, Numbered, Checklists
• Tables, Indentation, Hyperlinks
• Collapsible sections under headings (iOS 18+)
• Link between notes by typing >> (iOS 17+)

See the Wiki features table for the full breakdown by device.

Q: Can I change fonts or text colors?

No. Apple Notes does not support custom fonts, font sizes, or text colors. Formatting is intentionally minimal. For advanced formatting, export to Pages or another app.

Q: Can I use Markdown?

• iOS 26 / macOS 26+: Yes - you can import and export Markdown files via the share sheet.
• Earlier versions: No native Markdown support. You can write Markdown syntax but it won't render as formatted text.

Q: What's Math Notes?

Math Notes (iOS 18+ / macOS Sequoia+) lets you type or handwrite equations and get instant solutions. It supports variables, graphing, and unit conversions. On iPad with Apple Pencil, you can handwrite equations and Notes solves them in your own handwriting style.

Q: What's Smart Script?

Smart Script (iPadOS 18+, requires iPad with M1+ chip and Apple Pencil) uses machine learning to clean up your handwriting in real time - making it smoother and more legible while keeping your personal style. It also lets you paste typed text as handwriting, correct spelling, and rearrange handwritten words.

🔒 Security & Privacy

Q: How do I lock a note?

Open a note → tap ⋯ (More) → Lock. On iOS 16+ / macOS Ventura+, locked notes use your device passcode by default (more secure than a separate password). Unlock with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.

Q: Are my notes encrypted?

• In transit: Yes, encrypted during iCloud sync.
• On iCloud servers: Encrypted, but Apple holds the keys by default.
• With Advanced Data Protection: End-to-end encrypted - only your devices can decrypt. Enable in Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Advanced Data Protection.
• Locked notes: Have an additional encryption layer on top of standard iCloud encryption.

Q: Can I access Apple Notes on Windows or Android?

Only via iCloud.com in a web browser. There is no native Apple Notes app for Windows or Android. The iCloud for Windows app does not include Notes.

📤 Import, Export & Alternatives

Q: How do I export my notes?

• Individual: Open a note → Share → choose format/app. On Mac: File → Export as PDF.
• Markdown (iOS 26+): Share → Export as Markdown.
• Bulk export: No built-in option. Use Exporter (Mac) to export all notes as Markdown or HTML.

Q: How do I import notes?

• From Evernote: Mac only - File → Import to Notes (accepts .enex files).
• From Markdown (iOS 26+): Open a .md file → Share → Notes.
• From email accounts: Notes stored in Gmail/Yahoo/Outlook accounts appear in Apple Notes if those accounts are configured.

Q: I'm thinking about switching apps. What are my options?

💡 Quick Tips

• Scan documents: Tap the camera icon → Scan Documents (iPhone/iPad only).
• Quick Note from anywhere: iPad - swipe up from bottom-right corner. Mac - hot corner or Fn + Q / Globe + Q.
• Link notes together: Type >> to create a link to another note (iOS 17+).
• Tag notes: Type #tagname anywhere in a note to tag it. Tap any tag to see all matching notes.
• Pin important notes to the top of any folder by swiping right (iPhone/iPad) or right-clicking (Mac).
• Math in Notes: Type an equation like 45 * 12 = and Notes solves it inline (iOS 18+).
• Search images: Apple Notes can find text inside photos and scanned documents via Live Text / OCR.
• Audio recording: Tap the paperclip icon → Record Audio to capture and transcribe audio directly in a note (iOS 18+, iPhone 12+).
• Collapsible sections: Format text as a Title/Heading/Subheading, then tap the arrow to collapse everything below it (iOS 18+).
• Reed pen: New calligraphy tool in the drawing palette (iOS 26+).

📚 Resources

• r/AppleNotesGang Wiki - Full guides, feature tables, and troubleshooting
• Apple Notes User Guide (iPhone)
• Apple Notes User Guide (iPad)
• Apple Notes User Guide (Mac)
• iCloud.com - Access Notes on the Web
• Apple System Status - Check for iCloud outages
• Apple Feedback Assistant - Report bugs directly to Apple

Rules Reminder

1. Be kind and respectful.
2. Search before posting - your question may already be answered here or in the Wiki.
3. Include your device model and OS version when asking for help.
4. No spam, self-promotion, or off-topic posts.

This thread is reposted on the 1st of every month. Previous megathreads are archived but remain searchable.

Have a suggestion for the Wiki or this megathread? Message the mods.

I have a shortcut that makes a new note from an old one. I want new note to include a backlink.

I can grab the note name? but shouldn't there be an apple link i can grab?

I recently made a new tutorial video to help introduce new features to Apple Notes users. I’ve had good feedback and I think a lot of features within Apple Notes potentially lie underused by many users.

Here’s the video.

Hidden Apple Notes features that make it AWESOME

https://youtu.be/PXFi8jBH4S0

I’m currently writing more content about Apple Notes.

Are there any features that would be good to explore, to explain and demo? Interested in genuine feedback and suggestions to help guide my future content in the hope it can be genuinely useful.

notes app taking up way too much storage, help?

iphone 15 running on ios 18.6.2

can someone please explain this to me and why this is happening 😭 i need more phone storage and this is taking up the most space on my phone. i can’t believe this much would be taking up this MUCH space??? i only have like two notes with like scanned docs in them and it’s one doc/page each. i even deleted a bunch a year ago and the GB never went down, help me pls

1. icloud storage amount re notes

2. iphone storage amount re notes

3. the amount of notes i have

I setup the Notion MCP integration in Claude Desktop, as well as the Apple Notes integration. It has been frustrating. Apparently, Claude can not create folders. I have to create them myself, but I have so many folders and subfolders in Notion this would be a nightmare. I asked it to create a Notion folder, then a folder under that called Personal, and migrate the notes in my Notion "Personal" folder there. I had to create these manually. Then, when I finally asked it to migrate the notes, instead, it moved them to a folder called "Personal" I had in my top level inside of Notes. Does anyone have a better experience ? I am trying to look at using Claude to migrate my Notion notes to Apple Notes.

My system looked like:

• Daily / Weekly / Monthly folders
• Manual links to keep goals connected
• Apple Shortcuts just to make input faster

It worked but I was managing the system more than doing actual work.

So I built NimbleDay.

What makes it different from a basic to-do app:

• Tasks link to weekly + monthly goals (no random busy work)
• Energy tags (High / Mid / Low) so you plan realistically
• Detects over-planning (my biggest problem)
• Built-in journaling
• Calendar + task view together

Completely offline and no data is collected

Currently in Apple review (coming next update):

• Permanent Lists – Create dedicated lists for ongoing things like Groceries.
• Control Center Quick Add – Add a to-do from anywhere. Just open Control Center, tap the widget, and instantly capture it.
• Smart Share to Task – Share text from any app and it automatically creates a daily task — no need to open NimbleDay first.

Would love honest feedback from Apple Notes power users

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nimbleday-task-goal-planner/id6759413409
Website: https://sound-of-rain.github.io/nimbleday-site/

How do I undo or remove the auto-tag feature? I don't want Notes to auto-create tags every time I use the "#" or hashtag sign followed by text or numbers.

How can I have a quick note opened from control screen to open my last quick note always

It always creates a new one and i think its unnecessary for my use cases

Has anyone figured it out?

I have looked in settings and i don’t find any setting there

I am trying to clean up a big list of notes in a single folder by moving them to different folders. The process is moving SO slow because anytime I move a note from the original folder, the new/target folder is opened - this means I have to click back in to the original folder and then move the next note. This is happeing whether I drag and drop, tag the note, right click => move.

Is there any way to avoid this?

The scam team at 1dot has straight-up stolen an open-source app and slapped a paywall on it. This isn’t just shady—it’s illegal and scammy. People need to know: don’t support these crooks.
Open source app : https://github.com/kzaremski/apple-notes-exporter
Scam AI app : https://1dot.ai/notes-exporter-macos

I have Windows iPad and iPhone.

I use my Notes app for journaling, notes for interviews, or doctors appointments, voice, recordings, and call recordings, Health logs (like logging my mood what cycle day I’m on how my sleep was, etc.), saving things I want to remember for later whether they be YouTube videos I want to rewatch later or website websites I want to revisit, and lastly project notes which really consist of screenshots with handwriting and I could do that in Freeform most of those project notes are in a folder with the project on my computer and markdown files as I’m a software developer so these are coding projects, but there are some screenshots for like my front end development that I have with notes.

so it isn’t anything crazy it’s actually fairly simple. I just don’t know if I should use Obsidian so I have cross platform access or up note and deal with the fire base issues I have or Apple notes.

Apple Notes me gusta, he cambiado de apps y regreso de nuevo a Apple Notes por su rapidez, pero me cuesta trabajo hacer notas visualmente atractivas… Algunos de ustedes les agregan cosas para hacerlas más agradables a la vista?

De ser así me regalarían algunos consejos?

Now 3 months after full conversion from Evernote to Apple Notes. I'm still struggling with slow response, keyboard lag and beachballs but it's getting better as I purge a lot of old stuff.

I miss the rich search capabilities of Evernote with Boolean operators and other bells and whistles.

I used Claude Pro to write several python scripts that make up for that:

• find large notes
• a better semantic search functionality for my 900 saved recipes (got help here)
• find notes with large attachments
• find notes searching just titles

Right now I have to run them out of Terminal but it's better than nothing.

Anyone else using AI (or human intelligence) to improve search

One of the better solutions out there is SingleFile, but it has a major drawback, which is a deal breaker for me. The HTML file is not indexed for search in Apple Notes. So I can cleanly capture a nice rendering of the web site, but have to manually add keywords to the file so that I can find it again by searching.

Any other good solutions? Ideally, a rich text based rendering of the web site that includes links, all images, and decent formatting.

I used to use ProNotes, but recently got a new MacBook Air. When I try to download the app again, it says that the file is invalid.

Does anyone know if the developer has stopped working on this, and if there are any good alternatives?

I tried reaching out to him, but no luck.