15 things you didn’t think Apple’s Notes app could do

By default, a folder displays your notes in List view in descending order with a title and the first words visible. Tap the ellipsis and select View as gallery to view each note as a thumbnail image that displays the name, part of the note text, and any photos that might be in the note. If the note is locked, you’ll see the name and a lock icon, but no text or image preview. Return to List view by tapping the ellipsis menu icon and selecting View as list.

You can view all your photos and attachments at once. Tap the ellipsis and select View attachments. You can now see all of your attachments together. Tap Done when you’re done.

Notes allows you to easily manage your records from the main screen. Tap a folder and drag it to the desired location. If you drag a folder to another folder, you will turn it into a subfolder. The new subfolder will then be hidden until you open the parent folder. You can also turn a folder into a subfolder by dragging the folder to the left and tapping the folder icon.

You can change the way notes are sorted in a folder by opening the folder, pressing the ellipsis, and selecting the sort by button. By default, all notes are sorted by last modified date, but you can sort by date created or by title instead. Press the criteria of your choice to reclassify the list.

You can share notes and folders with other people, giving them permission to view and edit them. You can also create a new folder specifically for sharing. Drag the folder you want to share to the left and tap the blue share icon. Otherwise, open a note, tap the ellipsis at the top, and select Share note. At Add people screen, tap the entry for sharing options and select Can make changes Where Show only. Tap the Share Note link at the top to return to the previous screen.

Decide how you want to share the folder or note: via SMS, email, another app, or by copying a direct link. Select the people you want to share the folder or note with and a notification will say it has been shared.

To change sharing settings, swipe left on a shared folder and tap the Sharing icon. On the People screen, you can add other people by pressing the button Add people link, then selecting the new recipients. Press the entry to Sharing options to change the option between Can make changes and Show only. Tap a person’s name. On the info screen, you can change sharing options only for that person. You can also remove access for that person. Back to the Contacts screen, turn off sharing for all recipients by tapping the link to Stop sharing.

You can also change the sharing settings for individual notes. Tap a note in a shared folder. Tap the Share icon at the top right. On the People screen, you can add more people, edit or remove access for existing recipients, highlight changes to the note, hide change alerts, adjust global sharing options, and stop sharing completely. share the note.

You can send a copy of a note to another person or app. For example, you can send a note to a file service such as Google Drive or Box to store it in a separate text file. To do this, press the note and select Send a copy in the context menu. From the Share menu, select the person or app you want to send the copy to.

To generate a checklist of items, tap the notepad icon at the bottom right to create a new note. Type a title for your note at the top and tap the check mark icon.

A circle appears for the first item on your checklist. Type the entry and press the Return key to enter the next item. Repeat this process until you have entered all the items you need. You can indent items to define them as subitems by dragging them to the right.

Once you’ve completed a specific task in the note, tap the accompanying circle to view it as complete. The first time you do this, you are asked if you want all completed items to move to the bottom of the list. Accept this option and each item you check then goes down.

You can quickly change the style and formatting of the text. Select the text you want to reformat. Press the Aa button at the top right of the keyboard to choose a style, apply bold, italic, and other attributes, and configure a bulleted or numbered list.

You can quickly scan a document or photo to embed it in a note. Create a new note or open an existing note and tap the camera icon or the ellipsis icon and select Scan. You can then choose to upload an existing item or take a new photo or video. Select Scan from the menu to scan a paper document and save it for inclusion in the note.

With the search tool, you can search for text and images in individual notes and search in a specific folder. Type a word or phrase in the search field and select a result to view it.

Notes works with Apple Pencil in iPadOS 14 to offer a Scribble option that converts your drawn letters into editable text. Compatible iPad models include iPad Pro, iPad (6th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), and iPad Air (3rd generation and later).

You can use this function in a new or existing note. Tap the Drawing icon in the top right toolbar and select the Apple pencil from the bottom palette. Draw alphanumeric characters, then wait to see them converted to editable text.