Improve Apple Notes by Changing These Eight Settings
Apple Notes is a great app for writing down your thoughts. It comes with your iPhone , syncs securely between Apple devices, has great features like sharing, and best of all, it’s free. However, there are some simple ways to improve your app that you might not know about.
Not every note needs a title
By default, the first line of each of your notes is automatically formatted as a heading, meaning it will be in bold and a large font size will be used. Some people like this, but if you prefer to use a different font size, go to Settings > Notes > New notes start with . Instead of a title, you can start your notes with a title , subtitle , or body text. For words of normal size, Body is suitable. The other two settings allow you to save a title at the beginning of each note, but with a smaller font size than the default.
Change how checklists are sorted
You can use Apple Notes to create checklists, which is great if you use the app to create general to-do lists or shopping lists. By default, if you check an item in these lists, Notes will keep it in place. Some people like completed items to move to the end of lists. You can set this up by going to Settings > Notes > Sort Marked Items and selecting Automatically .
Use a different background color
Apple doesn’t let you choose a custom background color for Notes, but you still have a few options. If your phone is in dark mode , you can still force notes to use a white background. This is great for people who generally prefer dark mode but find it easier to read text on a white background. Make this adjustment by going to Settings > Notes > Note Backgrounds and selecting Light . This option doesn’t show up at all if you’re using light mode on your phone—it’s only available to people who have dark mode turned on.
Choose lines or grids for handwriting
Apple Notes allows you to write notes by hand using a stylus, but by default it displays a blank page when you start writing. If you’re the type of person who prefers a lined notebook, go to Settings > Notes > Lines & Grids and make your choice.
Make sorting work for you
Apple Notes default sorting options are good, but you can still make changes if you prefer something different. Go to Settings > Notes and scroll down to the Viewing section. If you don’t like your notes grouped by date, you can disable this option, although I don’t recommend it. You can also select Sort Notes By and select Date Created or Title . The first one will stop reordering notes every time you make changes to an older note, and the second one will sort your notes alphabetically.
View your notes in a gallery view
If you’re tired of viewing notes as a text list, you can switch to gallery view. Some people find it easier to browse through a gallery, while others like it because it’s aesthetically pleasing. Switch by opening the Notes app on your iPhone and tapping the three dots icon in the top right corner. Select “View as Gallery” to switch.
Save notes on your iPhone
You likely keep all your notes linked to your accounts in the cloud, which is convenient when moving between devices. But if you prefer to store some notes specifically on one device—say, your iPhone—you can do so. Go to Settings > Notes and turn on the On My iPhone account . This will open a new folder in Apple Notes; notes in this folder won’t appear on other devices. However, if you have Notes enabled for iCloud, this folder will be included in your iPhone’s iCloud backup.
Take notes wherever you are
Your iPhone allows you to access your notes wherever you are on your iPhone, including the lock screen, if you add the app to Control Center. Just go to Settings > Control Center and add Notes . Now, when you open an app from Control Center, it will automatically open a new note. You can also force the app to open the most recent note. To do this, go to Settings > Notes > Access notes from the lock screen and select Resume last note .
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