About
Notes is Apple's note-taking app for capturing quick thoughts, longer documents, checklists, images, web links, scanned documents, handwritten notes, and sketches. It syncs across all your devices via iCloud, so your notes are always accessible. You can lock sensitive data, search across text, handwriting, and scanned documents, organize notes in folders with tags, create tables, record and transcribe audio, sketch with your finger or Apple Pencil, and collaborate on shared notes or folders with activity tracking. Quick Note lets you capture ideas without opening the app, and Notes for Apple Watch lets you view, pin, and edit notes from your wrist.
Highlights
- Scan paper documents with built-in scanner and search text inside scanned images
- Record and transcribe audio directly into notes
- Sketch with finger or Apple Pencil with brush styles, colors, lines, and grids
- Lock sensitive notes with security, organize with folders and tags, create Smart Folders with filters
- Collaborate on shared notes or folders with activity view showing each contributor's changes
- Quick Note access from Control Center or with Fn-Q keyboard shortcut without opening the app
Best for
Anyone using Apple devices who needs to capture, organize, and share notes—from quick thoughts and grocery lists to longer documents with attachments, sketches, and scanned receipts. Teams collaborating on shared notes benefit from real-time activity tracking and mentions.
At a glance
Notes is rated 4.9 out of 5 from 466,136 ratings and is available on iOS — all free to download.
It is developed by Apple.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Notes free?
- Yes — Notes is free to download on iOS.
- What platforms is Notes available on?
- Notes is available on iOS.
- What is Notes?
- Notes is Apple's note-taking app that lets you capture quick thoughts or longer documents with checklists, images, web links, scanned documents, handwritten notes, and sketches. It syncs across all your devices via iCloud.
- Can you search inside scanned documents in Notes?
- Yes. Notes lets you search for text in your notes, handwriting, and inside scanned documents and photos like receipts or bills.
- Does Notes support collaboration?
- Yes. You can collaborate on entire shared folders or specific shared notes, mention friends to notify them, and view activity summaries showing what each collaborator added.
- Can you record audio in Notes?
- Yes. You can record and transcribe audio directly into a note.
- What are the alternatives to Notes?
- Notes is similar to Today App: To-Do Lists & Notes, Reminders, Subjects — school planner, and Obsidian - Connected Notes. Browse related apps by tag: note taking, productivity, and collaboration.
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