Your grocery list is buried, and that idea you saved is somewhere in a screen full of notes. Google Keep gives you labels, pins, colors, and checklists to make everything easier to find. Start with a clearly named note, then add the organization tools you need.
Start with a clearly named note
Notes without clear titles are harder to recognize at a glance. On a computer, open Google Keep and sign in to your Google Account.
On Android, open the Google Play listing for Google Keep - Notes and lists by Google LLC. Tap Install.
On iPhone or iPad, download Google's Google Keep - Notes and lists from the App Store. The app requires iOS 18.0 or iPadOS 18.0 or later.
To start a web note, click Take a note. Enter your text and a descriptive title, such as “Weekend trip ideas.” Click Done.
On Android, choose Create > Text. Enter your note and title. Tap Back.
On iPhone or iPad, tap Create. Enter your note and title. Tap Back.
To edit later, open the note and change its contents. Undo reverses an edit, and Redo reapplies it. Finish with Done on the web or Back on mobile.
Turn errands into checklists
Groceries, packing, household jobs: give each item its own entry so you can check it off independently. On the web, select New list beside Take a note. Enter a title and your items. Select Done (shown as Close in some versions) to save the list.
On Android, choose Create > List. Enter the title and items. Tap Back.
On iPhone or iPad, tap New list. Enter the title and items. Tap Back.
To reorder an item on any of these platforms, drag its Move handle vertically. To indent an item beneath another, drag its Move handle right. The first item cannot be indented. To remove indentation, drag the item's Move handle left.
To keep checked items in their original positions on the web, open Settings > Settings. Uncheck Move checked items to the bottom. Select Save.
If you can't start a new list, convert an existing text note instead. Inside that note, choose More > Show checkboxes on the web, or Add > Checkboxes on Android, iPhone, or iPad.
Give your notes a home with labels
Start with a few topics you use regularly, such as Recipes, Home, or Travel. On the web, select a note and choose More > Add label or Change labels. Check an existing label, or enter a new label name and select Create.
On Android, iPhone, or iPad, open a note and choose Action > Labels. Check the labels you want, or use Enter label name and tap Create after entering a name. Tap Back when finished.
For several notes at once, select their checkmarks on the web before applying labels. On mobile, hold one note, select the others, then tap Labels. Keep supports up to 50 labels.
On the web, select a label in the sidebar to see its notes. Create a note while that label is open to apply the label automatically. That's one less thing to do when adding several notes about the same subject.
Keep important notes in sight
A crowded notes screen makes frequently used information harder to spot. On the web, hover over a note to reveal its controls, then select Pin note to place it in the pinned section.
On Android, iPhone, or iPad, open the note and tap Pin note. For a visual cue on the web, hover over a note and select Change color. Choose a color or illustrated background. Try using the same color for related notes.
On mobile, open the note and tap Action. Choose a color or background, then tap Back.
For a different overview on the web, select Grid or list view to switch layouts. On Android, open Sort and choose Custom for manual ordering. Hold and drag a note into your preferred position.
For date ordering instead, choose Date created or Date modified from Sort. Select the same date option again to reverse its order.
Share a list with someone else
A shared grocery list lets everyone edit the same content. Labels, colors, and pins stay personal, so each person can organize the note their own way.
On the web, open the note and select Collaborator. Enter a name, email address, or Google Group, then choose the person. Select Done, then select Save.
On Android, open the note and choose Action > Collaborator. Enter a name, email address, or Google Group, then choose the person. Tap Save.
On iPhone or iPad, open the note and choose Action > Collaborators. Enter a name, email address, or Google Group, then select the person. Tap Done.
To revoke access, select Remove beside the collaborator. Collaborators can edit and further share the content while they have access.
If the shared note won't open, sign in with the account it was shared with or select Request Access. For a work or school account, ask your administrator about Keep access or sharing restrictions.
Find a note without scrolling
Search saves you from scrolling through notes one by one. Open Search in Keep on the web, Android, or iPhone/iPad. Enter words from the note or its label.
Choose a filter under Types, Labels, Things, People, or Colors to narrow the results. For text inside an attached image, search for an English word shown in that image.
To find text within one long note on Android, open the note and choose More > Find in note. Enter the text you want to locate. Use the arrows to move between matches.
Add a reminder for time-sensitive notes
Keep reminders are Google Tasks for whole notes, with date and time alerts delivered through Tasks or Calendar; location reminders and alerts directly from Keep are no longer supported.
- 1.Open the note or list and select Remind me > Pick date & time.
- 2.Choose the date, time, and optional repetition, then select Save. On the web, also select Close.
- 3.Open Menu > Reminders to view upcoming reminders. Reminders apply to the whole note, not individual checklist items.
- 4.For phone alerts, install Google's Google Tasks app from Google Play or the App Store. On Android, open Tasks and choose Profile picture > Settings > Notifications, then enable All Tasks notifications. On iPhone or iPad, open the device's Settings > Notifications > Tasks and enable Allow notifications.
- 5.Open the associated task in Google Tasks or Google Calendar to edit it or mark it complete. Changing the Keep note's title does not automatically rename its task, and archiving the note does not archive the task.
- 6.Select From Keep in the task's details to return to the original note.
Clear the screen without losing useful notes
On the web, hover over a note you want to archive. Select Archive to remove it from the main notes screen while keeping it.
In the mobile app, open the note and tap Archive. To retrieve an archived note, open Menu > Archive.
Open the note. Select Unarchive to bring it back.
To delete an unwanted note on the web, open it and choose More > Delete note. On Android, iPhone, or iPad, open the unwanted note and choose Action > Delete.
To recover a deleted note within seven days, open Menu > Trash. Open the deleted note. Choose More > Restore on the web, or Action > Restore on mobile.
Tip: Archive shared notes you own when you only want less clutter, because deleting an owned shared note removes it for collaborators too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Google Keep without an internet connection?
Yes. The Android and iPhone/iPad apps support offline note access. Reconnect to synchronize changes. There is no supported current offline method for Keep on a computer.
How do I find notes saved under a different Google Account?
Personal and work notes belong to their respective accounts. Select your profile picture or initial in Keep, then switch to the account containing your notes.
Can I format text in Google Keep?
On the web or Android, open a note, select text, and choose Format. Choose Bold, Italic, Underline, H1, H2, or Normal text. The iPhone/iPad app does not display Keep's rich-text formatting.
Can I recover text I accidentally changed?
On a computer, open the note at keep.google.com and choose More > Version history. Select a version, then Download. Open the downloaded text file to read the earlier text. This does not automatically restore the note or recover previous images.
