Key findings
- With Google Keep, you can take notes from any device, add different formatting styles to the notes, and easily find the saved notes.
- You can also invite people to collaborate on notes with you.
- You can send notes to others and also archive notes when they are not needed.
There are dozens of note-taking apps on the market, but Google Keep has been my favorite for years. What makes this app so special? And why haven’t I switched to another app in all these years? Let me explain – you might want to give this app a try if you haven’t already.
Create and sync notes from any device
Google Keep works on almost all devices. This means you can create notes on your desktop computer, iPhone, iPad or Android device and access those notes from any other device. Keep holds Your notes are synchronized, ensuring you always have up-to-date notes on all your devices.
This is a really important feature of any note-taking app. You can start creating a note on your phone on the way to work, update it when you’re at work or at home on the computer, and then go through it with someone on a tablet.
Find your notes quickly and easily
Google Keep makes finding notes extremely easy (Google has been known for this for years). In Keep’s mobile or web app, you simply access the search function, type in your query, and the app fetches all relevant notes.
When you select Keep’s search bar, you’ll be presented with predefined search options. For example, to find all notes with images, select the Images option. To find all notes with lists, select this option. Add to that the ability to find notes with specific text, and you’ve got exactly the note you were looking for.
Add labels to your notes
Google Keep has labels that work like categories. You can group similar notes with a specific label so that you can more easily find those notes at once in the future. For example, you can label all your travel-related notes “Travel.” The next time you access that label, you’ll have all your travel notes in front of you.
To add a label to a note, open your note, select the three-dot option, and choose Add Label (desktop) or Labels (mobile).
Select the label you want to add and Keep will apply that label to the selected note.
To create a new label, launch Keep, select the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines), and choose “Edit Labels” (desktop) or “Create New Label” (mobile).
Select the Create New Label text box, enter the label name, and select Done (desktop) or the check mark icon (mobile).
And that’s it. Your label is ready to use.
Add text, checkboxes, numbered lists, images, and more
Notes in Google Keep are not limited to plain text. You can format your note text with styles like bold and italic. You can also add checkboxes to your notes and check off those boxes when you’ve completed your tasks.
Notes can also be organized into numbered lists. Keep lets you add images to your notes to make them more visually appealing.
Invite collaborators to edit your notes
With Google Keep, you can invite others to edit your notes with you, creating a shared, collaborative experience where everyone can contribute to your work.
The people you invite can add their thoughts to your notes, and you can add your own. This is especially useful for notes like travel tips, where anyone traveling with you can share their tips. It’s also great for creating shopping lists with other people in your household.
To let others edit your notes, access the note you want to share in Keep. If you’re on the Keep desktop site, click the “Collaborate” option. On mobile, tap the three dots and select “Collaborate.”
Enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite and select Save.
Invited people can now access your notes and edit them together with you.
Send notes to people
If you have a note you want to share, Keep lets you send it using your preferred communication method. This way, you can share your study plans, travel tips, and other helpful information.
To share a note, launch Keep on your phone. Select the note you want to share, tap the three dots and choose “Send”. On the following page, select “Send via other apps” and choose your preferred sharing app.
In your phone’s share sheet, select the app you want to share the note with. The recipient will then receive your shared note.
Archive old notes and declutter the main interface
If you have old notes that you don’t access that often, you can archive them to move them away from the main interface. This will keep your notes intact but still display them outside of the main notes area.
To do this, open the note you want to archive and select “Archive” (a down arrow symbol in the field).
To access archived notes in the future, select the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) and choose “Archive.” You will then see all of your archived notes.
To retrieve a note from the archive and return it to the main interface, access the note and select “Retrieve Archive” (an up arrow icon in the field).
Most importantly: simplicity at its best
While Google Keep offers some of the prettiest and slickest features, it makes sure to keep the simplicity of note-taking intact. When you access the Keep interface, you’ll find that it’s completely clutter-free and as simple as possible (while still offering dozens of features).
That’s what makes this app straightforward, useful, and a popular place for notes – and why it’s my favorite note-taking app. There are countless other note-taking apps on every platform, but Keep is the one I hold go back to.
