When all (or most) of your notes are in Google Keep, how can you organize them to match your needs? Otherwise how will you be able to find them.
Default Organisation
Before I start talking about alternatives, let’s talk about the default option.
Technically it’s date order.
Well, it’s the date that you created the new note or last edited it.
Each time you add a new note, it appears in the ‘top left corner’ of Google Keep, moving all of the others “down/along one space”.
As you can guess, Note A was the last note, until I created Note B.
Where they appear on the screen, will slightly adjust, depending on the size of the note (inc any images).
Open and editing a note, will also it’s move it into the first position.
Manually Arrange Them
This is not the most practical of options, especially as you get more and more notes, but it is an option.
Simply put – you can click and drag individual notes.
Note: I tried selecting more than one note, when it was dragged, only one was moved.
As you’ve probably guessed – click, hold and drag the message around the screen into a new position.
Note: While I’m doing most of this stuff on my Windows computer, it’s almost exactly the same on any mobile device (Apple or Android).
Pin Your Top Notes
For those notes that you use a lot, or that to keep at the top of the list, you can pin them.
They will appear in a section at the top of your notes, called Pinned.
The rest of your notes appear underneath, in a section called ‘Others’.
As you hover over any note, a ‘pin’ icon appears in the top right corner of the note.
Click on the pin to move it to the pinned section.
To unpin a note, hover over the note and click the pin icon a second time.
While it’s a simple option, how to organize notes in Google Keep, it’s one that you need to be careful of. Simply because adding too many notes into this section can just move the ‘mess’ to a different part of the screen.
Colour-Coding
Another easy option to help organise your notes, it’s not one of my favourites.
Why? Because I can’t normally remember what I assigned to each colour.
You can say “blue = X”, red = “Y”, but unless I have it written down, I’m not going to remember that in a few weeks time.
I suppose you could pin a note to help you remember, but that feels a little too sensible š.
While it is colour coding, it’s actually the background options.
Hover over or select the note, and click the paint palette icon.
From the list choose a solid colour, or an image.
Note: The images, as you hover over them, give you a name, which you could use as part of your notes organisation.
Not only will your notes be more interesting to look at (overall), but with a glance you can see related notes using the same background colour.
Labels Rule!
With Google Keep, when you’re talking about organisation for your notes, it’s setup primarily to use Labels.
Labels were mentioned in the previous post (Google Keep Notes Features that you want to use), but let’s look into it in a bit more detail.
Note: There is a bit of a difference between computers and mobile devices with labels – something to be aware of. š
As you might remember from the Google Notes Features (see link above š), on a computer, labels can be found in the ellipses (3 dots) ‘More’ options.
Creating a new label adds it into the ‘label list’ so that you can use/reuse it across multiple notes.
Creating a New Label
Just in case you don’t fancy going to the other post (not sure why not, but still); here’s a recap of how to create a new label.
In a New Note
Click on Take a Note, to create a new blank note.
Click on the Ellipses (more), and select Add label.
Type in the name for your new label – under Enter label name.
Then click Create <Label Name>.
The new label is added to your list, and a tick shows that it’s been applied to the current note.
In an Existing Note
Of course, as you create more notes, you might find yourself needing to edit or create new labels.
Click on the note that you need to add a label to, it will be opened.
As before, click on the Ellipses button, and select Add Label.
The same option as above is displayed.
Create your new label as above.
Adding a Label
You’ve got your labels created, and applied to one note. But what about the rest?
The point of labels is to help organise and find your notes.
A note can be assigned more that one label, in fact it appears that you can have up to 50 notes. Although I have a feeling that that is the max number of labels you can create, rather than the number that you can assign to a single note š .
Click to open an existing note.
Note: You don’t have to open a note, when you hover over one, you’ll be able to see the Ellipses button displayed at the bottom.
As normal, click on the Ellipses to open the More Options.
If the note doesn’t already have a label – click Add Label.
If labels have been added, you’ll see Change Labels.
The label titles appear at the bottom of the list, tick the one or ones you want to assign.
As you select the label it is added to your note.
When you’re done, click away from the list to continue editing, or from the note to close it.
Useful Tip
To add an existing label to a note, you can do it from within the note.
Type # (hash), a list of your label names is displayed. Select the one that you want to use.
Remember you can repeat this process to add more labels.
Removing a Label
You can of course also change your mind, and remove a label from a note.
Follow the same steps, as if you’re adding a label.
However, when you see the list, click on the label (that’s ticked) to deselect it (i.e. remove the tick).
Labels in the Menu
All of your labels are added to the main menu, on the left side of the screen.
This gives you quick access – with a single click or tap – to all of the notes that have the specific label applied.
To return to all notes – click Notes at the top of the main menu.
Searching
When you click into Search, labels have their own line, with a button for each saved (label) title.
(How many times can I write ‘label’ in a sentence? š¤£)
Click on the button to display all of the matching notes.
Note: It’s basically the same option as clicking on the label name from the main menu.
Next Steps
Now you know how to organize notes in Google Keep, so that you can find them when you want to.
No excuse now š.
Latest Posts
- ChatGPT: The Ultimate Time-Saving Sidekick for Small Business Owners
Hello, fellow small business warriors! Now, unless youāve been living under a rock (or perhaps buried under a pile of invoices), youāve probably heard of ChatGPT for business. Itās the AI chatbot people canāt seem to stop talking about. But what can it actually do for you, the small business owner? Letās break down theā¦ Read more: ChatGPT: The Ultimate Time-Saving Sidekick for Small Business Owners - AI Assistants Under The Microscope: A Trainer’s Meta-Experience
I wanted to write a first introductory blog to explain whatās happening or happened this month. Thereās been a lot of talk about AI and there are now a range of options on the market. I thought it would be interesting to join my voice to everybody else. Time to share some thoughts and optionsā¦ Read more: AI Assistants Under The Microscope: A Trainer’s Meta-Experience - Why virtual desktops are great for screen sharing
When it comes to screen sharing, thereās a really useful feature built into todayās operating systems. Yes, itās both Windows and Mac –Ā virtual desktops. Let me explain what I mean and how you can use it when screen sharing. What is a Virtual Desktop? A virtual desktop is like having multiple computer screens orā¦ Read more: Why virtual desktops are great for screen sharing - Is your desktop prepared for unexpected screen sharing?
Screen sharing has become a standard part of our working practices, ever since online meetings became the norm. But what about when you get an unexpected screen sharing request? Here are several things to consider before you start the share. Have the apps and/or files already open When you click on the share option, youāllā¦ Read more: Is your desktop prepared for unexpected screen sharing? - How to Choose Between Window and Full Screen Sharing
With the rise of online meetings, has come the popularity of using the screen sharing option. Whether itās to show colleagues what youāre working on, or to give advice, or assistance with something. One question that I get asked or thereās confusion about – should I be using a window or full screen? You canā¦ Read more: How to Choose Between Window and Full Screen Sharing
how to organize notes in Google Keep, organize google keep, organise google keep
1 thought on “How to Organize Notes in Google Keep Notes”
Pingback: How to Use Google Keep Effectively | Tips & Tricks
Comments are closed.