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Did you know you can organize your notes into smart folders? But what is a smart folder in Notes? In this tip, I’ll show you how to organize your notes on iPhone using this handy feature that lets you sort notes by categories, tags, and more.
Why You’ll Love This Tip:
- Automatically sort your notes the moment you create them.
- Reduce clutter in your Notes app by keeping everything sorted.
How to Organize Notes on iPhone with Smart Folders
System Requirements
This tip works on iPhones running iOS 15 or later. Find out how to update to the latest version of iOS.
Smart folders are a way for you to easily organize similar notes into folders automatically. This does not affect folders you’ve already made yourself, so notes will stay in folders that you’ve already placed them in. Your smart folders will gather up all related notes into one convenient place. For more Notes organization tips and tricks, check out our free Tip of the Day newsletter. Now, here’s how to use the Apple Notes smart folders:
- Open the Notes app.
![iphone home screen with a red box around the notes app]()
- If you see a list of your notes, tap the Folders icon in the upper left.
![iphone notes app with the folders button circled in red]()
- Tap the New Folder icon.
![iphone notes app with a red box around the new folder icon]()
- You may need to select whether you want to store this folder on just this iPhone or upload it to iCloud as well.
![]()
- Give your folder a name.
![iphone notes new folder screen with a red box around the name field]()
- Tap Make Into Smart Folder.
![iphone notes new folder screen with a red box around Make into smart folder button]()
- You’ll see a list of filters that you can use to organize your notes.
![iphone notes smart folder filter customization with a red box around pinned notes filter]()
- Tapping any filter will give you a list of options to customize your filter.
![iphone notes smart folder filter customization with a red box around pinned notes options for include, exclude, and off]()
- Tap Done.
![iphone notes smart folder filter customization with a red box around done button]()
- Smart folders have a gear icon next to them.
![iphone notes folder list with a red box around the pinned notes smart folder]()
That’s how to use Apple Notes smart folders. Now, whenever any note you create matches your chosen filters, it will automatically be added to the smart folder. Next, find out how to lock notes folder on iPhone.
