Apple Notes Tags Finally Make Sense (Here's How to Use Them)

0:00 You've probably noticed that Apple Notes supports tags, but if you're like me, you may have struggled to find a good reason to use them. After all, we already have folders to organize our notes. Why introduce another organizational system? Well, I recently came across an approach to tags that finally made sense to me. Instead of creating dozens of categories, it uses a handful of tags to find similar and related information across different folders. Let me show you the concept, how it works in Apple Notes, and how to keep it simple enough that it's actually useful. There are two useful approaches to organizing information. The first is hierarchical structure,

0:51 which is how folders work. We place notes into folders based on subject or purpose and we create subfolders for more specific categories. But information often has characteristics that don't fit neatly into that hierarchy, and that's where tags come in. Tags provide another way to classify information using attributes that can apply across many different folders. For example, a tag might identify a type of document such as a contract or describe the status of an activity such as planning, in progress, or completed. The critical distinction is that we're not trying to

1:37 build a second folder system with tags. We're identifying a small number of useful characteristics that let us find related information, regardless of where it's stored. In other words, folders establish the structure. Tags provide different ways to view the information within that structure. In this video, we're focusing on tags in Apple Notes, but they're available in several other apps and in Finder. The basic idea of tags, though, applies everywhere. And like I already mentioned, rather than creating a complicated new organizational system, let's start with just

2:24 one tag and see what it gives us. Adding a tag to a note is really a very simple process. Anywhere in a note, type hashtag, aka the pound symbol, followed by a term. I generally add them to the bottom of a note, but you may ultimately find including tags throughout your notes will be more helpful to you. And of course, tags need to start with a hashtag and they must have one string of numbers and letters. Dashes and underscores are supported, but not things like the at-symbol or percent sign. Be sure to follow with a space or hit the return key to activate the tag. You'll

3:14 see that it becomes hyperlinked. The tags you create can be seen at the bottom of the folder list in the Tags section, as you can see here. And if you delete a tag here, it will be removed from all notes. And if you choose to lock some of your notes, just know that tags are not compatible with locked notes. For another example, I created a set of folders with notes about business travel. Within them, I have information about hotels and per diems for each trip, and I have them sorted chronologically here. So I actually have hotels here. This is the one that I've already

4:02 been to, and I've already booked it. So I created a booked tag. For the per diem note, I recorded my meal expenses. And the tag you see at the bottom indicates that I've been paid for those expenses. As I go down to the next trip, that was already booked. And under per diem, you'll see that I've recorded my expenses, but I actually haven't been paid yet. So I'm awaiting payment. And then for Boston, I'm still planning the hotels. And of course, haven't incurred any expenses for per diem yet, and the same for the trip to Phoenix. And you can use the tag section in the

4:51 folders list to view notes with a given tag. As you click here, notes will cycle among including the tag, excluding the tag, and then unselecting it. This feature can actually help if you ever choose to leverage multiple tags for some notes. Also, you can search directly from the search field in the title bar. So far, we've used tags to track the status of something we're working on, but tags can also identify a characteristic that notes in different folders have in common. You may have a collection of recipes for appetizers, meals, side items, and desserts.

5:42 Here, a favorite tag would allow you to see all your faves in one view, regardless of the type of dish it is. For instance, I really like deviled eggs. So I will add that as a favorite here. Tap enter to activate the tag. What else do I like? I definitely like desserts. So let's see the brownie bites. Definitely one of my favorites. So let's start. We'll do favorite and look right there. I can go ahead and click it and it'll enter it and activate it here too. And when it comes to Meals, let's see. Oven Baked Steak is a favorite. Let's go ahead and indicate that. Hit enter to

6:35 activate it. And now we can leverage that tag down in the folder list. And right there, you see my three favorite dishes. And we can also go ahead and clear that. And we can search for favorites right up in here. Hashtag favorite. And even before I'm finished typing it, you can see that it pulled up all three notes with the favorite tag. And here's a power tip you might find useful. Smart Folders in Notes. Let's go up to the File pull-down menu and select New Smart Folder. Let's go ahead and name it. I can type and down here ensure that Tags is selected. We'll leave it as All

7:30 Selected here and let's go ahead and choose #Favorites and click OK. And now you can see My Fave Foods folder and it's got the little gear instead of the normal folder icon meaning it is a Smart Folder, and you can see here that my smart folder is displaying all three notes that have been tagged as Favorite. Now I probably have more than that but we'll just stay at three for now. A couple of quick points about Smart Folders. They can only exist at the top level of your folders, they can't be made into subfolders. Bummer, I know. Smart folders also don't move

8:17 or copy notes out of their original locations. Think of it like this. A smart folder displays your notes in the smart folder. It doesn't move or copy those notes into the smart folder. I hope that makes sense. Now it's easy to see how useful this can become, but it's also easy to go overboard. And if we're not careful, the organizational system can become more work than the information we're trying to organize. So let's talk about how not to use tags. A common mistake is trying to create a second hierarchical structure. This is redundant to

9:07 the folder structure, it will introduce complexity and likely will result in a long list of increasingly confusing tags. For example, my hotel and per diem tags tell me their state. You know, whether I'm planning or booked the hotel room or whether I've been paid or waiting to be paid for the per diem expenses. So tagging them as hotels or per diem or say the name of the trip like Boston or St. Louis wouldn't be very useful. And like I said, if you create a long list of tags, they could easily begin to slow you down. And you don't need a comprehensive and elaborate tagging system. Don't bother tagging every note. Only add tags to notes when they can help you see

9:59 closely related information across folders. So how do we keep tags useful without creating another system we constantly have to manage? I have two simple suggestions. First, be thoughtful about your tag names. Develop defined and consistent terms that classify the notes properly. For example, use #InProgress, but avoid #Started, #Active, or #WorkingOnIt, which mean the same thing. And two, keep tags that serve a useful purpose and periodically remove and consolidate those that no longer do. Folders give your notes a place to live. Tags give you another way to find

10:50 and work with those notes. And the fewer meaningful tags you have to maintain, the more useful the system can become. The goal isn't to organize everything in as many ways as possible. It's to make the information you've already saved easier to use. And do you have any tips to share on how you use tags? Share them down in the comments. And thanks for watching. And until next time, have fun, stay safe, and keep learning.