Whether you’ve been using the iOS Notes app for a while and never customized it or are just starting to use it, follow along below for how to dial in your settings.

Curating your settings for Notes is easy to do and is definitely worth your time. Whether you like to start new notes with Siri, Control Center, or manually, we’ll look at how to adjust your default account, default sort option, and more.

iPhone & iPad: How to customize Notes settings

  • Open Settings
  • Swipe down and tap Notes
  • Double check Default Account at the top is set to your liking (if you have options)
  • Another valuable setting to check is Sort Notes By
  • Look over any other settings that you’d like to tweak

As shown above, a couple of other settings worth considering changing are the Save to Photos and New Notes Start With defaults. Also, particularly for those who use Apple Pencil or a stylus with iPad, customizing the Lines & Grids option will be useful.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:

  • Mac: How to restore ‘Save As…’ functionality
  • Mac: How to customize your Safari toolbar
  • iPhone: How to enable or disable read receipts for iMessage
  • iPhone & iPad: How to customize calendar settings
  • How to use Light Mode for messages in Mail with Dark Mode on macOS Mojave
  • How to customize Voice Feedback for Siri
  • iPhone & iPad: How to customize Siri suggestions
  • iPhone & iPad: How to customize keyboard shortcuts