✱ Collections are groups of related notes organized by topic or type, such as Projects, People, or Resources. They use Tags and Apple Notes smart folders to automatically gather notes with shared themes. Collections are dynamic, meaning they pull notes together based on attributes, reducing the need for manual organization. They are most useful for larger groups of notes, where organizing everything in a single ✱ Hub note wouldn’t be practical. However, not every tag requires a Collection—only create Collections for notes you frequently access or need a broader overview of.

For example, you might have a list of active projects in your Home note. Once a project is completed, you delete it from the Home note. However, since all project-related notes are tagged with #Project, they are automatically gathered in the ✱ Projects Collection, which includes both active and finished projects.

Three iPhones display a Books folder in the Forever ✱ Notes system, featuring book reviews and details.

Setup

To create a collection called ✱ Projects, containing notes tagged with #Project, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Notes app.
  2. Have at least one note tagged with #Project.
  3. In the Folders view, tap the New Folder icon (bottom-left).
  4. Choose New Smart Folder.
  5. Enter the name ✱ Projects for the folder.
  6. Under Choose Tags, select or type #Project (make sure you have notes already tagged with #Project).
  7. Tap Done.
  8. Sort your new collection alphabetically, by creation date, or by last edited date.
Last updated
December 2, 2024
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