Download this app from Microsoft Store for Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone 8.1, Windows Phone 8. See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Note Plus. WriteOn Notes Plus: The best use of 'digital paper'. Even so, it's a fantastic way to outline articles, and I frankly wish it was on the Mac as well. Dual window mode See two notebooks at once. There is a dual window mode: while users are in. NotepadFor Mac as HTML editor Notepad As HTML Editor Html (hypertext markup language) was the only language that was initially built to be used for web development and design. This was the basic and easiest to learn a language for coding. However, to code and process this language, a processor or editor was required. Apple's Notes (available both for OS X and iOS) has long been one of my most frequently used apps. With its improved cross-platform syncing in recent OS iterations, the app is better than ever.
You'll find plenty of note-taking apps for every taste and task on a Mac. Lots of the good ones offer an extended feature set – up to the point of allowing you to write a novel in a single note. But many of us simply don't expect such omnipotence from a notepad – just to jot down an instant short note often is quite enough.
The good old Evernote with its plethora of features has become too complex for an average user. Those who prefer to simply drop quick notes on the fly have other nice apps they can opt for. The only question: which exact one to choose?
So, if you wish to upgrade your note-taking experience, here is your top-5 list of the selected most beloved apps in terms of simple and quick note making.
Unclutter
Unclutter's Notes must be the fastest way to jot down a note on a Mac. One mouse gesture and you're already typing your idea, to-do task, a phone number, or anything else.
Unclutter has no sophisticated features like media files support, handwriting, notebooks, etc. At the same time, it's incredibly simple and convenient – which is ideal for plain quick note-taking. Truly minimalistic approach.
Interestingly, you may drag the Notes panel out of the Unclutter window and place it anywhere on the Desktop (it'll stick atop other windows). Voilà – now you have it as a Post-it note.
Other app's abilities include quick full-text search, all screens availability, auto-sync across all your Macs.
On top of that, Notes is only one of three tools in Unclutter. The other two are Clipboard and Files – what makes Unclutter a great complex (still, simple in use) productivity app.
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Verdict: Being very fast and simple, Unclutter gives you as much as you need to simply churn out notes. Plus, its neat macOS-integrated interface to sweeten your experience. And even lack of more-than-basic features won't be an issue if you're actually looking for instant effortless note-taking.
Ghostnote
This one may not be quite so popular and often-used – but it definitely doesn't make it less worth our attention. Ghostnote specializes in Post-it notes and todos on Mac. But it's far from a typical notes making app because of its unique approach – being context based.
At first, Ghostnote may appear to be somehow complicated, but after a look at their website or 2-minute explanatory video, it should all become clear.
With this powerful tool, you can annotate virtually everything on your Mac: files, folders, apps, URLs and the list goes on. Thus, Ghostnote should be a great choice for those who need to make lots of comments and remarks during their workflow (coders, editors, etc).
Moreover, the app has its own browser to view and manage your notes from one place; there you can also write classic notes and todos.
This desktop notepad has quite a bunch of things to amaze you with. And its fresh major upgrade only adds points to this app as a member of our top-list.
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Verdict: Ghostnote is quite different from most of Mac notebook apps in terms of how it works. Its main idea is in contextual notes and todos with which you can annotate all kinds of stuff on a Mac. It will take some time to grasp how all of it works, but once you get it, you'll have a powerful notepad at your disposal.
Simplenote
As its name implies, Simplenote is for making simple notes. Pretty straight-forward. At the same time, the app provides you with all the essentials you'd want from a decent Mac notepad.
Some cool features you get in Simplenote include tags (which are like folders), collaboration (adding an email of someone to work on a note with) and markdown formatting. These allow easy note finding, sharing and visual enhancing.
Another nice thing to have is the app's history tracking. Thanks to it, you can easily 'go back in time' to the preferred version of your latest notes.
Its interface quite resembles the one you have in your native Notes app. Although, it looks refined and simplified at the same time. It's like if you take Apple Notes, remove all extra, add some nice-to-have features (e.g. tags, markdown) with a pinch of elegance – done.
What's more, Simplenote is available on literally every today's platform. Thus, your notes are automatically synced across all your devices.
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Verdict: Simplenote is unobtrusive and intuitively clear. Tags, collaboration, markdown, history – all to keep your note-taking process smooth, comfy and simple. This memo app is an ideal solution for ordinary users who don't want to spend a penny and still get a nice basic notepad for any kind of device.
Google Keep
Sticky notes from uncle Google. Keep's minimalistic colorful design cheers you up right from the first look at it. It is basically a wall of stickies – like the one you might have somewhere in your apartment.
You can actually do quite a lot of stuff in Google Keep. That includes everything from checklists and reminders to drawing and adding pictures. Labels, collaboration, keyboard shortcuts – goes without saying.
Keep also has some advanced features (you might never use though 😁): Google services integration, voice input, OCR scanner (recognition of image text). Still, for some users those would be a competitive edge when choosing a notepad.
In order to get this talented app, you just have to download a free Chrome extension or you can use it in a regular Chrome tab.
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Verdict: Google Keep may not be the fastest-accessed or best macOS integrated sticky notes app but it's certainly worth taking look at. In addition, some of its pro features may really surprise you. The fact remains: Google tends to make a lot of useful free stuff – and Keep is no exception.
Apple Notes
Actually, your system Notes app is not that bad as well. It has some basic formatting, checklists, folders, coworking with others… well, even locking notes with a password is possible. Besides, you can add various attachments to your notes.
Apple Notes syncs across your other Apple devices. And obviously, no need to download it as it's already there, by default. 😊
Right, you won't see any eye-charming designs or extraordinary solutions – it is dead simple and it just works. So, do not completely reject this option right away. That's all we're saying.
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Verdict: If you don't need your notebook app to be right at hand, look beautiful and have any extra features, stay with Apple's Notes.
…But why would you search for the best notes apps for Mac after all?
To sum up
We hope our top-5 picks will help you in that uneasy struggle to find your best way to take notes on Mac. We have deliberately omitted notebook apps like Evernote or Bear. The reason is our focus on choosing the best apps for taking notes fast and with minimal effort.
Trying to sum up this article in a few words, we would get the following:
Unclutter – a neat and handy triple productivity tool with instant note-taking.
Ghostnote as the best app for contextual notes.
Simplenote is obviously for simplicity lovers.
Notes Plus For Macbook
Google Keep must be a top choice as a sticky notes app.
And if you are satisfied with plain basic note-taking and don't want to look any further, you should probably stick with your native Apple Notes.
Before you begin
Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest iOS or iPadOS, and your Mac to the latest macOS.
Text file formats that you can import
On your Mac, you can import many different types of text files into Notes. When you import files, each text file is converted to a new note.
Notes can import the following file types:
- .txt
- .rtf
- .rtfd
- .html
Importing from Evernote
On your Mac, iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, you can import Evernote Export files (.enex files). Each .enex file can include one or many notes. When you import an .enex file, each note from Evernote is converted to a new note in Notes.
If your files have an attachment or feature in Evernote notes that the Notes app doesn't support, it's removed during the import.
Import notes on your Mac
When you import text files or .enex files, you can add them to your iCloud notes account or your On My Mac account. If you store them in iCloud, you can automatically see all of your notes on any device where you're signed in with your Apple ID.
- Open your Notes app.
- From the Notes sidebar, choose to store your notes in iCloud or On My Mac by clicking a folder in the account that you want to use.
- From the menu bar, choose File > Import to Notes.
- Select the file or folder that you want to import. If the notes that you're importing are organized in folders, make sure that 'Preserve folder structure on import' is selected. If you don't see this setting, click Options in the lower-left corner.
- Click Import. When you see a confirmation message, click Import again.
After your files import, you'll see a new folder in the Notes app called Imported Notes. Then you can organize them into any Notes folder that you want.
Import notes on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
You can import Evernote Export files (.enex files) to Notes on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Each .enex file can include one or many notes.
Notes Plus For Mac Os X
When you import an .enex file, each note from Evernote will be converted to a new note in Notes. Before you import to your Notes app, send yourself the .enex file via email or save it to iCloud Drive from your computer.
Use Mail
- Open your Mail and tap the email with the file that you want to import to Notes.
- Touch and hold the file, tap Share, then tap Notes.
- After your file downloads, you'll see a confirmation message. Tap Import Notes.
Use the Files app
- Open the Files app and go to the file that you want to import to Notes.
- Touch and hold the file, tap Share, then tap Notes.
- After your file downloads, you'll see a confirmation message. Tap Import Notes.
When you open the Notes app and select your iCloud notes, you'll see a new folder called Imported Notes. If you're not using Notes with iCloud, you see the new folder in the On My Device notes.
If you don't use iCloud and you don't have On My Device available, you get an alert when you tap Add to Notes.
Notes Plus For Macbook Air
Learn more
Notes Plus For Mac Computers
- Use Notes on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Keep your notes secure with password-protection.