Preface: Sorry about any issues on mobile.

I plan to keep locations in maps but there is all kinds of quick info that I want/need like info for and about doctor's visits. I am going through IVF so I write down quick Qs on what I want to ask them.
I also log calories (working on losing weight) and my mood.

I mostly use the app for journaling.

I just want to make sure I am not using it for too much.

Does anyone use Obsidian for things that they may need to pull up quickly on your phone like restuarant hours/phone number or info on your job?

I have a base file + folder of locations that store hours, phone number, a link to reserve a table, their website link, and it all looks good BUT I noticed today. My husband and I wanted to leave the house pretty quickly and I needed to look up hours for the restuarant we wanted to go to and I went to pull up Obsidian but between the load time of the app and needing to press on the base, then the filter I wanted, then pull up the file it took too long and my husband had the hours by the time I finished opening the app by looking in Apple Maps.

This is all on iOS. I sync with working copy/git so everything is local.

I'm curious how others handle this.

The tag selected was the closest one I could think of.

Anyway, I am a software dev (full stack) at a new company. Just started last month. I am hybrid with 2x a week in the office, been Tuesdays and Thursdays.

My boss lives overseas in some country, unsure which. Probably Pakistan but doesn't matter much.

He doesn't remember what days I go into the office. I am the only dev working on my particular project. It is fine cause most days I don't have much to do anyway as it is just starting up.

We have an office manager but she just manages the office not the employees.

Closest thing I could think our company is, is a consulting company. Basically, a new CEO took over in Jan and moved the entire company from Atlanta to Austin, TX. Layoffs ensued so most people have been here less than a year. There are vets but they are generally remote. Prior to that new CEO the company purchased 20-30 smaller companies and those small companies have their own dev teams. I am one of the few devs for the company directly. I work with all of these smaller companies on my project (or at least I will if I haven't yet).

Anyway, first few weeks haven't been good for me health-wise. Left early the first day in office cause of a migraine. Second week the same thing happened. Migraines are abnormal for me but I've been doing IVF so I believe it is the hormones (I am a woman). I stopped IVF around few weeks before starting this job and plan to tell my boss when I start it back up later this month.

Third week I also had another migraine but I went to work anyway.

Last week I met my boss in person for the first time and on Tuesday he asked (after I had told him 2-3 times already) if I would be in the office on Wednesday, I said no, Thursday. He said ok (he clearly didn't care - just was curious). So that further proves my point that he doesn't care about whether I am hybrid or remote, it is HR or someone else that does (idk who cause the sVP was hired from her contractor role 3 weeks after I started).

Today i am up all night cause my husband is getting a colonoscopy and endoscopy due to health issues he is dealing with and other stuff happening. So no sleep here. Plus my family has been in town since Thursday so I am spent (emotionally, mentally). I am planning on staying home at least on Tuesday if not Thursday also.

I cannot risk this job as I am the primary breadwinner due to my husband's Autism + PTSD. We are fine since I am a dev but I cannot risk this job.

I figure since my boss doesn't care I won't say anything and just stay home and make sure I get my work done and attend my meetings just like the other 3 days of the week.

Should I say something? Sorry for any ramblings.

Do you think it is overkill? Any features you like that other options (apple journal, dayone, etc.) do not have?

https://preview.redd.it/fjavy0bdn2hh1.png?width=1086&format=png&auto=webp&s=a33224bd5a4236d4f76d0b1e2d27ce4cb2967b96

This is how it works:

1. You open the extension in a browser to add whatever you want to notes, calendar, or reminders.
2. They are sent to an SQLite database (whatever you want to add)
3. You create a shortcut on your device that runs automatically via automations to pull from this database.
4. Everything is created exactly as you had it done via the extension and it can run in the background on your apple device!

Currently, with shortcuts, there is no way for this to work similar to how Apple's software works where it has end-to-end encryption. Shortcuts would need to be way more complicated. If this is something that gives you pause, I understand. This may not be the correct system for you.

Otherwise, the thought process is, I will have a site where you will get emailed a link to login (no passwords) and after you login, you get an API key. That key is stored in the SQLite database I have in my server which then identifies what notes, reminders, events are your's vs someone else's so that when you run your shortcut you only see your own notes, reminders, events. Rather than getting anyone else's.

Yes, I could see your notes, I don't care to and I wouldn't do that unless I was troubleshooting something for you. I have better things to do in my life than snoop on what someone else is doing with my stuff. If I were to track any analytics it would be anonymous usage statistics like how many notes/reminders/events were sent and on what days and what OS', etc. I just want to make sure I am clear about this.

Regardless, I will be posting a write up on how you can do this yourself and what you can prompt AI to do to get this working yourself all on your own hardware on my blog. I plan to have that done at the same time (if not slightly before) this project is complete.

I'm curious what features you would be interested in as I can only think of super basic things which is what is stated in the title.

Also, if anyone is willing to make me an icon for this, that would be amazing. You can see what I have now, it is just a dot cause I am not an artist, I'm a developer.

I recently watched a YT video that brought up that this feature (in the title) isn't a thing. I tested on my iPad and it is, in fact, not a thing. Widgets took until this/last year to come and the file/options menu that came in iOS26 to iPads (probably) won't come for years, just based on everything else.

Obsidian is made to be primarily a desktop editor and mobile is an afterthought. That is fine if you have a PC/Mac that is not old and dying but fully working iPad and iPhone.

The YT video I watched said this made Obsidian feel "old" because it is missing a lot of these features that its competitors have so he switched back to Apple Notes. I am on the verge of switching to Apple Notes myself for the reasons in this post and others that have nothing to do with this.

I'm just curious, what do you all think about the adoption rate of native features by the Obsidian team? I realize they are small and can only do so much. I also realize they won't tell us more than what is on the roadmap. I'm not asking for more. I am just curious what real users think or if I am in the minority here.

If you are having issues with search here are a few things for you to try.

I got my iOS search working again utilizing these options.

- If you use Microsoft Authenticator for work and work uses Intune, it can cause your cache to be corrupted or only partially formed or slow. I removed the authenticator key from my device and uninstalled and reinstalled OneNote and now search works just as well as on PC.

- Always test with an uninstall and reinstall. Throw in a reboot of your device while OneNote is uninstalled for extra good measure.

- Create a new notebook and move/copy the pages there and see if that helps.

These are what I have found. If there are any others post them in the comments, I will pin this post so all search-related queries have a place to live. Cheers!

I use Windows, iPad & iPhone.

OCR only works if I manually mark images as searchable. If I don't, I can't search for anything within images.

I use OneNote as an archive of sorts. I have thousands of notes, I don't have time or the drive/want to go through every note to see if there is an image that needs to be made searchable. Especially since my Windows PC is really old and slow and dying so I try to avoid using it as much as possible.

I tried to keep my PC on for several hours today and that didn't help with search. It is inconsistent between my devices even for typed text, let alone OCR.

Anyone else seeing this?

📌 r/AppleNotesGang Monthly Megathread - Questions, Tips & Help

Welcome to the monthly megathread! This is the place to ask questions, share tips, troubleshoot issues, and discuss all things Apple Notes. No question is too basic - we're here to help.

🔗 Check out our full Wiki for in-depth guides and feature breakdowns →

Before You Post

1. Search the thread - your question may already be answered below.
2. Read the Wiki - it covers features, device compatibility, import/export, security, and more.
3. Include your device & OS version when asking for help (e.g., "iPhone 16, iOS 18.3" or "MacBook Air M2, macOS Sequoia 15.3").

Frequently Asked Questions

🔄 Syncing

Q: My notes aren't syncing between devices. What should I do?

1. Verify iCloud Notes is enabled on all devices:
   • iPhone/iPad: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Show All → Notes → ON
   • Mac: System Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Show All → Notes → ON
2. Confirm you're signed into the same Apple Account everywhere.
3. Make sure your notes are in an iCloud folder, not "On My iPhone" or "On My Mac" - local notes don't sync.
4. Pull down on the folder list (iPhone/iPad) to force a refresh.
5. Restart the device.
6. Toggle iCloud Notes off, wait 30 seconds, toggle it back on.
7. Check Apple System Status for iCloud outages.
8. Make sure your iCloud storage isn't full: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Manage Storage.

Q: Sync is really slow. Is that normal?

Some delay (seconds to a couple minutes) is normal. It's slower when:

• Notes contain large attachments (images, scans, PDFs).
• You have 1,000+ notes and just set up a new device.
• You're on a weak Wi-Fi connection.
• Your device is re-indexing after a major OS update.

Q: I turned on iCloud Notes on a new device and my notes vanished!

Your notes were likely stored locally ("On My iPhone/Mac") and got replaced by the empty iCloud copy. Check:

1. Recently Deleted folder in Notes (kept for 30 days).
2. iCloud.com → Notes → Recently Deleted.
3. Restore from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup made before the incident.
4. Contact Apple Support for iCloud data recovery assistance.

>Pro tip: Always verify your notes appear at iCloud.com before toggling sync settings or resetting a device.

💥 Crashing & Performance

Q: Apple Notes keeps crashing. How do I fix it?

1. Force quit the app and reopen it.
2. Restart your device.
3. Update your OS - Apple frequently patches Notes bugs in point releases.
4. Identify the problem note - if Notes crashes when opening a specific note, try viewing it from another device or iCloud.com. That note may be corrupted.
5. Rebuild the Notes database (Mac only):
   • Quit Notes.
   • Finder → Go → Go to Folder → ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/
   • Rename NoteStore.sqlite to NoteStore.sqlite.bak
   • Reopen Notes - it rebuilds from iCloud.
   • ⚠️ Only do this if your notes are synced to iCloud. Local-only notes will be lost.
6. Re-sync Notes on iPhone/iPad: Toggle off iCloud Notes (choose "Delete from My iPhone"), wait 30 seconds, toggle back on. Notes re-download from iCloud.

Q: Notes is laggy when typing or scrolling.

• Split large notes - notes with 10,000+ words or many images will lag.
• Reduce inline attachments - too many images/PDFs in one note slows rendering.
• Handwriting lag on iPad - older iPads (especially with 3–4 GB RAM) struggle with complex handwritten notes. Close other apps to free memory.
• If it started after an OS update, wait for a patch - Apple often fixes performance regressions.

Q: Notes crashes when using Apple Pencil.

This is a known issue after some iPadOS updates:

1. Update to the latest iPadOS version.
2. Try writing in a brand new note - if it works, the old note may be corrupted.
3. Restart the iPad.
4. File a bug via Feedback Assistant if it persists.

📝 Missing or Lost Notes

Q: My notes disappeared! How do I get them back?

1. Recently Deleted - open Notes → top-level folder view → Recently Deleted (kept 30 days).
2. Check all accounts - if you have Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook configured, notes may be under a different account in the folder list.
3. Check "On My iPhone/Mac" - local notes don't appear on other devices.
4. Check iCloud.com → Notes and Recently Deleted.
5. Search - use the search bar; your note may have moved to an unexpected folder.
6. Check filters (Mac) - make sure you're viewing "All iCloud" and not a specific folder.

Q: Can I recover a note deleted more than 30 days ago?

Once permanently deleted, recovery options are limited:

• Restore from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup made before the deletion.
• Contact Apple Support - they may be able to help in rare cases.
• Third-party recovery tools exist but results are not guaranteed.

Q: My notes are showing up blank.

Usually a sync issue:

1. Check the note on another device or iCloud.com.
2. Wait a few minutes - content may still be downloading.
3. Ensure you're on Wi-Fi if the note has large attachments.
4. Toggle iCloud Notes off and on to force a re-sync.

✏️ Formatting & Features

Q: What formatting does Apple Notes support?

• Text styles: Title, Heading, Subheading, Body, Monospaced
• Text formatting: Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough
• Highlight colors: Pink, Purple, Orange, Mint, Blue (iOS 18+)
• Lists: Bulleted, Numbered, Checklists
• Tables, Indentation, Hyperlinks
• Collapsible sections under headings (iOS 18+)
• Link between notes by typing >> (iOS 17+)

See the Wiki features table for the full breakdown by device.

Q: Can I change fonts or text colors?

No. Apple Notes does not support custom fonts, font sizes, or text colors. Formatting is intentionally minimal. For advanced formatting, export to Pages or another app.

Q: Can I use Markdown?

• iOS 26 / macOS 26+: Yes - you can import and export Markdown files via the share sheet.
• Earlier versions: No native Markdown support. You can write Markdown syntax but it won't render as formatted text.

Q: What's Math Notes?

Math Notes (iOS 18+ / macOS Sequoia+) lets you type or handwrite equations and get instant solutions. It supports variables, graphing, and unit conversions. On iPad with Apple Pencil, you can handwrite equations and Notes solves them in your own handwriting style.

Q: What's Smart Script?

Smart Script (iPadOS 18+, requires iPad with M1+ chip and Apple Pencil) uses machine learning to clean up your handwriting in real time - making it smoother and more legible while keeping your personal style. It also lets you paste typed text as handwriting, correct spelling, and rearrange handwritten words.

🔒 Security & Privacy

Q: How do I lock a note?

Open a note → tap ⋯ (More) → Lock. On iOS 16+ / macOS Ventura+, locked notes use your device passcode by default (more secure than a separate password). Unlock with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.

Q: Are my notes encrypted?

• In transit: Yes, encrypted during iCloud sync.
• On iCloud servers: Encrypted, but Apple holds the keys by default.
• With Advanced Data Protection: End-to-end encrypted - only your devices can decrypt. Enable in Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Advanced Data Protection.
• Locked notes: Have an additional encryption layer on top of standard iCloud encryption.

Q: Can I access Apple Notes on Windows or Android?

Only via iCloud.com in a web browser. There is no native Apple Notes app for Windows or Android. The iCloud for Windows app does not include Notes.

📤 Import, Export & Alternatives

Q: How do I export my notes?

• Individual: Open a note → Share → choose format/app. On Mac: File → Export as PDF.
• Markdown (iOS 26+): Share → Export as Markdown.
• Bulk export: No built-in option. Use Exporter (Mac) to export all notes as Markdown or HTML.

Q: How do I import notes?

• From Evernote: Mac only - File → Import to Notes (accepts .enex files).
• From Markdown (iOS 26+): Open a .md file → Share → Notes.
• From email accounts: Notes stored in Gmail/Yahoo/Outlook accounts appear in Apple Notes if those accounts are configured.

Q: I'm thinking about switching apps. What are my options?

App	Best For	Export Path
Obsidian	Markdown, local files, plugins, linking	Exporter → import .md files or Copy/paste
Notion	Databases, collaboration, web access	Copy/paste or Notion Web Clipper
Bear	Markdown, clean design, Apple-native	Import from Exporter output
OneNote	Cross-platform, free, rich formatting	Copy/paste or OneNote importer
Google Keep	Simple, cross-platform, free	Manual copy/paste
Craft	Beautiful documents, Apple-native	Import Markdown files
Goodnotes / Notability	Handwriting-focused (iPad)	Export PDFs from Notes

💡 Quick Tips

• Scan documents: Tap the camera icon → Scan Documents (iPhone/iPad only).
• Quick Note from anywhere: iPad - swipe up from bottom-right corner. Mac - hot corner or Fn + Q / Globe + Q.
• Link notes together: Type >> to create a link to another note (iOS 17+).
• Tag notes: Type #tagname anywhere in a note to tag it. Tap any tag to see all matching notes.
• Pin important notes to the top of any folder by swiping right (iPhone/iPad) or right-clicking (Mac).
• Math in Notes: Type an equation like 45 * 12 = and Notes solves it inline (iOS 18+).
• Search images: Apple Notes can find text inside photos and scanned documents via Live Text / OCR.
• Audio recording: Tap the paperclip icon → Record Audio to capture and transcribe audio directly in a note (iOS 18+, iPhone 12+).
• Collapsible sections: Format text as a Title/Heading/Subheading, then tap the arrow to collapse everything below it (iOS 18+).
• Reed pen: New calligraphy tool in the drawing palette (iOS 26+).

📚 Resources

• r/AppleNotesGang Wiki - Full guides, feature tables, and troubleshooting
• Apple Notes User Guide (iPhone)
• Apple Notes User Guide (iPad)
• Apple Notes User Guide (Mac)
• iCloud.com - Access Notes on the Web
• Apple System Status - Check for iCloud outages
• Apple Feedback Assistant - Report bugs directly to Apple

Rules Reminder

1. Be kind and respectful.
2. Search before posting - your question may already be answered here or in the Wiki.
3. Include your device model and OS version when asking for help.
4. No spam, self-promotion, or off-topic posts.

This thread is reposted on the 1st of every month. Previous megathreads are archived but remain searchable.

Have a suggestion for the Wiki or this megathread? Message the mods.

I have 2 blasts left that are barely passable. My fertility doc is planning to do them both when I go in next (which will be September). So I am thinking the next xfer will be October timeframe.

I'm just assuming those will fail cause they are barely passable and the single one I just did was a better blast and still failed. So, I'm preparing for the worst, hoping for twins (the best - only want 2-3 kids and this gets them done in one go hopefully without complications)

Anyway, in August, my husband plans to get his varicocele rectified so that if I have to do another egg retrieval, his sperm are better looking. They weren't bad but he had a lot of bad looking ones but 4x the necessary amount so they were able to find good sperm cause of that.

I had my lap last August and I don't think my endo is "back" yet but I also had barely stage 1. I can tell "barely" based on the way my ob/surgeon told me what stage I had. So, it isn't really a factor.

I am planning to lose 10-20lbs between now and then (cause I am obese according to BMI) so between all of this I am hoping it helps but I can't stand possibly doing more saline ultrasounds as those hurt like a mothertrucker as well as another minor surgery.

I want kids but I'm just not sure how badly I want them anymore. My husband would fall into a deeper depression (already has major depressive disorder (diagnosed)) if he would never have kids, especially if it was because I backed out because I mentally couldn't handle it.

I don't know what to do. I need a therapist but I am switching jobs soon (and insurances) and July is super busy for us between moving apartments, vet visits, doctors visits (for him) and my new job that I don't mentally have the capacity to get a therapist.

Advice is greatly appreciated.

I am 8dp6dt so about 14dpo and I am cramping so frequently. it is always for minutes at a time and always a 5/10 pain level.

i just want this to stop.

i get my beta on saturday.

Edit: Did my beta today and I am not pregnant. :(

They come in waves but go up to a 5/10 on the pain scale and last 3-4 minutes max until they fade for either 30 min or several hours and then comes back and repeats. I am 5dp6dt so i have no idea if this is implantation or what.

I was having issues with iCloud Passwords not working on my PC so I called Apple who referred me to microsoft and they advised that I need to reset my PC as there were some corrupt files. Unsure how true that is (didn't sound true to me) but I really wanted it to work so I did it.

I've been thinking that the original drive was failing so I thought moving my C drive to another drive with DiskGenius would help it run faster. That is 100% not the case.

My PC is worse now. It lags AWFUL now. While typing this message it has lagged all over the place. Admin prompts take 5-6s for me to see them to accept. It is horrible. It never lagged before... or if it did, it was rare. I can't even play Palworld with my Xbox controller because that lags right now.

I'm working on moving it back as I send this message using DiskGenius and its hot migration. Same thing I did it to move it to this drive in the first place.

If that doesn't work I am unsure what to do.

I have a 2070 Super with a Gigabyte Motherboard and Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9700F CPU @ 3.00GHz (3.00 GHz) from a few years ago. It isn't the most up to date but I swear to god it never ran like this. My RAM isn't going bad according to my husband who builds PCs and knows a lot about the hardware. He thinks something else may be dying but I don't think so. I have no idea why the lag is just so gosh darn awful.

I'm begging for ideas and help.

OS Build: 26200.8655

My friends are going to a local place to hang out around 7-9 or 10. I usually take my meds around 8pm. Can I move them to 6:30-7 instead?

I had my transfer last Wednesday. So it is the progesterone in oil shot (which sucks!), progesterone suppository, estrogen suppository and 200mg of progesterone.

100% will not be a regular thing.

from my understanding timing on these isn't set in stone like the stims were. I just don't know how much difference is okay cause i want this to work.

I did 3 interviews at this place and they said I would hear back by the end of the week. The last interview was on last Tuesday, a week ago.

I worry this means I didn't get the job. Usually if I get it, I hear back quicker but last job I got (current job) was over a year ago and I know it is a different landscape.

I want a personal wiki where I can look up things like "HOw did I solve my muscle soreness last time?" or documents I need for work.

I currently swap between Apple Journal and OneNote for journals but I want to add more to it from ChatGPT. I don't mind having it create a PDF and include that but I don't need to link notes together.

I don't care about the graph that Obsidian has or interconnecting. I just want the notes there and be able to search for them.

I'm annoyed with OneNote's infinite canvas. It is so annoying as I am so used to document-style like Apple Notes and Apple Journal. I've used OneNote for years but it is super annoying.