Notes

Use the Notes app to jot down quick thoughts or organize detailed information with checklists, images, web links, scanned documents, handwritten notes, and sketches. You can even organize your note with sections and headings.

The first line of a note becomes its title. From there, you can format text with styles like headings, bold, and highlights, make a checklist, or add a table or divider line.

Here’s how to create and format notes on iPhone.

Create a new note

1. Start the Notes app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the New Note button, then enter your text.
3. The first line of the note becomes the note’s title.
4. To save the note, tap the Done button.

Add formatting, checklists, tables, and divider lines

1. Start the Notes app on your iPhone.
2. When writing a note, do any of the following:
   • Format text: Tap the Format button and choose a style such as Heading, bold or italic font, highlight, and more. You can also swipe over the format bar options to quickly access commonly used styles.
   • Make a checklist: Tap the Checklist button.
   • Add a table: Tap the Add Table button.
   • Add a divider line: Tap to place the insertion point and tap the Expand button. Then choose Insert Divider Line.

Organize a note with sections and headings

Long notes are easy to manage and outline when you collapse and expand sections.

1. Start the Notes app on your iPhone.
2. In a note, select the text for the heading.
3. Tap the Format button and then tap Heading or Subheading.
4. Add content to the section and then do any of the following:
   • Collapse a section: Tap the Collapse button.
   • Expand a section: Tap the Expand button.

Use Writing Tools in Notes

With Apple Intelligence, you can use Writing Tools to summarize selected text with a tap, proofread your work, and create different versions of the same text to help you find the right wording and tone. Note: Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.* *Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

You can solve mathematical expressions, create and use variables, or graph equations, for example, when learning new concepts in class, doing day-to-day budgeting, planning an event, remodeling your home, and more.

You can update values, and choose to show results automatically or as suggestions. You can even use a light background, and a Math Note can include a drawing of the problem.

Here’s how to solve math with Math Notes in Calculator on iPhone.

Note: Math Notes works with common mathematical symbols and the same operations as the scientific calculator, plus select numeric systems for written math and variable names.

Solve expressions

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button and tap Math Notes.
3. Tap to open a previous Math Note, or tap the New Note button to start a new one.
4. Do any of the following:
   • Type a math expression, then include an equal sign.
   • Tap the Handwriting button, write a math expression horizontally, then include an equal sign.
   • Tap the Handwriting button, write a stack of numbers, then draw a horizontal line below the numbers to add the numbers in the stack. Write a different symbol to the left of each number if you want a different operation.
5. Tap the equal sign to see what Math Notes understood in what you wrote. To correct mistakes, you can fix any of the following:
   • Unrecognized math and unsolvable expressions: Tap any dotted red lines to see details about the error.
   • Ambiguous characters: Tap any dotted blue lines to clarify what you wrote.

In horizontal expressions, Math Notes follows the standard order of operations, so multiplication is completed before addition and subtraction, for example. Put parentheses around expressions you want calculated first. For vertically stacked math, Math Notes evaluates expressions from top to bottom.

Math Notes converts any units and currency in expressions automatically, and you can even mix different systems, like 42 meters + 143 feet. Units and currency available here match those in the Convert mode of the basic or scientific calculator.

Update values

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button, tap Math Notes, and tap the note you want to update.
3. Do one of the following:
   • Erase the number, then enter a new value.
   • Tap the number, then slide left and right to adjust the value using the scrubber that appears above the number.

Graphs using the values update automatically, and when the value is assigned to a variable, any equations using that variable update their results or graphs automatically, too.

Use variables in expressions and equations

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button and tap Math Notes.
3. Tap to open a Math Note, or tap the New Note button to start a new one.
4. To declare a variable, type or write a letter or word to use as the variable, followed by an equal sign.
5. Type or write a value or expression after the equal sign to assign a value to the variable.
6. Type or write the variable name in an expression or an equation to use it.

Note: Math Notes reads entries from top left to bottom right, so declare a variable (for example, x = 5) before you use it in an expression (such as x + 10 =). If you write an expression without declaring the variable first, you’ll get an error. Variable names can only contain characters from the Latin alphabet, and you can’t use variables in vertical math.

Use equations with two or three variables to graph in two or three dimensions.

Show results automatically or as suggestions

How your iPhone responds to the math problems you enter in Math Notes is up to you.

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button and tap Math Notes.
3. Tap to open a previous Math Note, or tap the New Note button to start a new one.
4. Enter text, or tap the Handwriting button and begin writing with your finger.
5. Tap the More button, tap Math Results, and then do one of the following:
   • If you want problems to be solved: Choose Insert Results. Answers appear automatically when you type or write a solvable math problem.
   • If you want suggestions to appear: Choose Suggest Results. When you type or write an equal sign or select a solvable math problem, a Solve button appears that, when tapped, inserts the answer.
   • If you don’t want any math results: Choose Off. Answers don’t appear when you type or write an equal sign after an expression.

Use a light background

By default, Math Notes uses a dark background, though you can switch to a light one.

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button and tap Math Notes.
3. Tap to open a previous Math Note, or tap the New Note button to start a new one and enter text or write.
4. Tap the More button and tap Use Light Background.

Notes can show lines or grids, too.

In Math Notes, you can insert a graph or overlay the graphs of multiple equations on the same two-dimensional grid or three-dimensional space to see how they relate.

You can graph in two dimensions or three, create a graph from an existing equation, modify a graph, and work with multiple graphs. It all starts in the Calculator app.

Here’s how to work with graphs in Math Notes in Calculator on iPhone.

Note: For written math and variable names, Math Notes relies on common mathematical symbols, select numeric systems, and the same operations as the scientific calculator.

Graph in two dimensions

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button and tap Math Notes.
3. Tap to open a previous Math Note, or tap the New Note button to start a new one.
4. Type or write an equation with exactly two undefined variables, with one on each side of the equal sign.

   You can include defined variables as well. For example, if you know a = 3, you can graph velocity = 0.5at^2. The graph’s y-axis shows velocity, and the x-axis shows t.

5. Tap Insert Graph in the menu that appears, then, if asked, tap to assign a variable to the x-axis.
6. Tap to select the graph and then do any of the following:
   • Reframe the graph: Swipe with two fingers to pan.
   • Zoom in or out: Pinch open and closed.
   • See coordinates: Touch and hold the graphed function. Move your finger along the line to see each point’s x- and y-value.
   • Move the graph in the note: Drag from the middle or an edge (not a handle) of the graph.

Every graph treats the equations you enter as y = f(x). That means the variable to the left of the equal sign goes on the y-axis, and the other variable goes on the x-axis.

Graph in three dimensions

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button and tap Math Notes.
3. Tap to open a previous Math Note, or tap the New Note button to start a new one.
4. Type or write an equation with a “z” on the left side of the equal sign and “x” and “y” on the right.

   For example, z = (x^3+y^3)/2.

5. Tap Insert 3D Graph in the menu that appears, then, if asked, tap to assign variables to axes.
6. Tap to select the graph and then do any of the following:
   • Inspect the graph from other angles: Drag from the middle of the graph.
   • Move the graph in the note: Drag the edge (not a handle) of the graph.

   

Create a graph from an existing equation

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button, tap Math Notes, and then open a Math Note with an equation.
3. Tap to place a cursor in the equation (without selecting text).
4. Tap the equation again to reveal a menu above or below the equation, tap the Forward button, and then do one of the following:
   • Make a new graph: Tap Insert Graph.
   • Add an additional graph: Tap Graphs, then tap Insert Graph.

Modify a graph

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button, tap Math Notes, and open a Math Note with a graph.
3. Do any of the following:
   • Change the shape of the function: Edit your equation. The graph updates automatically.
   • Resize the graph: Tap the graph and drag an edge or corner handle.
   • Adjust the axes: Tap the graph, tap the Graph Viewport button, and then swipe left or right on the numbers to make them larger or smaller, or tap Equalize Axes.
   • Zoom to the best view of the graph: Tap the graph and then tap Recenter.
   • Center the origin: Tap the Graph Viewport button and tap Center Origin.
   • Duplicate the graph: Tap the graph and tap the Duplicate button.
   • Recolor the graph: Tap the line or surface of the graph and tap the color picker to the right of the equation.

Work with multiple graphs

1. Start the Calculator app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Change Mode button and tap Math Notes.
3. Create a graph in two or three dimensions, as above.
4. Type or write another equation and then tap Insert Graph or Add to Existing Graph.

   You can also tap an equal sign of any equation you already wrote to add it to an existing graph.

5. Do any of the following:
   • Combine graphs in one grid or space: Tap a graph, tap the 2D Graph Settings button or the 3D Graph Settings button, and then tap the equation in the list that you want to add to the graph. A the Visibility button appears.
   • Hide a graph: Tap the graph, tap the 2D Graph Settings button or the 3D Graph Settings button, and tap the Visibility button to uncheck it.