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The Note app can be used to create plans, to-do lists, and sketches. While simplistic, it has an admirable set of text manipulation. Not everyone decides to take the time to create a spreadsheet or format text because dealing with those extra options can seem time-consuming.
However, making a bulleted list is easy. Here’s what you need to know about Apple Notes bullets and some advanced tips for all your devices.
How to make vignettes on an iPhone
Taking vignettes on an iPhone can be a little strange if you’re used to Android phones. Apple Note has similar text formatting options, but they’re hidden in the toolbar. Fortunately, the steps to create a bulleted list are pretty simple:
- First, open your Notes app.
- Tap the icon in the bottom right corner to start writing your note.
- Press the “Aa” symbol in the toolbar at the top of the keyboard. If you don’t see the toolbar, tap the “+” symbol at the bottom right above the keyboard.
- Choose the bullet list icon from the options. It’s at the bottom left.
The “Format” (“Aa”) button also contains other options, such as a numbered or dashed (dashed) list. Unfortunately, you can’t change the appearance of the vignette.
If you want to create a multi-level list, there are two ways to do it:
- Use the “Format” button and select the indentation option, located at the bottom right.
- Slide your finger over the row you need to indent forward or backward.
When swiping, do so gently and do not press or hold before swiping. Otherwise, it will move the cursor or open additional options. A multi-level list is useful, but we don’t recommend it for full lists with long item descriptions. Indentations make the text difficult to read for later bullets.
How to make vignettes on a Mac
With a streamlined cross-platform design, Notes for Mac is a great way to transfer tasks to mobile devices. If you remember what you need to buy next time you go shopping, Notes lets you save it directly to your iCloud. Bullet points are the easiest to make lists, so here’s what you’ll need to do:
- In the Notes app on your Mac, click a note in the notes list.
- Type an asterisk followed by a space, and then continue with the text. Repeat for each new row.
If you already have a note that you need to convert to list form, here’s how to do it:
- Open the note in the Notes app.
- Select the text you need to convert.
- Select the Format (“Aa”) button.
- Choose the bullet icon from the list.
When creating a multi-level list, you can select the row you want to indent and press the “Tab” button on your keyboard or use “Shift + Tab” to backtrack the indent. This applies only if the text is already in bulleted list form.
How to make vignettes on an iPad
Taking vignettes on an iPad is the same as on an iPhone. Here are the steps below on how to easily format your text:
- Launch Notes on your iPad.
- Tap the “New Note” button in the top right corner.
- Tap the “Format” button (“Aa”) and then choose the list format you would like to use. You can choose between bulleted, dashed (dashed), or numbered lists.
If you want to create a multi-level bulleted list, slide a row to the right to indent it or to the left to go backwards. Alternatively, you can select indentation options on the Format tab.
How to make a checklist
If you use bullet points to review daily tasks, to-do lists, or purchases, then a checklist might be more effective. Basically, a checklist creates a bullet point that you can check off, but the format is slightly different.
Here’s how to make a checklist queue on an iPad:
- Open the Notes app and create a new note or open an existing one.
- Open the toolbar by pressing “+” if you are not already above the keyboard.
- Tap the “Checklist” button to launch the list. It has two lines, one with a small check mark and the other with a blank circle.
If you use a checklist in a new note, pressing Return (commonly the “Enter” key) will continue with a new checklist in the next row. Pressing Return on an empty checklist row will revert to a normal row.
Once you’ve made your list, you can tap the empty circle to check the item off your list. The first time you mark a checklist item as complete, your device will notify you if you want to automatically delete the checked (or flagged) items. If you choose yes, you can reverse this in settings. It may be best not to enable that option, as there is an easy way to do this manually. This is what you need.
- Press and hold a checked item.
- In the menu above the cursor, press the right arrow until you see “Checklist,” then select that option.
- Press “Delete Marked” to delete all rows marked with a tick. You can also “Uncheck All” to clear your checklist items again.
Additional FAQs
How to remove a bullet from notes?
If you already have a note with a bulleted list, you may need to revert it to normal text. Unfortunately, you can’t just hit the bullet option to reverse the text. The process is relatively simple, although not very intuitive:
1. Open the note and select the row you want to revert. Alternatively, select the full text.
2. Press the “Format” (“Aa”) button on the toolbar.
3. Select “Body”.
Fast as a bullet
Formatting text in Apple Notes is essentially very fast. However, there are a sea of possibilities to choose from, from drawing, scanning documents, making lists to complete tables, so an option as simple as making bullets can seem impossible to find. Bullet points are easy to create to organize your to-do or shopping list, and you can customize them quite well to improve your experience.
Do you have any other Notes tips and tricks? Share them in the comments section below.
