Creating a note
Whether you're a brand new Google Keep user or perhaps you've been using this note taking app for many years and want to make sure that you can get the most out of Google Keep this video is for you because I'm going to go through every single feature so you know how to get the most out of Google Keep. (air wooshing) Hello everyone.
Scott Friesen here at Simpletivity helping you to get more done and enjoy less stress. And we're going to start with the notes section, of course, but we're also going to make sure that we know how to search, how we can use all of our labels,
and even get into some specific settings. So first things first, taking a note is right here at the top of the screen and by entering in our cursor we can start to take our brand new note. Now you'll notice that the cursor goes directly into the note field.
It is not a requirement for you to add a title. So if I select close at this point you can see that that new note is still very visible. And if I click on it, I could give it a title. Let's call this one Title 1 and I'm going to close it.
The title may actually appear a little smaller in this case because I don't have a lot of text, but keep in mind that a title is not a requirement. So whenever you have that idea or want to grab that new note,
you can simply enter in your cursor here. Now, we're going to go through the different details of what you can do within our note but remember that's not the only way
in which you can take a note. If you want to start with a checklist, we can check the checklist option. If you want to start with a drawing, you can choose that option as well. And last but not least, if you want to upload an image, you can do that here as well.
So you don't have to start with something text-based and then add these components. We're going to get into the details of each of these three in just a moment, but I wanted to point that out from the start.
Setting a reminder
So let's open up our new note here and go through the various options down below.
The first thing we will see is this remind me option. And by selecting this we have a few options available to us. There are going to be a couple of defaults which we can change within our settings. So if we want to quickly remind ourselves later today,
tomorrow, or next week, it's going to give us our default settings. But of course we can also pick a particular date and time. So if I want to be reminded tomorrow, for example and let's say I want to be reminded in the evening I'm going to hit save.
You also have the option to make this a repeating note as well, which can be great
if there's something that you need to do on a weekly basis, a daily basis, or some other interval. I'm going to hit save and it will declare or show that reminder right here within the note. You'll see in the top left hand corner of the screen we have an area for reminders.
So if we need to filter just our reminders that's where we will find that new note and anything else that has a reminder as well. But for our example, let's go back to the notes main screen.
I'm going to open up this note again but this time I'm going to delete the reminder which I can do by just hovering over that little icon.
But you may have noticed within the remind me icon there's one additional way in which we can set a reminder and that is by selecting a place. If I select this option
I can start to type in any address I want or maybe the name of a store. So let's say I'm creating a list of items that I need to buy at my local Staples store. So by typing in the word Staples, that's my nearest store, Now, what Google Keep is going to do on my mobile device is remind me when I'm within a close proximity of that address.
Now, I'm not exactly sure of the exact proximity that Google Keep uses for this reminder, but I believe it is roughly a half mile or a full mile in terms of when it will notify you when you're close to this location. Again, we can hit X if we need to remove that reminder.
Sharing notes with others
Next, we have the ability to add a collaborator and this is as easy as simply adding in an email address. Now, the collaboration functionality within Google Keep is very, very simple. Essentially you've given this other individual access to this note where they can do really anything with it including the ability to delete the note as well.
So you are truly sharing the note as equals. If you need to remove this individual,
all you need to do is click on their profile and then you can hit X beside their name and then hit save. But this can be a great way to share a list or to collaborate with others in a very simple manner.
Adding colors and backgrounds
Next, we have the ability to change the background color. So if you want to change what this note looks like, maybe I want to give it a bit of a dark blue shade and maybe all of my notes with a dark blue shade are going to be work related or they're going to be related to some other topic.
Of course, I can change from a variety of different colors or leave it in the standard white. Down below, you can also see
that there are some more creative backgrounds that we can add. So here is a recipe background perhaps, here's something else that is food related.
Maybe this is a little more fun related, so we can add that to our cards as well. So here you can see that this note really stands out with that background. You'll also notice that most
of these features are also available from the front of the note, so you don't always have to open up the note, but we can make those changes here as well. You may notice that you can actually add both a color but also a background as well
and that can be important. Later, when we get into the details of our search functionality you can see that we can filter by specific colors, but you cannot filter by specific backgrounds.
So if I want this particular note to be in the same category as this red note down below I would perhaps give it that same shade, but the background is more of a fun or creative way to make your notes stand out.
Adding and editing images
Next, we have the ability to add an image to our notes. So in this example, maybe I'm going to add my logo because perhaps I'm in the process of redesigning my logo.
And so I'm going to take some notes about what I like or dislike about this image.
You are not limited to just one image per note. If I select add image again, maybe I'll add this other element of my logo and now you can see I have both images added.
But that's not where it stops when it comes to images. If we do open up this note, you can see if I hover over either of them, we have this trashcan icon. So if we need to remove a note we can do so quickly and easily. But if I click on that image, we also have not only a full screen preview of that image and the ability to print that image,
we can also edit any of our images. So by selecting the edit option now I can take a pen for example and I can start to highlight the things that I don't like. Maybe I don't like the arrows at the end or maybe I want to highlight some other component
for someone to take a look at. It even gives us some more advanced options including adding rulers or dots or a grid if we're doing something a little more intricate. And at any time you can always choose the back, the undo and redo options.
Or if we come back to the top left and choose this second option we can choose to clear the page. So here I've removed all of my drawings. I think one of the most useful tools here within this page is that we can add a drawing. Let me just put a X between this for an example, and then in the top right hand corner we can say new drawing.
So what it's going to do is actually save the previous drawing that I just had and now I've got a blank canvas to start something else. I can start to draw something, attempt to draw my signature in some fancy way or do something else here if I'm sketching out an idea.
So a lot more power available to you here within the drawing world. We can delete the current drawing, we can export it as an image.
So a lot of fun features and helpful features here within the image options. And whenever you're finished you can come up here to the top left and hit the arrow
which will return you to your note. And here you can see that that image now has that faint little X in it which I added while editing.
Archiving notes
Next to our image, we have the ability to archive our messages. And where does the archive go? I'm going to select this, which is going to remove my note from my main notes home screen and I will now find it in the archive folder.
Now, nothing in the archive folder will automatically expire or be deleted. Things in the trash will be deleted after seven days, but within archive you can keep anything that you don't want to appear in your main notes screen.
This can be a very helpful way to keep this area current, up to date and more manageable, but still have access to everything in your archive. And yes, this is all searchable and filterable as well.
If you want to unarchive something, all you need to do is select the unarchive button beside it
and now it will be returned to the main notes screen.
Selecting multiple notes
Now just before I get to the more option here in the lower right hand corner,
I want to take a look at this check mark and also pin, which you will see on each card
including the ones that you hover over. So what we can do is select multiple notes at one time. So here you can see I'm going to select these first four notes and maybe I want to change them all to a single shade.
So now, in the top right hand corner I can come up and change my background options. I'm going to make them all a yellow shade, so this can be a very efficient way to make changes in bulk to multiple cards.
Or maybe I want to come up here and give them all the same reminder. Or maybe I want to archive them all at once. So that is what this check mark is doing at the top
of each note, you simply need to select it or any of the notes on the screen
Pinning notes to the top
and then you can apply those bulk actions. The other icon that you'll notice either when you're hovering over a note or when you're within a note is this push pin icon.
And this allows us to pin a note to the top of the screen. Here you can see that this note is now separated from all of the others on this screen. And I'm going to hit the pin for this one and maybe this one as well.
Pinning notes to the top of the screen is a great way to never forget those notes, but can also be used to prioritize certain notes
that you want to appear at the top. And yes, you can pin or unpin in bulk
Adding labels
if you need to as well. Lastly, when it comes to features within the note let's go to that more option. By selecting this, you'll see that there are seven options available to us.
First, is where we can delete this note. Second, we can add a label. By selecting this, we can either choose a label we have created before or maybe we can start a new one. So I'm going to say that there is a new label, I want a new label, and that has now been created for me.
It will also be listed here on the left hand side. Now, you're not limited to just one label per note. So maybe this is not only new but it's also related to work. So I'm going to select that option as well.
And if you want to remove the label you can either come back here and select change labels or you can come over here and select the X to remove the specific label that you like. Below changing and add labels, we have the ability to add our own drawings.
So just like I showed you within the image space if I select this, this will immediately bring me to the drawing space where once again I can start to create any drawing that I like.
We also have the ability to make a copy of this note and down below that we have the option to show checkboxes.
Using checklists
By selecting this, it will convert any text within our note into a checkbox. Now, within Google Keep, you cannot have a combination of checkboxes and simple text. It's either all or nothing.
So here is the standard note, but I can come here and say show checkboxes and maybe if I'm making that list at the computer store, I need to buy a new mouse and I also need to buy a new keyboard, I can start to create that checklist right away.
As you saw earlier, we can start with a checklist by choosing the new list option directly here from the top of the screen. But let's continue our example within this existing note. Now you can add as many checklist items as you like.
and as you start to check off those items you will see them crossed off down below.
If you want to minimize that, you can choose to do so. It will tell you how many things have been checked off and you can always expand it if you want to see the full list.
Keep in mind if you uncheck something it will be removed to the top. So this can be a great way if you want to repurpose a particular list. But there's a few other features we want to take note of here within the checklist area.
Let me move this one back to the top of the list. On the left hand side, of course, we can rearrange any of our checklist items, so maybe getting the keyboard and then the mouse are most important, I want to put that at the top of the list.
But we can also indent our checklist items. So for example, maybe I want to change this new note checklist and I'm going to create a section called computer tools. Here, I'm going to drag this to the top,
but now what I can do is click and drag and indent the keyboard and indent the mouse. So now they are a part of this master checklist at the top. Let me add just a few more items for our example here so you can see how it works.
By indenting certain items not only does it make it easier to read and group certain things together, but if I've already put the keyboard and mouse into my cart, I can come up here and select computer tools and now everything is checked within that category.
So it keeps everything nice and together. If I uncheck it, everything will be unchecked up above as well. So a nice time saving tip when it comes to using checklists within Google Keep.
Grabbing image text
Returning to our more dropdown, below the check boxes option. We have the ability to grab image text. Now this is only going to be available to you if you have an image attached to your note. In this case we do, and the good thing is we have some text
within those images as well. So I'm going to select grab image text and look what it's done. It's brought in two S's, attempting to mimic these two logos and then it's brought in Simpletivity as well. So this is a fantastic way if you are taking a picture
of something when you're on the go or if you've uploaded other things into your note
and you want to get all of that text into the note itself, you can simply select grab image text. Lastly, we have the option to copy to Google Docs. So if you have perhaps a lengthy note, maybe the start of an article or a blog post or a lot of information
you can quickly and easily convert that into a Google Doc by selecting this last option. Lastly, each note also has an undo and a redo button. So if you want to go back and maybe remove certain text or remove certain labels, you can quickly go back and forth with these options as well.
Using the side menu
(air wooshing) Now that you know everything about taking and editing your notes, let's take a look at searching and categorizing our notes as well. Let's first start in the top left hand corner where if we select the main menu option it will either minimize or maximize our options on the left hand side.
This can be a great way to gain a little more real estate on your screen and especially if you're comfortable with these icons. Of course, by dragging your cursor over it will automatically expand.
I'm going to expand it here for our case and notes is our first option, our main screen here within Google Keep. Next up is our reminder section where we're going to see a separation between a reminder which is past in this case, this has happened in the past.
and we will also see our upcoming options here as well. You'll notice if something has been past we can choose to mark it as done and that will remove the reminder and therefore remove it from this screen as well.
Down below you will find all of your labels. Here is the new label which we created just a few moments ago
and since I removed it, we have no labels here. But if I click onto some of the other labels here you can see what notes are listed.
And yes, things such as pinned or archived will be listed here as well. You'll notice that most of the ones that I have
in my example are archived, but it doesn't mean that only archive notes will be listed here. So for example, I'm going to come back to my main note screen and select three additional notes here and I'm going to come up here and apply the same label to them.
I'm going to make them all as work. Now you can see there's actually a third category, not only the one that was pinned and will remain pinned here. We have all of our other notes down below and our archive notes. So a nice clean separation
between those three distinct areas. Below that, we have a choice to edit our labels
either if we want to create a new label or if we want to edit an existing label. Down below that we have our archive which we've seen before. And then last but not least is our trash. And yes, anything in the trash will be deleted after seven days, but if we like we can go ahead and empty the trash right away.
Searching and filtering notes
Now while it can sometimes feel overwhelming to manage so many notes on a single screen, even if you are using labels, that's where the search feature comes into play.
By selecting our cursor at the top of the screen our display changes so that we can not only search by a basic text search but we can also use a variety of filters.
So if I type in the word simple it will actually bring a variety of different notes. Here you can see that I have a note that actually uses the word simple, but it is also bringing back these two notes because simple is a part of the image.
Even if you have not grabbed the text from that image Google Keep will search for any text within those images. Last but not least, as we look at this archive note you may think that it has made a mistake 'cause I don't see the word simple and I don't see an image that says simple.
But if I hover over this collaborator, you can see that his name is listed as Simple Scott. So yes, that is being returned as a part of the search results as well. Let me clear this out and quickly look at some of the other filter types that we can use as well.
So if you want to filter simply by reminders or checklists or images, you can do so. But keep in mind, in order to make use of any of these filters, we need to select them first. So I'm going to select images which will bring back all of my images, but now I can continue that image search by selecting simple. And now we only have these two returned.
You can see that we can also search by any notes that have a URL. So anything where I've included a link, it will be displayed as a part of the results. Down below we can search by labels.
We can also search by things and this is using some smart technology to quickly identify things such as food or groceries. Here you can see I have a list which is quite obviously a shopping list.
So this can be a quick and easy way for it to find things that you may not have thought of. Lastly, we can also filter and search by people or by specific colors, just not by those backgrounds.
Viewing notes differently
(air wooshing) Next, let's move to the far right hand side of the screen where we start with a refresh button. If you are frequently taking notes on your mobile device or other machines you can always select this option to make sure that all of your Keep accounts are up to date.
Next up, we have the choice to alter the way that we view our notes. Here we are looking at the grid view which we can still click and drag
and move things around into different orders. But we can also transition to a list view
which is more of a top down view where everything is in order. This view may be more preferred for people who want to prioritize or stack rank their notes into a particular category, but we can always return to the grid view
Settings and special features
when we wish as well. Lastly, let's select our gear icon and go to settings where we have a few other options where we can customize our Google Keep experience.
The first one is the add new items to the bottom option and this is pertaining to checklists. You'll notice here with this selected, any new item will be displayed below. If I was to uncheck this item when I'm adding a new checklist, that will always be apparent at the top of the list. So this really comes down to personal preference.
Next up is moved checked items to the bottom. (air wooshing) In my example, you saw that as I checked things off they are moved to the bottom of the list and I can even hide them if I want. But if we go back to our settings and let me de-select this option, don't forget to hit save down below. When I come here you can see
that those checked items will now remain within my list. So again, something else
that comes down to personal preference. Our third option is to display rich link previews. With this selected, you can see that I have an article here which is showing a preview of that image and the website where it's coming from.
But if you don't want to see these previews and you only want to see these links, all you need to do is come here and deselect this box. Lastly, if you prefer a dark theme and hit save you can convert Google Keep into that dark theme.
Below notes and lists, we have our reminder defaults for morning, afternoon, and evening. So when you are setting a reminder, you will recall that I had these times available to me.
Now pay special attention because what you change here is actually going to be attached to your Gmail account as well. So for example, you'll notice that my reminder defaults are 7:30, 2:00PM and 8:30. I'm going to hit save and jump into my Gmail account.
Here if I come over and select the snooze option, you can see that 7:30 and 8:30 are the default times that are being displayed here. But if I jump back to my Google Keep account and let's say I want to change my morning reminder time to 5:00 AM and I'm going to hit save.
Now when I return to my Gmail account and select snooze, 5:00 AM is the default time which is presented to me as well. So when editing these defaults within Keep, you may want to pay special attention as to where these will affect you the most either within your email account or here within Google Keep.
Last but not least, we have the ability to disable sharing.
So if you don't want to accidentally share your notes with anyone, you can come in here and uncheck this box. After hitting Save, you can see that that icon is still visible, but it has been grayed out so we can no longer share within this account. (air wooshing) So now that you know every single feature and function within Google Keep, I would love to hear from you next.
Do you still have questions on how to organize and set up your Keep account?
Be sure to let me know in the comments down below.
Thank you so much for watching, and remember being productive does not need to be difficult,
in fact, it's very simple.
