Notes Tab
View, search, organize, and create your study notes from Home > Notes in Notesmakr
The Notes tab is where all your study materials live. It sits on the Home screen, next to Study Desk: Home opens on Study Desk by default, so tap Notes to see your notes. (If you haven't created anything yet, you'll see a first-run screen that lists every way to get started instead.)
What You See
The Notes tab displays your notes as cards in a single column, grouped under day headings (Today, Yesterday, a weekday, and then dates). The most recently studied or updated notes come first.
Note Card Anatomy
By default, each note card shows:
Type: A coloured header band with an icon and a label showing how the note was created: TEXT, PDF, AUDIO, SCAN, VIDEO or PROBLEM
Title: The main subject of your note (e.g., "Introduction to Photosynthesis")
Summary: A short preview of the note, when the note has a summary
Progress: A progress bar for the note
The header band also has a bookmark button.
You can switch on more details in Settings → Note Card Design: the last-studied time, a status pill (e.g., "Just Started", "Getting There", "Almost Got It", "Mastered"), and tags.
On the left edge of each card are punch holes. Long-press one to jump straight to an action such as Quiz or Flashcards. You choose the actions in Settings → Punch Hole Actions.
Creating New Notes
The New note button is your gateway to creating new study materials. It's a pill with a pencil icon at the bottom-right of the Notes tab.
The Creation Options
When you tap New note, Create a new note opens (a bottom sheet on phones, a dialog on iPad) with six options:
Enter a topic or paste text to study. The AI organizes it into study-ready notes.
Best for: Web articles, personal notes, textbook excerpts, copied text
Import and learn from PDF files (textbook chapters, research papers, lecture slides).
Best for: Academic papers, textbooks, lecture slides, ebooks
Transcribe lectures or podcasts into structured notes. Audio transcription is a paid feature.
Best for: Recorded lectures, podcasts, voice notes
Take photos or scan physical notes with your camera.
Best for: Textbook pages, handwritten notes, whiteboards, printed materials
Snap a question and get step-by-step solutions.
Best for: Math problems, chemistry equations, physics questions, homework assignments
Extract knowledge from a video.
Best for: Lecture recordings and educational videos
Each method is explained in detail in the Creating Notes section.
Organizing Your Notes
Search
Type in the search field at the top of the list to find notes by:
- Title
- Content
- Tags
Results filter as you type.
Order
Notes are listed newest first, grouped by day, based on when you last studied or updated them. There is no sort control.
Tags
Tags group your notes by subject, exam, or anything else you like. You can add tags when you create a note (the Tags (Optional) field). Tags can be nested with a path such as "mathematics/calculus".
Common tag examples:
- Subjects: Biology, Math, History, Programming
- Exams: Midterm, Final, Quiz 3
Filters
Tap the filter button next to the search field to open the Filter by Tags drawer:
- Tags: Show only notes with the tags you pick (you can search the tag list)
- Bookmarked: Show only bookmarked notes
- Shared notes: Show only shared notes
Active filters appear as small pills above the list, with a Clear tag filters option.
Note Actions
Tap to Open
Tap anywhere on a note card to open it in the study interface.
Bookmark
Tap the bookmark on a card's header band to bookmark the note. A filled bookmark means the note is bookmarked.
Swipe to Delete
Swipe left on a note card to delete it. You'll be asked to confirm in a Delete Note dialog.
Empty State
When you have no notes yet, the Notes tab shows No notes yet. with a prompt to turn a PDF, a recording or a page of text into your first one, plus quick ways to start.
Getting started tip: Create your first note with something simple, like a short article. This helps you get comfortable with the process before tackling longer, more complex materials.
Notes Tab Settings
Go to Settings → Note Card Design to adjust which elements are visible on each card and their order, and Settings → Punch Hole Actions to choose what the punch holes do.
Common Questions
Q: How many notes can I create? A: The free plan includes 5 notes and 40 AI generations, lifetime. AI features are free within those limits. See Manage your plan for paid options.
Q: Can I organize notes into folders? A: No. Notes are organized using tags and filters rather than folders, so one note can have multiple tags.
Q: What if I accidentally delete a note? A: Deletion can't be undone, so be careful. A confirmation dialog is shown before any note is deleted.
Q: Can I bookmark a note? A: Yes. Tap the bookmark on the note card, then use the Bookmarked filter to see only those notes.
What's Next?
Ready to create your first note?
Want to study an existing note?
Need flashcards for active recall?