What’s the Best Way to Use Google Keep App to Increase Productivity: The Complete Guide

Google has launched a simple, fast and colorful note-taking app in the form of Keep. It was caught as soon as it was launched, and for good reason. With a web-first approach, Google Docs integration, voice transcription, and OCR, Keep replaced the humble sticky notes forever.

Want to know how to bold, indent or search for your favorite notes? Not sure how to indent or add subtasks?

Let’s start.

How to Use Google Keep

Google Keep is easy to use. Google has done a good job of keeping things simple. Still, if you haven’t used a note-taking app before or just like a quick guide on how to use it and what all Keep has to offer, we’ve got you covered.

How to Indent in Google Keep

Anyone who has used other to-do list apps like Todoist knows this trick. Note that it will only work when you use checkboxes, not plain text in the note. Tap the ‘+’ icon to select the Checkboxes option.

Enter the primary task followed by another task. Now slide the second task to the right to place it below the first in a recessed position.

You can only indent up to one level and only one task at a time. Swipe left to move it back to its original position. Marking the primary task will automatically mark all subtasks.

How to Lock Google Keep Notes

There is no way to lock notes in Google Keep. You will need to use a third-party app locker to do this. Otherwise, anyone can open Keep to access your notes. There’s no encryption either. Keep is designed as a place to quickly jot down thoughts and delete notes when you no longer need them.

How to Share Google Keep Notes

You can collaborate on a single note using Google Keep. All changes will be reflected in real time on all sync devices. Useful when sharing information or managing lists. Tap the three-dot menu icon at the bottom and select Collaborator.

You can now send invitations by typing in the email ids of everyone you want to join. Press Save when you’re done to finish and send the invitations.

How to Undo in Google Keep

The undo feature was not part of the initial release. People have long wanted both rollback and version history. Finally, Google added the Undo feature in 2017. But the version history feature is still very lacking.

On a note, tap the back or front curved arrow just above the keyboard to undo or redo anything. Can not you see? This is because the option is only available until the note is closed. Once you do, there is no way to undo anything.

This is not convenient as users may accidentally close them or work on two or more notes at the same time. Seems like an understatement to me. There is no news about the ‘view edit history’ feature yet.

How to Make Text Bold in Google Keep?

Google Keep has no formatting toolbar, which complicates things. Unfortunately, there is no support for markups either. The only way to do this is to bold, underline, or italicize text from a different app or platform, and then copy it into Keep.

Keep will keep the formatting as is, but there is still no way to remove the formatting. Wait, there is a way. You can use the Ctrl+Shift+V keys on the computer to paste the text without formatting. It’s cumbersome.

How to Move and Organize Notes in Google Keep

Moving notes in Google Keep is very simple. Touch and hold the note you want to move, and then move it where you want it.

The same goes for computers. Mark the note with your mouse or touchpad pointer, click and hold and move it to the desired location. Other notes are automatically rearranged for you.

You can easily organize notes in Google Keep using the various available options such as tags, colors, and pins. Since there is no way to create folders, you should use the archive function instead. For that, swipe right. This will keep the home screen clutter-free with only notes you need to take care of right away.

How to Search in Google Keep

You can search notes by tags, keyword, reminders, lists, and colors. Based on your notes and their content, you’ll also see the option to search by food items, illustrated notes, links, and images. You can also search for text within images, thanks to the powerful OCR feature that comes with Keep.

Here’s a powerful trick. Add the # symbol before the keywords on each note. Then you can search for notes using only those hashtags.

Keep it Simple, Stupid

Google Keep is free to use without any limitations on storage. It integrates with Google Drive but is not limited to storage options. Google Keep is a powerful note-taking app with lots of useful features. I wish I could organize notes into folders. It would be great.

If you are looking for a feature that is not part of Keep, send feedback and request it in a future update. Why? Always submit feedback requesting a new feature, because if enough users request it, it will be delivered. This is how most app developers and teams work.

Next: Confused between Google Keep and Google Tasks? Find out what these to-do list apps have to offer and which one is more suitable for you.