What Are Tags in Google Keep and How to Use It Effectively

Google Keep is one of the simplest yet powerful note-taking apps out there. I use it for a few reasons, especially for taking small notes. Google Keep is so fast that you can use it as a clipboard to transfer text between multiple devices. My only issue with this is that it doesn’t offer folders to organize notes like some note-taking apps do. To compensate for this, Keep offers tags. What are tags and how are they used in Keep? Find the answer in this post.

I organize my notes in different folders and subfolders. And the same is missing in Keep. Google Keep has tags for organizing notes, among other techniques. Tags are easy to use and help organize notes without folders.

Let’s jump into the world of tags in Keep and see how to use tags in Google Keep.

What are Tags in Google Keep?

Do you remember that notebook in school that had several sections for each lesson? Mathematics, Science, English etc. in each section. It had a tag to categorize and identify notes like

A similar concept is available in Google Keep in the form of tags. Using tags, you can organize your notes by topic, topic, priority, relevance, etc. You can edit accordingly. For example, you can have labels for personal and business notes, shopping lists, students, and more.

Tags can be accessed from the left panel on desktop, from the side drawer in mobile apps, or from within notes. Clicking a tag will filter your notes and show only those with that tag.

How Many Tags Can You Add to Keep?

You can create up to 50 tags in Keep. Each note can have multiple tags. Tags added to the note will be displayed below the note.

Creating and Adding Tags to Notes

Let’s check separately for desktop and Keep mobile apps.

Create and Add Storage Tags on Desktop

There are three ways to create tags. Follow the last 2 methods to add a tag.

Method 1: Create Tags Before Creating Notes

Open the Keep website and click on Edit tags on the left panel.

A popup window will open. In the Create new tag section, type the name of your tag and press the checkmark next to it.

Method 2: Create and Add Tags When Creating Notes Using Hashtags

You can also create a tag while writing a new note or editing an existing note. For this, on the note desktop, type the # hashtag that your hashtag fulfills. Make sure there are no spaces between the symbol and your label. For example, #work, #cars etc. When you start typing after the # symbol, you will see the available tags, if any. Click on an existing tag if you want to add it to your note.

Keep typing the tag name if you want to create a new one. Click Create tag name that appears.

If a tag has been successfully created or added, it will appear as a link inside your note. Clicking on it will show you other notes from the same tag.

Method 3: Create or Add Labels When Creating Notes Using the Menu

In the Keep note, click the three-dot icon of the note. You will see the Add tag option.

Enter your label in the available box. To add an existing tag, check the box next to it.

How to Create and Add Tags on Android and iOS

Two methods are available. Let’s have a look.

Method 1: Create a Label Before Creating Notes

On mobile apps, tap the three-bar icon in the top left corner of the Keep app. Select Create new tag or Edit at the top.

Enter your tag name in the Create new tag box and tap the checkmark icon to save it.

Method 2: Create or Add Tags Inside a Note

Open the note in Keep and tap the three-dot icon at the bottom. Select Tags. Type the tag name in the Enter tag name text box and tap on Create to create a new one. To add an old tag, select the box next to the existing tag.

How to Change or Remove Tags from a Note

Here are the steps for desktop and mobile apps.

Change or Remove Label on Desktop

There are two ways to achieve this. In the first method, open the note and hover your mouse over the label in a note. You will see the cross icon. Click on it to remove the tag from the note. Add a new tag as shown in the section above.

Another way to remove tags is to click on the three-dot icon of the note. Select Change tags from the menu.

Uncheck the box next to the tag you want to delete from the note. Select the boxes next to the tags you want in your note.

Change or Remove Tag in Mobile Apps

Open the note and tap the bottom label you want to remove or replace. On the next screen, uncheck the box next to the tags you want to remove. Select to add new tags.

Alternatively, tap the three-dot icon at the bottom and select Tags. Uncheck to remove or choose to add new tags.

Who Can See Your Tags?

Only you will be able to see your tags. Therefore, if you share your notes with others, they will not be able to access them.

Fly: Learn how to move Keep notes to another account.

How to Rename or Delete a Tag

On the desktop, click Edit tags on the left panel of Keep. In the Edit tags popup that appears, click the pencil icon next to the tag you want to rename. Save the tag using the checkmark icon. When you hover your mouse over the label, the icon on the left will change to a delete icon. Click on the tag to delete it.

On mobile, open the sidebar in Keep by tapping the three-bar icon at the top. Tap on Edit next to the tags. Tap the edit icon next to the tag. Rename it and hit the checkmark icon. Tap the delete icon to delete the tag.

note: Deleting a tag does not delete the notes in it.

How to Reorder Tags

Keep organizes your tags in alphabetical order. It doesn’t offer any other way to sort them. However, you can add numbers before your labels if you want to organize them according to your preference.

How to Create Alt Tags

Some of the Google Keep alternatives also allow you to create subfolders. You can achieve somewhat similar functionality using tags in Keep.

For this you will need to create tags in the following format:

• Main subject
• Main Topic/Subtopic 1
• Main Topic/Subtopic 2

For example, I have the main tag for Guiding Tech or GT. Subtags will be in the format GT/Article and GT/To-Do.

Organize Notes Effectively in Keep

Tagging your notes is just one way to organize your notes. You can color-code or pin your notes to the top for faster access. You can even archive notes to hide them from your view instead of deleting them. And the best part is that you can select multiple notes and edit them together.

Next: Do you love Google Keep? Learn how to use Google Keep effectively in the next link.