Apple Notes is a lot more powerful than you think. Under the hood of its unassuming simple design, there are a ton of features that make it viable as a note-taking app. It might not have as many features as something like OneNote, but if you have an iPad, MacBook, or iPhone, it is more than capable of taking notes for your classes. One of the most important features any note-taking app needs to have is the ability to convert to a Portable Document Format or PDF. A PDF is a file format that is used to present documents in a standard format that is independent of various application software, hardware, and operating systems. Basically, PDFs are designed for viewing and printing documents rather than editing like you do in Microsoft Word. The Notes app has the capability of turning any of your notes into a PDF. Here’s how.
How to convert your notes to a PDF in the Notes app
- Tap Notes
- Find and tap the note that you want to convert
- Tap the Share icon located on the top right
- Tap Create PDF icon
You can choose where you want to save your file to. The options I have are either iCloud Drive or Google Drive. I like to save all my PDFs for school into my Google Drive so I can access it from any of my devices. The added benefit of being able to convert your notes into a PDF in the Notes app is that you can use the Markup feature to add any additional annotations. This is an easy way to use your stylus to add any additional notes that you may want to see on your PDF document. If you are looking for a simple note-taking app and are integrated into the Apple ecosystem, you should seriously consider using the default Notes app.