Learn how to search for images and scans in the Notes app on iPhone and iPad to quickly find a photo or a document you’ve attached to a note.
The Apple Notes app lets you search for items within images and scans you’ve attached to your notes.
So if you want to find that photo of your car in a note from last year or need the invoice scan you sent Mr. Jones, if it’s attached to a note, you can find it easily.
Search images and scans
You can use a keyword to find an object in a photo or a word in a scan that you attached to a note.
- Open the Notes app on your iPhone or iPad and go to a folder where you believe the item is kept, or use All iCloud to search them all.
- Enter your search term in the search box. And in case the search box isn’t visible on older versions of iOS, swipe down slightly on the screen to reveal it.
- The app should recognize objects in the images that you have attached. For instance, you can see in the screenshot below that I searched for “hills,” and that’s exactly the photos that were found.
You can enter a word to search for a document that you have scanned and attached. For example, in the screenshot below, you can see that I searched for “receipt” and Notes found the relevant entries.
Search for attachments with notes
Remember that you can also find notes that have attachments. For instance, you know that you scanned a document and attached it to a note, but can’t find that note. The steps below will help you locate it.
- Go to a folder or pick All iCloud.
- Tap the three-dot menu button, then select View Attachments.
- When you see the attachment for the note, touch and hold it and select Show in Note. You’ll be taken to the note containing the attachment.
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