Posted on 2 How To

How to Lock Notes on iPhone and iPad

Things to know before blocking Notes on iPhone and iPad:

  • Your iPhone and iPad must be running the latest versions of iOS and iPadOS.
  • You cannot lock shared notes.
  • Password protected notes cannot be restored if you forget your password.
  • Once unlocked, locked notes will remain unlocked for up to 15 minutes unless you remove the app from the background or lock it instantly.

The Notes app on iPhone lets you jot down your thoughts and add media files. Some may even go further to prepare for their work/school projects. Because the Notes app is a place where a lot of personal as well as work-related information can be stored, it’s a good idea to block them, especially if some of that information is sensitive.

How to lock a note on iPhone

  1. Open the Notes app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap and hold the note you want to lock.
  3. Select Lock note.
  4. Enter password. You can also enable Touch ID to lock a note.

You will now see a padlock icon next to this note. Because you just enabled the lock, it will show as unlocked, but when you open the app after a while, or open it after removing the app from the background, you will see a locked padlock icon next to this note.

Apart from this method, there is another way to lock notes on iPhone:

  1. Open the note you want to block.
  2. Tap on the three dots in the top right corner.
  3. Select Lock.
  4. Enter your device password.

Use a passcode to lock notes on iPhone

In iOS 16, you have two options for locking notes other than Face ID and Touch ID: use an iPhone passcode, or create a unique passcode exclusive to Notes.

Both of them have their advantages. Here is how you can change password to password.

  1. Open settings.
  2. Click Notes.
  3. Choose password.
  4. Now click “Use your own password”.
  5. Use your password or use Face ID/Touch ID to verify.
  6. Enter a new password.
  7. Then enter it again to check.
  8. You can also add an iPhone Notes password hint.
  9. Click Done.

You will see confirmation that the password has been changed. Click “OK”to confirm the changes. Now, whenever you lock new notes or try to unlock notes, you will need to use this new passcode instead of your iPhone passcode.

Locked Notes: Password vs Password

  • If you use an iPhone passcode to lock a note: To access the note on your Apple devices, you need to enter that particular device’s passcode.
  • If you use a password to lock a note: You can unlock the note on any of your Apple devices using this particular password.

How to change your Notes password in the Settings app on iPhone

  1. Go to “Settings”→ “Notes”→ “Password”.
  2. Tap Change Password.
  3. Enter your current notes password.
  4. Now enter a new password.
  5. Then enter it again to check.
  6. You can also add an iPhone Notes password hint.
  7. Click Done.

Reset Notes password

  1. Go to “Settings”→ “Notes”→ “Password”.
  2. Enter your Apple ID password. Follow these steps if you’ve forgotten your Apple ID password.
  3. Click Reset Password to confirm.
  4. You may be asked to switch to a device passcode. You can choose the appropriate one. Here we use “Not Now”.
  5. Enter a new password and click OK.

What to do if you forget your Notes password?

While there are ways to reset your iPhone passcode even if you forget it, there is no way to reset your notes passcode if you forget it. While you can still reset it, you won’t be able to access old notes with the new password and will only be able to access new notes with this new password.

How to open a locked note on iPhone

Now that you know how to lock notes, you will end up having to open them when needed. Here is how you can open locked notes on your iPhone:

  1. Open notes.
  2. Tap the locked note you want to open.
  3. Select View note.
  4. Enter a password or password for notes.

Instant note lock on iPhone and iPad

There may be times when you’re looking at your locked note and all of a sudden someone comes in, or you might have to leave them there and go somewhere. In any situation, you can instantly lock any note as follows:

  1. Open the note you want to block.
  2. Tap the unlock icon at the top.

That’s all! The note will be instantly locked and you will need to unlock it again.

Alternatively, you can lock your iPhone by pressing the power button, which will instantly lock that note. Keep in mind that this only works with locked notes.

How to unblock a note

  1. Open the Notes app.
  2. Tap and hold on the note you want to unlock.
  3. Select Unlock.
  4. Enter password/password.

Here is another way to unlock notes on iPhone:

  1. Open the note you want to unlock.
  2. Tap on the three dots in the top right corner.
  3. Select Delete.
  4. Enter password/password.

FAQ

No. You can’t lock shared notes on iPhone. Although you can block a specific page, media file or document to which they are provided.

Keep in mind that you can only block notes stored on your device and in iCloud, not those you’ve shared with others. You also need to make sure you have turned on the passcode on your iPhone or are using a passcode lock.

Go to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud and turn off Notes. This will prevent all notes on your iPhone from syncing with other Apple devices such as iPads and Macs.

That’s all!

Privacy is something we will always worry about. We have already made a guide on how you can hide photos and videos on your iPhone. If you still have any doubts or questions, let us know in the comments.

CDN CTB