The Apple Notes app on macOS is incredibly fast and syncs flawlessly across all your Apple devices, making it the perfect dumping ground for everything from long-term project ideas to quick grocery lists. However, because it is so frictionless to create a new note, your digital notebook can quickly become cluttered with dozens of random entries. By default, Apple Notes sorts everything by the date it was last modified. This means if you create a quick, disposable note today, it will push your critically important, long-term reference note further down the list, potentially burying it out of sight.
To solve this, Apple includes a “Pin” feature. Pinning a note forces it to remain permanently at the absolute top of your list, regardless of when it was created or last edited. This ensures your most vital information—like your Wi-Fi password, a daily to-do list, or a frequently referenced tracking number—is always instantly accessible.
This guide explains how to pin and unpin notes in the Apple Notes app on your Mac.
How to Pin a Note
Pinning a note is instantaneous and can be done from the main list view without even opening the note itself.
- Open the Notes app on your Mac.
- Look at the middle column, which displays the list of all your notes. Scroll through the list and locate the specific note you want to keep at the top.
- Once you find the note, click and hold it, then swipe right on it using two fingers on your trackpad (or a single finger on a Magic Mouse).
- A bright orange button with a pin icon will appear on the left side of the note. Release your swipe to activate it.
- Alternatively, if you prefer not to swipe, you can simply right-click (or Control-click) on the note in the list, and select Pin Note from the drop-down context menu.
As soon as you pin the note, the list column will split into two distinct sections. A new “Pinned” section will appear at the very top, housing your selected note, while all unpinned notes will remain below it in the standard chronological order.
How to Unpin a Note
Once a project is finished or a list is no longer relevant, you should unpin the note to keep the top of your screen tidy.
- Look at the “Pinned” section at the top of your notes list.
- Locate the note you want to demote back to the regular list.
- Swipe right on the note again (or right-click it).
- The orange button will now feature a crossed-out pin icon. Release the swipe (or click Unpin Note in the menu) to remove its pinned status.
The note will immediately drop out of the Pinned section and slot back into the standard list based on the date it was last modified.