As your collection of Apple Notes grows on your iPhone, finding a specific entry can become difficult. By default, the Notes app sorts everything based on the “Date Edited,” meaning the note you touched most recently will always jump to the top of the list. If you use Notes for reference material, recipes, or project files, an alphabetical sort is often much more intuitive. Fortunately, you can change the default sorting behaviour globally across the entire app.
How to Change the Global Sorting Method
To change how the Notes app organises your files, you must dive into the main iOS Settings application rather than the Notes app itself.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down the main list and tap on Notes.
- Under the Viewing section, locate and tap on Sort Notes By.
- A new menu will appear with three options: Date Edited, Date Created, and Title.
- Select Title.
Once you make this change, the Notes app will immediately reorder every folder in your iCloud and local storage to run alphabetically from A to Z based on the first line of text in each note.
How to Sort a Specific Folder Individually
If you prefer to keep your general inbox sorted by the date you last edited a note, but want a specific folder (like an address book or recipe list) sorted alphabetically, you can override the global setting on a folder-by-folder basis.
- Open the Notes app.
- Navigate into the specific folder you wish to sort.
- Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the screen.
- Tap Sort By from the pop-up menu.
- Select Title.
This folder will now remain in alphabetical order, completely unaffected by the global sorting rules you established in the main Settings app.