When you create a new note in Google Keep, the application automatically places it at the very top of your dashboard. Over time, as you create more notes, your most important data gets pushed further and further down the screen. While you can use the “Pin” feature to force certain notes to the top, you might want to organize the rest of your dashboard in a specific, custom sequence. Fortunately, Google Keep allows you to manually reorder your notes using a simple drag-and-drop mechanic.
How to Reorder Notes on a Computer Browser
Reorganizing your dashboard on a desktop or laptop is incredibly intuitive.
- Open your web browser and navigate to keep.google.com.
- Ensure your dashboard is set to Grid View (the default setting) rather than List View, as this makes moving notes much easier.
- Hover your mouse pointer over any note on the screen.
- Click and hold the left mouse button down anywhere on the blank space of the note (do not click directly on a checklist item or a link).
- While holding the mouse button down, drag the note across the screen. You will see the other notes dynamically shift out of the way to make room.
- Release the mouse button to drop the note into its new position.
Google Keep instantly saves this new sequence. If you refresh the page or log in from a different computer, the notes will remain exactly where you placed them.
How to Reorder Notes on the Mobile App
The process on iOS and Android smartphones relies on a “long-press” gesture.
- Open the Google Keep app.
- Find the note you want to move.
- Tap and hold your finger firmly on the note for about one second. You will feel a slight haptic vibration, and the note will appear to pop up slightly from the background.
- Without lifting your finger from the glass, drag the note up or down your screen to reposition it.
- Release your finger to drop the note into place.
The Limitation: Pinned vs. Unpinned Notes
It is important to understand that Google Keep maintains a strict wall between “Pinned” notes (which live at the very top of the screen) and “Others” (unpinned notes which live at the bottom). You can freely drag and reorder Pinned notes among other Pinned notes, and you can reorder Unpinned notes among other Unpinned notes. However, you cannot drag an Unpinned note up into the Pinned section. If you want a note to cross that boundary, you must explicitly click the Pin icon on the note itself.