How to Email Yourself Notes: 2 Ways to Capture Ideas and Links

To email yourself a note, start a new message in Gmail, Outlook or Apple Mail, put your own address in the To field, type the note or paste the link, and send it. It lands in your inbox like any other email, where you can search for it later.

Plenty of people already work this way. The inbox is somewhere you check every day anyway, it’s searchable, and it’s on every device you own. You don’t need a new notes app to start capturing ideas, links and things you want to read later.

There are two ways to do it. You can write the email by hand in the mail app you already use, or you can capture faster with a Shortcut or a capture app that sends to your inbox in a tap or two. Both end up in the same place.

Method 1: Email yourself manually from your mail app

The steps are nearly the same in every mail app: compose, address it to yourself, add a subject, write, send.

Gmail (iPhone, iPad and web)

1. In the Gmail app, tap Compose. On the web at mail.google.com, click Compose in the top left.
2. In To, type your own Gmail address.
3. Add a Subject you’ll recognize later, such as “Note: gift ideas for Mum”.
4. Type the note or paste the link in the body.
5. Tap or click Send.

The message arrives in your inbox and also sits in Sent. To find all your notes later, search for from:me to:me.

Outlook (iPhone, iPad, Mac and web)

1. Tap New mail in the Outlook app, or click New mail at outlook.com or in Outlook for Mac.
2. Enter your own address in To.
3. Add a subject, then the note or link.
4. Send it.

Apple Mail (iPhone, iPad and Mac)

1. On iPhone or iPad, open Mail and tap the Compose button in the bottom corner. On a Mac, click New Message or press Command-N.
2. Type your own address in To. Mail suggests it as you type.
3. Add a subject and your note, then tap Send.

Email yourself from another app

You don’t always have to open your mail app first. In Safari, Notes, Photos and most other apps, tap the Share button and choose Mail, Gmail or Outlook. A new message opens with the link, text or photo already in it. Address it to yourself and send.

Tips to make self-emails easy to find

• Start every subject the same way. “Note:”, “Link:” or “Idea:” at the start of the subject makes a single search pull up everything.
• Put the point in the subject. “Link: article on sleep and memory” is easier to scan later than “check this”.
• Use a label or folder. In Gmail, sending to a plus address such as [email protected] still reaches your inbox, and a filter can label those messages automatically. In Outlook and Apple Mail, a rule can move notes to yourself into their own folder.
• Keep one note per email. Separate messages are easier to search, file and delete once you’ve dealt with them.

When the native method gets repetitive

Email itself works fine as a place to keep notes. The friction is in getting them there, and it only shows up once you do it a lot:

• It pulls you out of what you’re doing. Opening the mail app means leaving the app you were in, and sometimes getting distracted by everything else in your inbox.
• Every note takes the same steps. Compose, type your address, add a subject, write, send. For one note that’s nothing. When you capture many times a day, it adds up.
• Capturing from other apps still means addressing a message. The share sheet helps, but you still pick your mail app and fill in the recipient each time.
• Voice takes extra work. Your mail app can attach a recording, but it won’t record and send one for you in a single step.

If you email yourself now and then, none of this is a problem. If you do it many times a day, it’s worth cutting out the repeated steps.

Method 2: Capture faster with a Shortcut or a capture app

Faster capture skips the compose window and the recipient field. You set your address once, then type, speak or paste and send, and the note goes straight to your inbox. There are two ways to set this up: a free Shortcut you build yourself, or a capture app that does more out of the box.

Option 1: Build a free Shortcut

If you’d rather not install anything, Apple’s Shortcuts app can do a basic version of this on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

1. Open Shortcuts and tap + to create a new shortcut.
2. Add the Ask for Input action and set it to text.
3. Add Mail’s Send Email action. Set the recipient to your own address, add a subject such as “Note”, and set the message to Provided Input.
4. Tap the arrow on the Send Email action and turn off Show Compose Sheet, so the email sends as soon as you finish typing.
5. Give the shortcut a name, then run it from the Home Screen, with Siri, or from the Action Button or Control Center on iPhones that support them.

It sends through Apple Mail, so your email account needs to be set up in the Mail app, even if you normally read mail in Gmail or Outlook. You also build and maintain it yourself, and it handles text far better than voice or photos. Test it with Show Compose Sheet on first, then turn it off once you know the address and message are right.

Option 2: Use a capture app

A capture app opens straight to a blank note with your email address already set up. Depending on the app, that can mean:

• Capturing text without composing a full email
• Sending a link or selected text from another app through the share sheet
• Starting a note from a widget, Siri, the Action Button or Control Center
• Recording voice, adding photos or attaching files

Capabilities vary a lot, and some apps that look similar don’t send to email at all. Every app below was checked against its App Store listing or official site to confirm that it delivers to your own inbox. The table compares them on what matters most: which app gets your note into your inbox with the least friction.

Prices are US App Store prices as of October 2026 and may vary by region.

Quick Notes - Supasend

Supasend opens to a blank capture screen and sends whatever you capture to your inbox: text, links, document scans, and photos, files and voice notes, which are sent with the email. It has the most ways to start a capture of any app here. That matters when the goal is fewer steps between noticing something and having it in your inbox.

• Capture from Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, the Action Button, Control Center, Siri, Shortcuts and the share sheet
• A Safari extension sends the page you’re reading without switching apps
• The same capture screen can also send to notes, task and bookmark apps, so a task can go to your task manager and a link to your inbox
• Setup: add an email destination with your address
• Trade-offs: iPhone only, and email goes out through Supasend’s email service rather than your own account. Supasend has soft sending limits
• Price: free download with a free trial, then a one-time Lifetime Plan at $11.99 (a Discount plan at $9.99 is also listed)

Platforms: iPhone.

Audio Notes | Email Me

Email Me is built entirely around emailing yourself. It’s strongest for voice: record a memo and you get the audio plus a transcription in your inbox. It also sends text, images, links and whatever is on your clipboard.

• Widgets, a share and action extension, Siri, Shortcuts, an Apple Watch app with complications, and a Mac menu bar icon
• Send to several addresses, with an optional subject prefix
• Setup: enter your address. You can also send through your own SMTP server
• Trade-offs: voice notes, AI transcription, the Apple Watch app, Siri and Shortcuts, multiple recipients, custom SMTP and unlimited sending are all Premium features
• Price: free download. Premium is $2.99/week, $2.99/month, $5.99/quarter, $12.99/year or $29.99 lifetime

Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch.

Note To Self Mail

Note To Self Mail sends notes in the background from your own email account, so they come from your address rather than a service’s. It’s set up for feeding notes into the email inboxes of task and note apps, as well as your personal inbox.

• Share and action extensions, plus a Siri shortcut for each address you add, which also works from Apple Watch and CarPlay
• Custom subject lines, text templates and several recipient addresses
• Setup: connect your email account (Gmail, a Microsoft work or school account, or your own mail server)
• Trade-offs: photos, files, sketches, audio and scans need the Pro version, and the app’s last App Store update was in October 2024
• Price: free for text notes. The Pro Version is $4.99

Platforms: iPhone, iPad.

Pensieve: Email Me Notes

Pensieve pitches itself as an idea inbox: capture a thought, and it’s waiting in your email later. It handles audio memos with transcripts, photos from a built-in camera, attachments, and a quick paste button for text, links and images.

• Pensieve Share sends from other apps, and the Apple Watch app emails you from your wrist
• Captures work offline and send when you’re back online
• Custom rules control how the emails are formatted, and you can send to several inboxes
• Trade-offs: no dedicated Mac app, and an optional subscription unlocks extra features
• Price: free plan with a capped number of emails. Boost ($0.99/month or $9.99/year) sends more, and All Access is $2.99/month or $24.99/year

Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch.

For more capture apps, including ones that send to notes apps rather than email, see the best quick capture apps and the best note to self apps.

Which method should you choose?

Use your regular email app if:

• You email yourself now and then
• The compose-and-send routine doesn’t bother you
• You don’t want another app on your phone

Try a Shortcut if you want fewer taps for text notes without installing anything, and you’re happy to set it up once.

Use a capture app if:

• You email yourself several times a day
• You want to capture without opening your inbox
• You save links and photos from other apps a lot
• You want voice notes delivered to your inbox

If you go with an app, Supasend is the best all-round pick and the best value for what it gives you: one one-time price covers every capture type, and the same capture screen also sends to notes, task and bookmark apps. Choose Email Me if most of your notes are spoken or you want a Mac or Apple Watch app. Choose Note To Self Mail if you want notes sent from your own email account, or if your inbox is the only place you send things, since it costs less up front. If price matters, try the free download or trial of each before paying.

Conclusion

Email is already a perfectly workable place to capture notes. Start with the mail app you use, and simplify the process with a Shortcut or capture app when sending each note becomes a chore.

Email yourself notes FAQ

How do I send an email to myself?

Start a new email in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail or any other mail app and put your own address in the To field. Add a subject you'll be able to search for later, type the note or paste the link, and send it. It shows up in your inbox like any other message.

Can I email myself without opening my email app?

Yes. On iPhone, iPad and Mac you can build a Shortcut with the Send Email action and turn off Show Compose Sheet, so it sends as soon as you run it. Capture apps such as Supasend, Email Me, Note To Self Mail and Pensieve also send to your inbox from their own capture screen, widgets or the share sheet.

How do I email myself a link from Safari or another app?

Tap the Share button and choose Mail, Gmail or Outlook, then address the message to yourself. If you do this often, a capture app with a share extension saves the addressing step: Supasend, Email Me, Note To Self Mail and Pensieve all send shared links straight to your inbox.

Can I email myself a voice note?

Your mail app can only attach a recording you've already made. Supasend sends voice notes with the email, Email Me's Premium features send the audio with a transcription, and Pensieve sends audio memos with transcripts. In Note To Self Mail, audio notes are a Pro feature.

How do I keep notes I email myself organized?

Use a consistent word at the start of the subject, such as Note or Link, so a search finds them all. In Gmail you can also send to a plus address like [email protected] and set a filter that labels those messages. In Outlook and Apple Mail, a rule can move them into a folder.

Will emailing myself remind me about the note?

Not on its own. A note to yourself arrives like any other email, so it's there when you check your inbox, but nothing nudges you later. If you need a reminder at a set time, use a reminders or task app instead.