How to Take Notes in Outlook (Web, Mac and iPhone)

To take notes in Outlook, open the Notes folder in Outlook on the web and click New Note. Notes work differently in each version of Outlook, though. Outlook for Mac doesn’t have its Notes module yet, and the Outlook app for iPhone doesn’t show notes at all.

This page covers each built-in option, where it falls short when you just want to jot something down, and apps that send quick notes straight to your Outlook inbox.

Ways to take notes in Outlook

Outlook on the web and Outlook.com: the Notes folder

This is the most complete version of Outlook Notes today. Notes here are sticky notes, and they sync with OneNote on iPhone and iPad.

1. Sign in to Outlook.com, or to Outlook on the web with a work or school account.
2. Open the Notes folder in the folder pane.
3. Click New Note and start typing. The note saves automatically.

You can format text, change a note’s color, and add a picture with the Picture icon or by pasting one in. To delete a note, select it, then select … > Delete, or hover over it in the list and select the delete icon.

OneNote feed in Outlook on the web

Outlook on the web also has a OneNote feed button on the toolbar near the top right. It opens a side pane with your recent sticky notes and OneNote pages, so you can add a note without leaving your inbox.

1. Click the OneNote feed icon.
2. Click + Add a note at the top of the feed.
3. Type the note, then click Back at the top left to return to the feed.

Notes you add here also show up in the Notes folder.

Outlook for Mac

In the current Outlook for Mac, Microsoft lists the in-app Notes module as upcoming. Until it arrives, open Outlook on the web in your browser and use the Notes folder there. You can also see your sticky notes at onenote.com/stickynotes.

Outlook on iPhone and iPad

The Outlook app for iPhone and iPad doesn’t show Outlook Notes. Microsoft puts sticky notes on iPhone inside OneNote instead:

1. Open OneNote and tap Sticky Notes at the bottom right.
2. Tap the + button at the bottom of the list.
3. Type the note, or tap the microphone on the keyboard to dictate it, then tap Done.

These notes sync with the Notes folder in Outlook on the web.

Email yourself a note

This works in Outlook on the web, on Mac and in the iPhone app: start a new email, put your own address in To, type the note and send it. It arrives in your inbox and stays searchable like any other email.

When you send an email to the same address you’re writing from, Outlook shows Note to Self as the sender instead of your name, so these notes are easy to spot as you scroll. If you send it to a different address of yours, such as from your work account to your personal one, your name shows as usual.

Start each subject the same way, for example “Note:”, so one search finds them all. If you want to finish a note later, save it as a draft and come back to it.

Save emails and meetings to OneNote

If the note is about a specific email or meeting, send it to OneNote. In Outlook on the web, open the item, select the Apps icon near the top right, choose OneNote, pick a notebook and section, and select Save. The OneNote add-in also works in Outlook for Mac.

Turn a note into a task with To Do

If the note is really something to do, make it a task instead. In Outlook on the web, open My Day, select the To Do tab, choose Add a task, type a name and press Enter. You can also drag an email onto the To Do tab to create a task from it. When you turn on the Flagged email list in Microsoft To Do, flagged emails show up there as tasks.

Which Outlook has which note option

Where did my Outlook notes go?

If your notes seem to have disappeared, they’re usually still in your mailbox’s Notes folder. Where to look depends on your Outlook:

• Outlook on the web or Outlook.com: open the Notes folder in the folder pane.
• Outlook for Mac: the Notes module isn’t in the app yet, so open Outlook on the web in your browser and check the Notes folder there.
• Outlook on iPhone and iPad: the app doesn’t show notes. Open OneNote and tap Sticky Notes.
• Sticky Notes: sticky notes sync between Outlook on the web and OneNote on iPhone and iPad. Sign in with the same account, or open onenote.com/stickynotes in a browser.

Where Outlook’s built-in notes fall short for quick capture

Outlook Notes are fine when you’re already at your desk with Outlook open. They’re slower when a thought turns up while you’re away from it:

• No notes on your phone in Outlook. The iPhone app doesn’t show the Notes folder, so mobile notes mean switching to OneNote or writing yourself an email.
• Every note starts inside an app. You open Outlook, OneNote or a browser, find the right place, then type. Nothing opens straight to a blank note from your Lock Screen or the Action Button.
• Emailing yourself repeats the same steps. Compose, type your own address, add a subject, write, send. Fine once, tedious many times a day.
• Voice and photos take extra work. Outlook can attach a recording or photo you’ve already saved, but it won’t record and send one in a single step.
• It depends on your version. Outlook on the web, Mac and iPhone all handle notes differently, so a habit that works on one device breaks on another.

Third-party apps for Outlook quick capture

These apps open to a blank note and send it to your Outlook inbox, or any other email address, without opening Outlook. Your inbox stays the single place notes end up. You just get there faster.

Quick Notes - Supasend

Supasend opens to a blank capture screen and emails whatever you capture to your Outlook address. That covers text and links, and also voice recordings, photos, files and document scans, which arrive as attachments. It has the most ways to start a note of any app here: Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, the Action Button, Control Center, the share sheet, Siri, Shortcuts, and a Safari extension that sends highlighted text along with the page link.

It fills the gap Outlook leaves on iPhone. A note goes from your Lock Screen to your Outlook inbox without opening Outlook, and voice and photos arrive in the same step. The same capture screen also sends to notes, task and bookmark apps, so a task can go to your task manager and a reference note to your inbox.

• Setup: add an email destination with your Outlook address.
• Trade-offs: iPhone only. Email goes out through Supasend’s email service rather than your own account.

Email Me

Email Me is built entirely around emailing yourself, and it’s strongest for voice. Record a memo and your Outlook inbox gets the audio plus a written transcription. It also sends text, links, images and whatever is on your clipboard.

It’s the one to pick if you want the same capture box on every Apple device. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac, with a Mac menu bar icon, and has a standalone Apple Watch app with complications.

• Send to several addresses, for example your personal Outlook and your work inbox.
• 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 Premium features.

Note To Self Mail

Note To Self Mail sends notes in the background from your own email account. It connects to an Office 365 account through Microsoft sign-in, with multi-factor authentication supported, so the note comes from your address rather than a service’s.

• 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.
• Trade-offs: photos, files, sketches, audio and scans need the Pro version. Its last App Store update was in October 2024.

For more apps that send notes to your inbox, see how to email yourself notes and the best note to self apps.

Which way to take notes in Outlook should you use?

• In the browser, including on a Mac: the Notes folder or the OneNote feed in Outlook on the web.
• Notes about one email or meeting: Send to OneNote.
• Something you need to do: a To Do task, or flag the email.
• Now and then on your phone: email yourself from the Outlook app.
• Often on your iPhone, with voice or photos: Quick Notes - Supasend. It’s the fastest route from the Lock Screen or Action Button to your Outlook inbox, and attachments come along.
• Voice notes with transcripts, or capture on Mac and Apple Watch too: Email Me.
• Notes sent from your own Outlook account: Note To Self Mail.

Outlook’s own notes are worth using if you live in Outlook on a computer. For capture on the go, an app that drops notes straight into your Outlook inbox does the job better, because Outlook on iPhone has no notes at all.

Outlook notes FAQ

Where are Notes in Outlook on the web?

Open the Notes folder in the folder pane in Outlook.com or Outlook on the web, then click New Note. The note saves as you type. You can also add a note from the OneNote feed on the toolbar without leaving your inbox.

Can I take notes in the Outlook app on iPhone?

The Outlook app for iPhone and iPad doesn't show Outlook Notes. Microsoft puts sticky notes on iPhone inside OneNote: open OneNote, tap Sticky Notes, then tap the plus button. Notes made there sync with the Notes folder in Outlook on the web. You can also email yourself from Outlook, or use a capture app that sends notes to your Outlook address.

Do Outlook notes sync to my iPhone?

Yes, when you use the same Microsoft account. Sticky notes in the Notes folder in Outlook.com and Outlook on the web also appear in OneNote's Sticky Notes on iPhone and iPad, and at onenote.com/stickynotes in a browser.

How do I send a note to myself in Outlook?

Start a new email, put your own address in To, add a subject you'll be able to search for, type the note and send it. To skip the compose window, use a capture app such as Quick Notes - Supasend or Email Me, which send a note to your Outlook address from a widget, the share sheet or Siri.

Why did I get a 'Note to Self' email I didn't send?

It's usually spam. Scammers can fake the From address so a message looks like it came from your own account, and it can show up as Note to Self. Check your Sent folder: if the message isn't there, you didn't send it. Don't reply, click links or open attachments, and report it as phishing. Changing your password and turning on two-step verification is still a good idea.

Can I send a photo or voice note to my Outlook inbox?

In Outlook you can attach a photo or recording you've already saved. Quick Notes - Supasend records voice and sends it as an attachment, along with photos, files and scans. Email Me sends images, and voice memos with a transcription on its Premium plan. Note To Self Mail adds photos, files and audio in its Pro version.