Notes

Notes is the built-in note-taking app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. It handles everything from quick ideas to detailed project notes, with support for checklists, tables, images, PDFs, tags, and links between notes. Your notes sync through iCloud, and you can also access them at iCloud.com on devices where the Notes app isn’t available, including Windows computers.

Using Notes for Project Support and Reference

OmniFocus is where you track the actions and projects that move you toward your outcomes, and Notes is a natural place for the information that supports them.

You can share notes with others, and the information remains available after the related OmniFocus project is complete. Notes is also a good place for ideas that may become projects in the future, which keeps OmniFocus focused on the commitments you’re ready to act on.

Linking Notes and OmniFocus

This video shows how to link an OmniFocus project to a note, and the note back to the project, on the Mac. The steps for each direction are below, and they’re much the same on iPhone and iPad.

Linking to OmniFocus from Notes

A note can include links to the OmniFocus projects and actions it relates to, so the related item is only a click or tap away.

On the Mac

1. In OmniFocus, Control-click the project or action and choose Copy as Link.
2. In Notes, select the text you want to turn into a link (e.g., “Open OmniFocus Project”), choose Edit → Add Link (or press ⌘K), paste the link, then click OK.

On iPhone and iPad

1. In OmniFocus, long-press the project or action, then tap Edit → Copy as Link.
2. In Notes, select the text you want to turn into a link, tap Add Link, paste the link, then tap Done.

Linking to Notes from OmniFocus

As of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, you can link an OmniFocus project or action to any note stored in iCloud that isn’t locked:

1. In the note, click or tap the Share button, then choose Copy Link.
2. Choose Continue.
3. Paste the link into the note field of the OmniFocus project or action.

There may be a delay before the link is ready. Clicking or tapping the link in OmniFocus opens the note on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, as long as you’re connected to the internet. The note will be marked as shared, but no one else can open the note unless you give them access.

Integrating Notes and OmniFocus with Hookmark

On the Mac, Hookmark offers another way to link OmniFocus projects and actions to specific notes. Once they’re linked, Hookmark lets you move between a note and its OmniFocus project or action.

Automating OmniFocus and Notes with Shortcuts

When you’re working on an OmniFocus project, it’s often helpful to have a note for the ideas and reference information that support it. Create Apple Note for OmniFocus Project, from the Learn OmniFocus Shortcuts Directory, makes it convenient to create a new note for a project.