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Google Keep has formatting – how to use it to create better notes

Google Keep’s newest feature – text formatting – is one that plays a big role in creating notes that are more complex and easy to follow. A small suite of options is added to the app and is very easy to use – here’s how.

Google has been teasing a formatting toolset in Keep for over a year. It was expected to take a while when it was announced, just not this long. As simple as it is, it adds a lot to the app. Rather than limiting users to basic text in a note, documents can now have a slightly more complex approach with bolded or italicized text, which can be easier to understand.

The new feature also adds headers, amidst the normal text option. In its current state, a “H1” and “H2” option are both available. With that, users can format bold, italicized, and underlined text to convey thoughts more easily, if needed. A big part of this addition is that thoughts can now be split into sections rather than separate notes with the same label. So much more can be accomplished with just a few new buttons.

How to format text in Google Keep

Formatting in Google Keep is simple. As long as you see a small “A” next to the color picker icon in the Android app, you should be good to go.

Note: At the time of writing, Google Keep hasn’t rolled the formatting feature out to everyone. That won’t be the case for long.

  1. In Google Keep, create a new note with the plus icon in the bottom corner.
  2. Tap the A symbol next to the color button.
  3. For text you’re about to type, choose between a header and normal text, as well as text styles.
  4. To change any current text, simply highlight it and pick your formatting options of choice.
  5. Clear formatting by highlighting text and hitting the clear format button, which looks like a “T” with a line through it.

Google Keep doesn’t need to add a formatting suite somewhere along the lines of Google Docs. Having a simple layout of several primary options suits the note-creation tool just fine. It’s easy to use and can be utilized on the fly, which is what Keep is all about.

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