How to Use Sticky Notes for Mac (2024)

This article will show you how to use the Sticky Notes on a Mac and tips on optimizing and organizing them.

How Do I Use Stickies on My Mac?

Desktop sticky notes have been part of macOS for a long time, but it’s easy to confuse them with the Notes app. Sticky notes are created by the Stickies app, not the Notes app. Sticky notes allow you to jot down notes, but unlike Notes, Stickies stay on your desktop (the Finder app) as visual reminders.If you wish, there is a setting to have the sticky notes float over all other windows and apps.

Stickies is a built-in macOS application, so it’s already installed on your Mac. Here’s where to find the Stickies app in the Finder:

1. Open Finder by clicking the icon in your dock and select File > New Finder Window in the Menu bar.

   

   You can also open a new Finder tab while the desktop is selected by using the keyboard shortcut Command+N.

2. Click Applications in the left-hand side menu. Scroll down and click Stickies.

   

3. If you haven’t previously opened Stickies, you should see two sticky notes explaining how the app functions.

   

4. Start editing these stickies with your own notes or close them and create new ones by selecting File > New Note (typing Command+N on your keyboard also works).

   

5. Your note will automatically save and stay on your desktop until you close the Stickies app. If you don’t see your notes, make sure Stickies is open first.

   

How Do I Edit Stickies?

When you create a new sticky note, it will default to a yellow background with black text. However, Stickies has a number of format options to help you differentiate your notes.

Change a Note’s Color and Font

1. Launch Stickies. Click on an existing note or create a new one.

2. Select Color from the Menu bar at the top of your screen.
   

   See Also

   How to use Quick Notes on macOS Monterey | AppleInsiderHow to Access Samsung Notes on Mac - TechWiserKeyboard shortcuts and gestures in Notes on MacHow to Use Notes on Mac: A Complete User Guide

   

3. Click the color you’d like to use. Your note should automatically switch colors.

   

4. Click Font > Show Fonts in the Menu bar.

   

5. Choose a font type. You can also adjust font style, size, and other options from the Font menu.

   

   To format specific note text, simply highlight it and right-click. This will display a pop-up menu allowing you to adjust font type, weight, color, and more.

How Do I Arrange My Stickies?

Like physical stickies, your virtual notes can easily get cluttered if you use them a lot. Fortunately, there are ways to manage this so you can reduce screen clutter and keep better track of your important notes.

Arrange Stickies in a Specific Order

If you’d like to keep your notes grouped together under different categories, Stickies lets you set specific arrangement orders to help keep things organized.

1. Launch Stickies, select a note, and click Window > Arrange By in the Menu bar.
   

   

2. Choose from one of the following arrangement options:

   • Color: Arrange notes by color in reverse order of how they appear under the Color menu.
   • Content: Arrange notes alphabetically (determined by the first letter that appears in the note).
   • Date: Arrange notes by the date they were created. The most recent notes will appear at the bottom.
   • Location on Screen: Arrange notes based on their screen location from left to right. Under this arrangement, the leftmost stickies will go at the top.

   

Arrange Stickies in Stacks

Location on Screen in particular is a great way to arrange your notes since it stacks them neatly in the top left of your desktop. However, it also folds them into small bars that will cut off long sections of text. You can type Command+Z on your keyboard to undo this arrangement but it will only work if this is the last action you performed.

To expand sticky notes without using Command+Z, follow these steps:

1. Launch Stickies and click on a collapsed note.

   See Also

   How to use Notes on Mac

   

2. Select Window > Expand. Alternatively, you can press Command+M on your keyboard.

   

3. Repeat Step 2 for each note you’d like to expand.

How Do I Make Stickies Easier to Find?

Since sticky notes only appear on your desktop by default, they can quickly become buried if you have a lot of other apps and windows open. However, you can make your notes float on top of any window you have open so you’ll always see them.

1. Launch Stickies and click on an existing note or create a new one.
   

2. Click Window > Float on Top in the Menu bar. You should now see your note displayed on your screen no matter which app you’re using.
   

   

3. To make your note less obtrusive, select Window > Translucent. This will make your note transparent.
   

   

4. Select Window > Collapse to collapse your note into a small rectangular bar. To expand it, click the small box in the top right of the note or press Command+M.

   

   You can also double-click the little title bar of the Sticky to collapse it.

How Do I Save or Delete Stickies?

Your notes will save automatically in the Stickies app but if you’d like to access them elsewhere, you can export the text as a Plain Text (.txt) file.

1. Click on an existing note and select File > Export Text... from the Menu bar.

   

2. Type a name for your note, select where you’d like to save it, and click Save.

   

   You can export all of your sticky notes to the Notes app by selecting File > Export All to Notes. Open the Notes app and you should see your sticky notes under a new folder called Imported Notes.

3. To delete a note, click the small square in the top-left of the note and select Delete Note in the pop-up window.