Whenever I need to jot down a phone number quickly, the first thing you look for is a sticky note. Often I end up using the software on my Windows PC. Yes, Sticky Notes is arguably one of the handy features of Windows. Perhaps the best thing about it is its one-click access. Add a note, you can forget everything until you need it again.
Contents1. Sync with your Android2. Access Notes on the Web3. Set reminders using Cortana4. Search seamlessly5. Color coded notes for better organization6. Delete yourself from notes directly7. Use Outlook to restore deleted Sticky Notes8. Keyboard shortcuts for formattingUse sticky notes like a pro
Sticky Notes is lightweight and provides a useful way to bring all your important reminders and information together under one roof. The Windows 10 October Update gave this feature a much-needed boost, and now Sticky Notes has plenty of features up its sleeves.
Now you can do more than just add information. And in this article today, we'll explore all the tips and tricks (hidden or otherwise) to increase your productivity.
One of the newer features of Sticky Notes is its synchronization capabilities. This one lets you sync notes across various devices, including your Android phone. And the OneNote Beta app is responsible for that magic.
But before enabling synchronization, you must make sure that you have connected your Microsoft account to Sticky Notes.
Step 1: Open Settings by tapping the Cog icon. Scroll down until you see the Sync Now option and tap it.
If you don't have too many notes, synchronization won't take long.
Step 2: To join the beta program, open the OneNote app in the Play Store. Scroll down and tap "Join" under the Join Beta banner.
Joining the beta program can take 15-20 minutes.
Step 4: Once the process is complete, update the app. Once done, open it and you will see the fourth tab for Sticky Notes.
The initial synchronization may take some time. But once done, you will be able to sync Sticky Notes between phone and PC seamlessly.
Disclaimer :Applications in beta testing come with their share of bugs and problems. You should only join the beta program when you are sure about the risks of using a beta application.With cross-device syncing, you can also access Sticky Notes on the web. This is important when you are away from your PC or when working from another computer.
Again, the web version of OneNote allows this. All you have to do is visit the OneNote website (link below) and sign in using your Microsoft credentials. Then you can even add notes from the web, and the same will sync with other devices.
Visit OneNote Web
Some of us often forget reminders until the date and time have passed. And if you added a reminder on Sticky Notes, the lack of a dedicated alarm mechanism only makes matters worse.
Luckily, Microsoft has integrated Cortana with Sticky Notes to fix these issues. Not only does Cortana add it to your calendar, but you can also make the reminders repeat.
When adding notes, be sure to include details such as time, date, and day. Once the system recognizes it, the font will turn blue and an Add Reminder popup will appear.
Tap on it and set the reminder as per your choice and tap on Reminder. For this feature to work, you need to enable the Enable information option in the settings.
Apart from reminders, you can also make calls using Skype when adding phone numbers or opening websites when jotting down URLs.
Your sticky notes probably contain a dozen notes or more. In situations like this, it's quite a task to track down individual items. In such cases, use the search function to find notes with specific keywords and phrases.
The best thing about this is that the associated note(s) will jump right out - no need to hit the Enter key.
If all your notes look the same, it would be a bit boring. The ideal solution is to color code each note according to its title. For example, yellow notes can only be used for shopping reminders, purple notes for work-related tasks, etc.
To color code them, tap the three-dot menu and select a color. Note that the colored notes lose their tint when you switch to dark mode. Only a small sheen at the top will show with color.
Unfortunately, you cannot group notes of similar color (in the list) yet.
Do you often delete notes by accident? If so, it's time to add a second layer of security to protect the notes from the clumsy you.
To do this, click on Settings and enable the switch to Confirm before deletion.
Cool tip :To have Sticky Notes open on startup, leave it open when you shut down your system. The next time you start your system, it will be there.Even after accidentally deleting a note, there are several ways to restore it. One of the easiest ways is to use Outlook. Outlook Trash folder stores remnant of deleted notes for some time.
Open the web version of Outlook and click on Deleted Items in the left pane. All old notes will be neatly aligned.
Click on it and press Restore from the top ribbon. He will immediately appear in the list of parents. Simple, see!
If you cannot see deleted notes on Outlook, check other recovery options mentioned in the message below.
It is imperative that important notes stand out from a wealth of similar notes. One way is to add different formatting styles. Although they appear under each note, it is essential that you know the shortcuts to get your work done in the minimum amount of time.
With all the latest updates, Sticky Notes aren't just another set of virtual post-its. Now you can access them from anywhere and use them as an alternative reminder system.
Hopefully Microsoft introduces a way to archive notes as well as the ability to group similar notes under a nested list. Am I asking too much? I doubt ! With Microsoft often pushing out new and innovative features, we may see these features soon.
Next:Did you know that the Microsoft Launcher for Android supports many standard Windows features? Here is the full guide to Microsoft Launcher 5.0 if you decide to upgrade to this one.
