How to create a template and start new notes from it in Notes

Save the shape of a note you write often as a template, then start each new note from it with a title that fills in the date for you.

Level: beginner · Updated 29 Oct 2026

Before you start

You are signed in to Notes
A note you want to copy, or you can start from an empty note

What a template does

A template is a note that already knows how it starts: its body, its type, and what it is called. If you write the same kind of note again and again, such as a meeting agenda, a client call or a weekly review, a template saves you from starting from a blank page.

Create a template

Select Templates in the left menu.
Select New template.
Type a Name. Add a Description to say when someone should reach for this one.
If you can choose a Note type, pick the one you want, such as Document, Checklist or Meeting.
In Title of each new note, type the pattern for the title, for example Meeting — {{date}}. Two words in double braces are filled in when a note is made: {{date}} becomes the day's date, such as 2026-09-06, and {{time}} becomes the time, such as 14:05. Anything else in braces stays as you typed it, which is handy as a blank to fill in. A line below the box shows what a note made now would be called.
Under Tags on every note from this template, add tags if you want them.
In Start from, choose an existing note to copy its body, note type and tags, or keep An empty note.
Under Who can use it, choose Only me or Everyone at my company.
Select Create template.

Start a note from it

On the Templates screen, each template is a card. Select Preview to see what a new note will contain before you commit. Select Use template to make the note; it opens ready for you to write. You can also select New note from template at the top of the screen and pick one from the list.

Where templates live

The screen groups templates by who owns them: Built in templates come with Notes and cannot be changed, Shared with your company templates can be used by everyone at your company, and Yours are only for you.

Change or delete your template

On a template you own, open the actions menu on its card and select Edit template to change its name, description, icon, title pattern or tags. The body cannot be edited there. To change it, start a note from the template, edit that note, and save it as a new template. Select Delete template in the same menu to remove one.

Steps

Select Templates in the left menu.
Select New template.
Type a Name, and add a Description so you remember when to use it.
If available, pick a Note type like Document, Checklist, or Meeting.
In Title of each new note, type something like Meeting — {{date}}. The date is filled in when you make a note.
Under Tags on every note from this template, add any tags you want every new note to carry.
In Start from, choose a note to copy its body, or keep An empty note.
Select Only me, or Everyone at my company.
Select Create template.
On the Templates screen, find your template card and select Use template. A new note opens.

Troubleshooting

If a note is greyed out in Start from and says private, cannot be copied, then private notes cannot become templates; choose another note.
If Everyone at my company is unavailable, then you are not signed in to a company, so the template can only be yours.
If Use template is disabled on a Canvas template, then canvas notes are switched off for your workspace.
If you cannot find Edit template on a card, then it is a built-in or a colleague's template; only your own can be changed.

Still stuck? Contact support or ask in the community.

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