As a project, a course or a moving plan grows, it stops fitting into a single note. That's when you can add subnotes under the parent note. Each subnote is a complete note in its own right; in the side panel it sits beneath its parent, like the branches of a tree. Subnotes can have subnotes of their own, so you can break your topic down into as many levels as you like.
1
Add a subnote from the side panel
In Notes, hover over the note in the side panel that you want to add a subnote under. Click the + button (Add subnote) that appears on the right of the row. The new subnote is created with the name New note and opens on screen. To rename it, just click the title at the top of the page and type.
You can also add a subnote under a note that's been shared with you with edit permission. On notes shared with view-only permission, the + button doesn't appear.
Notes
Tags
Add note +
Search notes...
📅Weekly plan
🗂️Project notes+
📝Meeting notes
🛒Shopping list
📚Reading list
📝
Meeting notes
Status
In progress
Tags
Work×
Personal×
+
Linked event
×
19Oct
Team meeting
Type / for commands and Pumpy, @ to link a note
Notes panel · hover over a row for "Add subnote" (+)
2
Or type /sub inside the note
Type /sub on an empty line in the note. The command menu that opens shows Subnote, already selected; press Enter or click it. Pumpynotes creates a new subnote named "Untitled" and adds a link to it where you typed; you stay in the current note. Click the link to open the subnote; you can rename it there by clicking its title.
Removing the link from the text doesn't delete the subnote; it stays where it is in the panel. On a phone, the + button in the panel is hard to reach, so this is the easiest way to add a subnote there.
Project notes
Let's keep the meeting details in a separate note:
/sub
Subnote
Note body · the /sub command and Subnote
3
Move around the tree
A note that has subnotes shows a small arrow on its left. Click the arrow to expand or collapse its subnotes. When you click a note's name, the note opens and its subnotes become visible too. Click the open note again and its subnotes collapse.
While you're inside a subnote, a path at the very top of the page shows where you are, for example Notes › Project notes › Meeting notes. Click any name in this path to go back to that note. On the Notes home screen, a subnote's card also shows its parent note's name above the title, and the parent note's card shows its number of subnotes next to a small icon.
📅
Weekly plan
Work
🗂️
ADMY
Project notes
WorkIdea
📝
AD
🗂️Project notes›
Meeting notes
Work
Notes home screen · the parent note on a subnote's card, the subnote count on the parent
4
Drag to move and reorder
In the panel, grab a note and drag it onto another note. Drop it in the middle of that note and it becomes its subnote; drop it on the top or bottom edge and it's placed before or after that note. To move a subnote up to the top level, simply drop it before or after a top-level note. On a phone or tablet, press and hold the note briefly to drag it.
You can't move a note into one of its own subnotes. Notes shared with you can't be dragged either; you can only move your own notes.
Notes
Tags
Add note +
Search notes...
📚Reading list
📅Weekly plan
🗂️Project notes
📝Meeting notes
🛒Shopping list
📚Reading list
Notes panel · drop a note in the middle of another and it becomes its subnote
5
Delete and restore together with subnotes
In the panel, right-click a note and choose Delete. You can also delete it from the ⋮ menu at the top right of the note's page, or from the card's menu on the Notes home screen; on a phone, use these menus. Pumpynotes asks, "Delete this note and all subnotes?" If you confirm, the note goes to the trash along with its subnotes. Click Undo in the notification that appears at the bottom of the screen to bring them all back in one go.
If you change your mind after the notification disappears, restore the note from the trash; the subnotes deleted at the same time come back with it. If a teammate added their own subnote under your note, deleting the note doesn't delete their subnote; it moves to the top level in your teammate's panel. If you restore the note, the subnote goes back under it again.
Project notes
Delete this note and all subnotes?
Delete
Cancel
Delete confirmation · the note goes to the trash with its subnotes
If you want to mention a note in another note without moving it, you can use a link instead of a subnote: type @ in the text and pick the note. Clicking the link opens that note.
Frequently asked questions
Does Duplicate copy the subnotes too?
Duplicate copies only the note you selected; its subnotes aren't copied. The copy opens in the same place as the original, with "(copy)" added to the end of its name.
When I share a note, are its subnotes shared too?
Yes. The sharing setting covers every subnote under the note, including subnotes you add later. You'll find the details in Share notes, events and wallets.
How do I add a subnote on my phone?
Type /sub on an empty line in the note and tap Subnote in the command menu. To delete a note, you can use the ⋮ menu on the note's page, and to drag notes in the panel, press and hold the note briefly.
How do I find the subnote I'm looking for?
Type part of the note's name into the search box at the top of the side panel. The matching subnote is shown together with the notes above it, so you can also see where it sits. If its parent note is collapsed, just click the arrow next to it to expand it.
How many levels of subnotes can I create?
There's no limit. Subnotes can have subnotes of their own, so you can make the tree as deep as you like.
Which plans include this feature?
All of them. Subnotes are available on every plan, Free included.