Outlook Notes for Android Help

What the app does

Outlook Notes for Android works with the classic Notes stored in a Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365, or Outlook.com mailbox. These are the same notes displayed in the Notes folder in desktop Outlook. The app does not import notes into a separate service; it reads and writes the notes in your Microsoft mailbox.

The first line of a note is always its title. Editing that first line changes the title shown in the main list and in Outlook.

Supported accounts

• Work and school: Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts managed by an organization.
• Personal: Outlook.com accounts, including addresses ending in @outlook.com and @hotmail.com.

Signing in

When the app opens without an account, choose Sign in. Microsoft displays the authentication page and handles your credentials. Outlook Notes for Android does not receive or store your password.

If you cancel, the main page remains available in a signed-out state. Choose Sign in from the three-dot menu when you are ready. While signed out, note commands remain disabled, but About remains available.

The account must grant access to Outlook Notes and mailbox category settings. A newly authorized account requests the permissions needed for both notes and categories during the main sign-in. An account authorized by an earlier app version may receive a one-time additional Microsoft consent prompt when a category command is first used. An organization can require an administrator to approve these permissions.

Choose Sign out near the bottom of the main menu to disconnect the current account.

The main note list

The main page shows the number of visible notes and the total number synchronized from the mailbox. Each row contains a note icon, title, and—when enabled—the last modification date and time.

• Search: Show the Search notes field. Results update as you type and include matching title and body text. Tap the small × to clear it.
• Filter: Choose one or more categories to show notes assigned to those categories. Clear removes all selections and closes the dialog.
• Sort: Sort by newest modification, oldest modification, title A–Z, title Z–A, or category. The last choice is remembered.
• Date and time: Use the clock button or menu command to show or hide modification times.
• New note: Tap the plus button, choose New note from the menu, or use the New note launcher shortcut.
• Refresh: Request the latest notes and categories from Microsoft. The app also refreshes at startup and periodically while open.
• Text size: Pinch with two fingers to enlarge list text. The default size is the minimum, and the selected size is remembered.

Sorting by category

Category sort displays a two-level list: category headings followed by their notes. Tap the carrot beside a heading to expand or collapse only that category. A note assigned to multiple categories appears once under each applicable heading. Notes without a category appear under No category.

The menu provides Expand all and Collapse all while category sort is active. Each category's expanded or collapsed state is remembered.

Selecting and deleting notes

Long-press a note or choose Edit list to enter selection mode. Checkboxes appear without increasing the row height. Use the master checkbox beside the count to select or clear all visible notes. When only some notes are selected, tapping the indeterminate master checkbox resolves it to a checked or unchecked state.

The menu identifies the number of selected notes before deletion. A confirmation prompt adjusts its wording for one note or multiple notes. Press Android Back to leave selection mode without closing the app.

Viewing and editing a note

Tap a note to open it. Use the pencil when editing is not already enabled. The title at the top is a label; edit the first line of the body to change it.

• Undo and Redo: Reverse or restore changes during the current editing session. Commands are disabled when unavailable.
• Print: Open Android's print service to select a printer or save a PDF.
• Share: Send the note text to an Android sharing target.
• Save: Write changes to Microsoft. Save is disabled until the note has changed.
• Discard: Leave without saving. If changes exist, the app asks for confirmation.

If you use Android Back or the X with unsaved changes, choose Save, Discard, or Cancel. When the editor was opened from a widget, leaving it returns to the home screen rather than the main note list.

Editor display options

Open the editor's three-dot menu to change the view:

• Show note color: Use the note's category color as the editor background.
• Word wrap: Wrap long lines to the available width.
• Extra space between paragraphs: Add about half a line between paragraphs without changing stored text.
• Reset: Restore the default body font size, word wrap, and paragraph spacing.

Pinch the body with two fingers to change its text size. The minimum is the default size, line spacing changes proportionally, and the title size does not change. Preferences are remembered between executions.

Categories

Tap the Categories area in the editor to open a scrollable list of every Outlook master category. Select any number of categories, use the master checkbox to select or clear the list, then confirm. Colored boxes show Outlook category colors.

The main menu also provides:

• Add category: Enter a name and choose one of Outlook's standard colors. The master category synchronizes to Outlook and can be assigned to notes and other Outlook objects.
• Delete category: Select a category from the list. The count reports how many synchronized notes use it. Deleting a master category can also affect its use with Outlook email, contacts, calendar entries, or To Do items.

A note icon uses its effective category color. A note without categories uses a white icon with a dark outline.

Home-screen widgets

Add Outlook Notes from the Android launcher's widget picker. Each widget instance has independent notes and appearance settings.

A widget may contain one note or a rotating stack. The title is left aligned. Use the left and right carrots to move through a stack. The n of m indicator shows the current position and opens Widget settings when tapped. Tap the note content or unused body area to open that note. Only the carrots and position text respond on the header's right side.

Long notes scroll inside the widget. Switching notes returns the new note to its first line without retaining the previous note's scroll position.

Widget settings

Notes

Selected notes appear in rotation order. Drag a move handle or title to change the order. Titles stay on one line. Choose Add notes… to open the selection page.

Select notes

This page behaves like the main list, with search, filter, sort, date and time, and checkboxes but without new-note, edit, or main-menu commands. Use the master checkbox to select or clear all visible notes. Return with the left carrot.

Appearance

• Font size: Choose a common point size for widget content.
• Font color: Select a standard or custom color.
• Note color: Use each note's Outlook color or choose one custom widget background.
• Transparency: Adjust the background from opaque toward transparent.

The app warns when font and background colors match. Choose Apply to save or Cancel to leave settings unchanged.

Synchronization, caching, and conflicts

Notes are cached on the device so the latest synchronized list appears immediately at startup. Modification dates determine which items need refreshing. Changes made in Outlook on Windows are retrieved during refresh, and saved Android changes are sent back to the mailbox.

Before saving, the editor checks whether the server copy changed after the note was opened. If another device has a newer version, the app reports a conflict rather than silently replacing it. Refresh and reopen the note before applying the intended changes.

The app normalizes line endings and removes hidden HTML comments returned with note content so repeated edits do not accumulate extra blank lines or expose Outlook metadata.

Permissions and troubleshooting

• Internet: Required to authenticate and synchronize with Microsoft.
• Microphone: Allows Android voice input when a keyboard or voice prompt requires audio. It is not used to record note audio.
• Category authorization: If categories are missing, complete Microsoft consent and refresh. An organizational administrator may need to approve access.
• USB debugging: Needed only to install or test a development build from Android Studio, not for normal use.

If notes do not update

1. Confirm the phone has an internet connection.
2. Choose Refresh.
3. Verify Android and Outlook use the same Microsoft account.
4. Sign out and sign in again if authorization expired or permissions changed.

If a widget is out of date

Open the app and refresh. If a selected note was deleted or is unavailable, tap the position indicator and update the widget's selection.

Classic Outlook Notes currently use a Microsoft Graph beta interface. A Microsoft service change may require an app update.