How to Change the Background Color of Notes on iPhone and iPad - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Change the Background Color of Notes on iPhone and iPad

by

In iOS, you can set the system appearance to Dark or Light Mode, which changes the look of every native app on your Apple device, including Notes. If you set your iPhone or iPad to Dark Mode, for example, each note in the Notes app appears by default as white text on a black background.

light-dark-mode
However, Apple Notes also allows you to switch the background color of individual notes or all of your notes when you're using ‌Dark Mode‌. This means you can make notes appear as black text on a white background, regardless of what system appearance mode you're using. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

How to Change the Background Color of a Specific Note on iPhone and iPad

  1. Launch the Notes app on your iOS device.
  2. Create a note and start typing your note, or select an existing one from the list. (Bear in mind that you won't see the option to change the background for a note unless you type something in it.)
  3. Tap the icon showing three encircled dots in the top-right corner of the note.
    notes

  4. Scroll down the actions menu that appears, then tap Use Light Background.
    notes

How to Change the Background Color of All Notes on iPhone and iPad

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or ‌iPad‌.
  2. Scroll down and tap Notes.
  3. Scroll down and tap Note Backgrounds.
  4. Select Dark or Light.
    settings

Bear in mind that the Note app's main menu will continue to use your system-wide appearance setting, despite what background you choose for your notes.

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. CarPlay Ultra...
iphone 18 pro blue%402x

iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:18 am PDT by
Update: Since publication, new information has come to light suggesting the images have been AI-manipulated and are not in fact iPhone 18 Pro chassis parts. The original article follows. The color options Apple is reportedly planning for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max have appeared online today in the form of images of chassis parts of unknown authenticity....
iOS 27 All the New App Features

iOS 27: All the Rumored App Features

Wednesday June 3, 2026 3:48 pm PDT by
Siri is getting a major overhaul in iOS 27, but Apple also has some big updates planned for apps like Camera, Photos, and Wallet. There are multiple new AI features in the works, plus some non-AI upgrades. Camera Apple is moving Visual Intelligence from the Camera Control button to the Camera app in iOS 27, according to Bloomberg. There will be a Siri mode that will be available alongside...