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

iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro May Have 'Aggressive' Starting Price Despite RAM Crisis

Tuesday May 12, 2026 6:53 am PDT by
While the ongoing RAM chip shortage is leading some Android smartphone makers to increase prices, one analyst believes that Apple will take advantage of the situation with the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. In a research note with GF Securities today, analyst Jeff Pu said he expects Apple to outperform in the smartphone market by having an "aggressive pricing strategy" for the ...