See your iPhone notes in Notes on your Mac

Why it happens

Notes only appear on both devices when they're stored in iCloud. If iCloud Notes is off on either the Mac or the iPhone, or the two are signed in to different Apple Accounts, each keeps its own notes. Notes saved On My iPhone also stay on the phone and never reach the Mac.

How to fix it

1. On your Mac, open the Apple menu, choose System Settings and click your name at the top of the sidebar.

2. Click iCloud, then click Notes below Saved to iCloud, and turn on Sync this Mac. If Notes isn't in the first few apps, click See All.

   Apple Account›iCloud›Notes›Sync this Mac

3. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, and make sure Notes is turned on. The wording varies a little between iOS versions.

4. Check that the name and email at the top of Settings on the iPhone match the ones at the top of System Settings on the Mac. Both must be the same Apple Account.

5. Open Notes on the Mac and look for the iCloud section in the sidebar. Give it a few minutes on Wi-Fi to fill up the first time.

Still not fixed?

1. Can't see the sidebar in Notes? On macOS 26 choose View > Show Folders. On macOS 27 choose View > Show Sidebar.

   macOS 26 Tahoe Notes›View›Show Folders

   macOS 27 Golden Gate Notes›View›Show Sidebar

2. Some notes still missing? On the iPhone they may be in the On My iPhone account, which doesn't sync. Move them into an iCloud folder on the iPhone and they'll reach the Mac.

3. If your iCloud storage is full, new changes may stop syncing. Check how much is left in Apple Account > iCloud on the Mac.

   Apple Account›iCloud

4. Notes need an internet connection to sync. Check your Mac and iPhone are both online, then quit Notes on the Mac with Command-Q and open it again.

5. If your notes show on iCloud.com but still won't appear on the Mac after a restart, contact Apple Support. They can check your iCloud account with you.