To copy everything in an iPhone note, open the note in the Notes app, tap in the body text, tap the same spot again, and choose Select All from the menu that appears. Then tap Copy, open the app where you want the text, touch and hold, and tap Paste.
These steps are written for iOS 26 and iOS 27 and work the same way on any iPhone that runs them. The text menu has looked slightly different across iOS versions, but Select All and Copy have kept the same names for years, so the steps also apply to older versions of iOS. They work the same way on an iPad.
Copy All of the Text in a Note
- Open the Notes app and tap the note you want to copy. If the note shows a padlock, unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or your Notes password first.
- Tap anywhere in the body of the note. A blinking cursor appears and the keyboard opens.
- Tap the cursor once more. A small menu appears with options such as Select, Select All, and Paste.
- Tap Select All. If you don’t see it, tap the arrow at the end of the menu to show more options. Every line in the note, including the title line at the top, is highlighted.
- Tap Copy in the menu above the highlighted text. The text is now on your iPhone’s clipboard.
- Open the app where you want the text, such as Messages, Mail, or a document.
- Touch and hold in the text field until the menu appears, then tap Paste. The full note text appears.
The copied text stays on the clipboard until you copy something else. Our guide on where the clipboard is on iPhone explains how the clipboard works and how to replace its contents.
Faster ways to copy
- Three-finger pinch. After you select the text, pinch in with three fingers to copy. Pinch out with three fingers in the destination app to paste. A small “Copy” or “Paste” label at the top of the screen confirms it worked.
- External keyboard. If a Bluetooth keyboard is connected, tap in the note, press Command-A to select all, and Command-C to copy.
Copy Only Part of a Note
If you don’t need the whole note, touch and hold a word until it’s highlighted. Drag the handles at each end of the selection to cover the text you want, then tap Copy. Double-tapping a word selects it, and triple-tapping selects the whole paragraph.
What Copies and What Doesn’t
Select All picks up the text in a note, and most apps keep basic formatting such as headings, bold text, and bulleted lists when you paste. Some things don’t paste cleanly:
- Checklists usually paste as plain lines of text without the checkmark circles, depending on the destination app.
- Photos, scanned documents, drawings, and file attachments may be dropped or pasted as a separate item, and some apps ignore them entirely.
- Tables can lose their grid and paste as lines of text.
If you need those items, send the whole note or export it instead, as described below.
Paste the Note on a Mac or iPad
If your Mac or iPad is signed in to the same Apple Account with Handoff turned on, you can copy the text on your iPhone and paste it on the other device a moment later. Apple calls this Universal Clipboard. Both devices need Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on and should be near each other.
If your notes are stored in iCloud, you can also open the same note in the Notes app on your Mac or at iCloud.com and copy it there with Command-A and Command-C.
Other Ways to Get the Whole Note Out
Copying is the fastest choice when you want editable text in another app. When you want the note as a file or message, use the Share button at the top of the open note.
- Send a Copy. Tap Share, choose Send a Copy, then pick Messages, Mail, or AirDrop. The recipient gets the note as it is now. Later edits to your original don’t update their copy.
- Export as Markdown (iOS 26 and later). Tap Share, then Export as Markdown, and save the file to Files or send it to another app. Markdown keeps headings, lists, and links in a plain-text format that many note and writing apps read.
- Open in Pages. Tap Share and choose Open in Pages to keep editing the note as a document.
- PDF. Tap Share, then Markup (look under View More if it isn’t listed), tap Done, and save the PDF to Files.
- Print. Tap Share, then Print, pick a printer, and tap Print. Our guide to printing from an iPhone with AirPrint covers the printer setup.
Apple’s Notes export and print guide lists the Share options for your iOS version. The options you see can also depend on which apps are installed.
If Select All or Copy Doesn’t Appear
- The note is locked. Unlock it first. A locked note shows only its title until you open it.
- You tapped an image or attachment. Tapping a photo or scan selects that object instead of the text. Tap on a line of text instead.
- The menu is cut off. Tap the arrow at the edge of the text menu to see more choices.
- Select All still doesn’t show up. Touch and hold the first word of the note, then drag the end handle down to the last line.
- Paste puts in the wrong text. Something else was copied after you copied the note. Go back to the note and copy it again.
- Nothing pastes on your Mac. Check that both devices use the same Apple Account, Handoff is on, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a “Copy note” button in iPhone Notes?
No. Notes doesn’t have a single button that copies the whole note to the clipboard. Use Select All and Copy, or use Share > Send a Copy to send the entire note to someone.
Does Select All include the note’s title?
Yes. In Notes, the title is just the first line of the note, so Select All highlights it along with the rest of the text.
Can I copy several notes at once?
Not with copy and paste. You need to open and copy each note separately. If you want many notes in another app, check whether that app offers an import from Apple Notes.
Will the copied text update when I change the original note?
No. Pasted text is a separate copy. Edits to the original note don’t change what you pasted.
How do I make a copy of a note inside Notes?
Create a new note, then paste the copied text into it. For more ways to organize notes, see our guide to changing iPhone Notes settings.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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