# How to use sticky notes on a Mac > A Mac has a built in sticky notes app called Stickies. How to make a note, change its color, make it float on top, and what happens when you close the app. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/sticky-notes-on-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. A Mac includes Stickies, an app that keeps notes, lists and pictures as sticky notes on your desktop. In Stickies, choose File, then New Note, and type. Apple's guide says your content is saved automatically. You see the notes whenever the Stickies app is open. ## Make a note 1. Open the Stickies app. 2. Choose File, then New Note. 3. Type in the note. Apple says what you type is saved automatically, so there is no save step. Apple adds that when a note is collapsed, its first line shows in the title bar. Double click the title bar to collapse or expand a note. ## Change how it looks Apple's guide lists these: - **Color.** Use the Color menu to change the note's color. - **Font.** Use the Font menu to change the text. - **Translucent.** In the Window menu, choose Translucent to see through the note. - **Float on Top.** In the Window menu, choose Float on Top to keep the note above other windows. - **Use as Default.** In the Window menu, choose Use as Default to use the current note's look for new notes. ## Add a picture or PDF Apple says you can drag a file into a note to add a picture or PDF, and use Markup tools to crop, rotate or draw on it. ## Make a list Apple says to press Option and Tab to start a list, press Return after each item, and press Return twice at the end to go back to a normal paragraph. ## When the app is closed Apple's guide says you see the notes whenever Stickies is open. When it is closed, the notes do not appear on the desktop. To keep them visible, leave Stickies running. ## Move notes into Notes Apple says File, then Export All to Notes, moves all your notes into the Notes app, sorted into folders by color. The notes stay in Stickies too. ## Stickies or Quick Note - **Stickies** keeps several visible notes on your desktop. Good for a few reminders you want to see all day. - **Quick Note** is part of the Notes app, opens from the Fn or Globe and Q shortcut or the bottom right hot corner, and files each note in the Quick Notes folder. See [how to use Quick Note](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-use-quick-notes-on-mac/). ## What neither does Neither Apple tool lives in the notch. If you want one small scratchpad that opens when you hover the notch, NotchStar's [Quick Notes](https://www.notchstar.com/features/quick-notes/) is a single plain text note. It has no colors, no list of notes and no sync. ## Where the notes live Apple's guide covers using the notes, not their file location, so this page does not give one. For Apple's other note tool, see [where Quick Notes are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-are-quick-notes-saved-on-mac/) and the [Quick Note shortcut](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/quick-notes-shortcut-mac/). ## Keep reading. - [How to use Quick Note on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-use-quick-notes-on-mac/): Start a Quick Note with Fn or Globe and Q, or the bottom right hot corner. Where the notes are saved, how to start a fresh one, and how to add from Safari. - [Where are Quick Notes saved on a Mac?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-are-quick-notes-saved-on-mac/): Apple Quick Notes are saved in the Quick Notes folder inside the Notes app. How to open it, and how that differs from a scratchpad in the notch. - [Quick Note keyboard shortcut on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/quick-notes-shortcut-mac/): The Quick Note shortcut on a Mac is Fn or Globe plus Q. What it does, how it differs from the hot corner, and what Apple says about changing it. - [A scratchpad that is always one hover away](https://www.notchstar.com/features/quick-notes/): A plain text scratchpad in the notch that saves as you type. Jot down a number, a name or a to do without opening another app. ## More in Notes. - [How to use Quick Note on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-use-quick-notes-on-mac/): Start a Quick Note with Fn or Globe and Q, or the bottom right hot corner. Where the notes are saved, how to start a fresh one, and how to add from Safari. - [How to turn off the Quick Note hot corner on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/turn-off-quick-note-hot-corner-mac/): The bottom right corner opens Quick Note by default. Change it in System Settings under Desktop and Dock, then Hot Corners, by picking another action. - [Quick Note keyboard shortcut on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/quick-notes-shortcut-mac/): The Quick Note shortcut on a Mac is Fn or Globe plus Q. What it does, how it differs from the hot corner, and what Apple says about changing it. - [Where are Quick Notes saved on a Mac?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-are-quick-notes-saved-on-mac/): Apple Quick Notes are saved in the Quick Notes folder inside the Notes app. How to open it, and how that differs from a scratchpad in the notch.