How to fix Notes not syncing to iCloud on macOS
The great thing about Apple’s products is how well they work with each other. It can build apps that communicate perfectly so that you have a seamless experience on all devices. A lot of this works via iCloud which can sync data from Messages, Notes, and other apps between your phone, tablet, and desktop. If you have iCloud sync enabled, you can get notes created on macOS on your iPhone, and notes from your iPhone on your Mac.
If you’ve enabled iCloud sync but it’s not working for Notes, the fix is pretty simple. In order to fix Notes not syncing to iCloud, you need to access it in your browser.
Check iCloud sync
Before you proceed with the fix, as simple as it is, you should still make sure that iCloud sync is enabled for Notes on both your Mac and iPhone.
To check if iCloud sync for Notes is enabled on your iPhone, open the Settings app and click your account at the very top. Tap iCloud and make sure it is enabled for Notes.
To check if iCloud sync for Notes is enabled on your Mac, open System Preferences and select iCloud. Make sure Notes is checked.
You should also make sure that the notes you’re creating are saving to the iCloud folder in the Notes app and not to the On this Mac folder. Notes saved to On this Mac will not appear on other devices no matter what.
Fix Notes not syncing
In order to fix Notes not syncing, you need to do two things. The first is to turn off syncing to iCloud for Notes and turn it back on again. All you have to do is uncheck Notes in the System preference of iCloud, wait a few minutes, and then check it again.
Next, open Safari and sign into iCloud in the browser. Once signed in, click Notes and wait for the notes to load. Make sure that the notes that you’ve created on your Mac appear in Notes on iCloud. Once you’ve done that, they should start syncing to all your devices.
This is an odd fluke that happens on occasion but it doesn’t occur often enough for it to be classified as a bug. Notes normally sync within seconds since they’re often just text however, if you’ve added images to your notes, and they’re fairly large, make sure you give the note enough time to sync to iCloud before you turn your Mac off.
Thank you so much for providing this fix to get Notes to sync on my Macbook Air. I looked high and low for a solution and your tip to uncheck and recheck notes in System Preferences on the Mac and then syncing Notes in iCloud using Safari did the trick. May I suggest you pull that portion and make it a stand-alone blog post to make it easier to find? I am indebted to you for this!!! Thanks again!
None of this worked in my case. Also when I turned icloud notes synch off and back on on the MacBook, my notes ALL disappeared! 🙁
Now, after going into iCloud, I’m getting no love either.
So bummed.
Strangely, messages with my wife are syncing, but not with others.
Also, Facetime or making calls from Mac? Nope!
Very weird. This seems to have just randomly started. So confusing and upsetting!
You say “Next, open Safari and sign into iCloud in the browser.” OK, I opened Safari – How do I sign into the iCloud browser? I am hung there. Not obvious to me – yet.