{
  "slug": "apple-notes",
  "name": "Apple Notes",
  "maker": "Apple",
  "category": "notes",
  "verdict": "o",
  "answer": "Only if you turn on Advanced Data Protection or lock a note. Otherwise Apple holds the keys to the notes you keep in iCloud.",
  "title": "Is Apple Notes encrypted? Locked notes and iCloud",
  "description": "Apple holds the keys to your iCloud notes unless you turn on Advanced Data Protection or lock a note. Then only you can open them. Checked at the source.",
  "parts": [
    {
      "key": "note",
      "status": "o",
      "words": "Only you, once you turn it on",
      "note": "Advanced Data Protection seals your notes in iCloud but isn't offered to new users in the UK, and you can also lock single notes with your passcode or a password.",
      "sources": [
        1,
        2,
        5,
        7
      ],
      "label": "Your notes and docs"
    },
    {
      "key": "share",
      "status": "n",
      "words": "Apple can read it",
      "note": "Shared notes can't be locked, and are sealed only when everyone in the note has Advanced Data Protection on.",
      "sources": [
        3,
        6
      ],
      "label": "Shared with others"
    },
    {
      "key": "pq",
      "status": "x",
      "words": "Not yet",
      "note": "No post-quantum protection for notes announced as of 25 October 2026; Apple has added it to iMessage and to connections.",
      "sources": [
        8
      ],
      "label": "Post-quantum"
    }
  ],
  "extra_parts": [],
  "keys": "Apple holds the keys by default; with Advanced Data Protection only your devices do, and a locked note opens only with your passcode or Notes password.",
  "can_see": "Even with Advanced Data Protection on, Apple can see when each note was created, changed and last viewed, whether it's pinned or deleted, and whether it holds a drawing.",
  "business": null,
  "fix": {
    "title": "Turn on Advanced Data Protection, once",
    "steps": [
      "Update every Apple device signed in to your Apple Account to current software.",
      "Open Settings › your name › iCloud › Advanced Data Protection.",
      "Tap Turn On Advanced Data Protection.",
      "If you haven't set up a recovery contact or recovery key, tap Account Recovery › Set Up Account Recovery and follow the steps."
    ],
    "after": "Keep your recovery key or recovery contact safe: Apple can't get your notes back for you. New users in the UK can't turn this on. To lock a single note instead, open it, tap the More button, then tap Lock."
  },
  "fix_line": "Turn on Advanced Data Protection: Settings › your name › iCloud › Advanced Data Protection.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "can-apple-read-my-notes",
      "q": "Can Apple read my notes?",
      "a": "By default, it can read the notes you keep in iCloud. They are encrypted, but Apple keeps the keys in its data centers [1].\n\nThere are two ways to change that. Advanced Data Protection seals all your notes, so only your trusted devices hold the keys and Apple can't decrypt them [1][9]. Or you can lock single notes with your iPhone passcode or a separate password, which Apple says keeps them end-to-end encrypted [2]."
    },
    {
      "id": "are-locked-notes-end-to-end-encrypted",
      "q": "Are locked notes in Apple Notes end-to-end encrypted?",
      "a": "Yes. Apple says both ways to lock a note, your device passcode or a separate Notes password, use end-to-end encryption for iCloud accounts [2]. Its security guide says the note and its attachments are encrypted with a key made from your password [4].\n\nThere are limits. The title of a locked note stays visible in your notes list, and you can't lock notes with video, audio, PDF or file attachments, notes with tags, or shared notes [3]. If you forget a separate Notes password, Apple can't help you get back in [3]."
    },
    {
      "id": "are-shared-notes-encrypted",
      "q": "Are shared notes in Apple Notes encrypted?",
      "a": "Not end-to-end, unless everyone in the note has Advanced Data Protection on [1][6]. Shared notes can't be locked [3].\n\nSharing with \"anyone with the link\" is never sealed, even with Advanced Data Protection on [1]."
    },
    {
      "id": "apple-notes-uk",
      "q": "Can I seal my notes in the UK?",
      "a": "New users in the UK can't turn on Advanced Data Protection, so their notes in iCloud stay under standard protection, where Apple holds the keys [7].\n\nLocking a note is a separate feature. Apple's UK notice doesn't mention it, and Apple's help page for locked notes lists no region limits [7][2]."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "iCloud data security overview (published 5 January 2026)",
      "publisher": "Apple",
      "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/102651",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "How to lock or unlock notes on your iPhone or iPad (published 11 December 2025)",
      "publisher": "Apple",
      "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/102537",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Lock your notes on iPhone (iPhone User Guide)",
      "publisher": "Apple",
      "url": "https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-notes-iphf177bb154/ios",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Secure features in the Notes app (Apple Platform Security)",
      "publisher": "Apple",
      "url": "https://support.apple.com/guide/security/sec1782bcab1/web",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Use Advanced Data Protection for your iCloud data (iPhone User Guide)",
      "publisher": "Apple",
      "url": "https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-advanced-data-protection-iph584ea27f5/ios",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "How to turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud (published 17 April 2026)",
      "publisher": "Apple",
      "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/108756",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection in the United Kingdom to new users (published 23 September 2025)",
      "publisher": "Apple",
      "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-gb/122234",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Quantum-secure cryptography in Apple operating systems (published 28 January 2026)",
      "publisher": "Apple",
      "url": "https://support.apple.com/guide/security/secc7c82e533/web",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Legal Process Guidelines: Government & Law Enforcement within the United States (October 2025)",
      "publisher": "Apple",
      "url": "https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/law-enforcement-guidelines-us.pdf",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    }
  ],
  "changes": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-25",
      "text": "First published."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "icloud",
    "google-keep",
    "notion",
    "google-docs",
    "microsoft-word"
  ],
  "url": "https://isitencrypted.com/apple-notes/",
  "checked": "2026-10-25"
}