Google announces rich text formatting for Keep Notes on Android

2 min readUpdated May 21, 2025Aug 25, 20237:32 AM

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Last week code was found within Android which revealed a feature in progress for Google Keep. This alluded to the possibility of adding rich text formatting to notes within Google Keep, a highly requested feature for those that use the app regularly.

However, as the discovery had not rolled out to any users yet, all we had to go on at the time were the screenshots and notes provided by by Mishaal Rahman on his X post. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long for official word, as Google has now announced via its Google Workspace Updates Blog.

In the official announcement, Google revealed that Google Keep will be gaining new text formatting options to notes on Android devices. The company cites the amount of users requesting this feature as its motivation for following through.

The new formatting options allow for users to customize notes by making text bold, italic, or underlined. You can also choose from heading styles like H1 and H2.

The new formatting options will only be available for new notes, although support for existing notes is expected to be added in the coming weeks. The rollout begins today for all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts, although it make take up to two weeks for the feature to reach all users.

To use the new formatting options, tap on the text you want to format and then select the desired option from the toolbar. However, keep in mind that text formatting is only available on Android devices, so if you open a note with formatting on a desktop browser or an iOS device, any formatting you had previously applied won’t be visible there.

Even though the addition of formatting options to Keep does not bring it up to the same level as more advanced note-taking apps such as Microsoft’s OneNote or Squid, especially when you can only see the formatting changes on Android, it is definitely a good start to a feature that has been so highly requested for such a long time.

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Questions & Answers

What specific text formatting options are being introduced for Google Keep notes?

Users can now customize text with bold, italic, or underlined styles. Also, they can select from heading styles like H1 and H2 to organise their notes more effectively on Android devices.

Are these new formatting features available for all existing Google Keep notes immediately?

Initially, the new formatting options will only be available for newly created notes. However, support for existing notes is anticipated to be added in the coming weeks, expanding the feature's utility.

Will the rich text formatting be visible when accessing notes on devices other than Android?

No, the text formatting is exclusively available on Android devices. If a formatted note is opened on a desktop browser or an iOS device, the applied formatting will not be visible there.

How long will it take for the new formatting feature to become available to all users?

The rollout for all Google Workspace customers and personal Google Account users begins today. However, it may take up to two weeks for the new formatting feature to reach every user.

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