For years the Samsung Notes app lay virtually dormant on my phone; occasionally used for the odd shopping list or two—that was until I discovered its full potential. Not only is the Notes app an extremely handy tool to have in the palm of your hand, but it’s also extremely user-friendly, and it’s honestly a pleasure to use.

Here are nine tips to help you get more from your Samsung Notes app.

1. Import Your PDFs

One of my all-time favorite features of the Notes app is the ability to import my PDFs. Once your PDFs have been imported into Notes, you can organize them, draw on them, highlight them, and even re-organize or delete their pages! This is extremely handy if you have a PDF textbook or a ton of ebooks that you need to get through or make notes from.

To import a PDF into your Notes app, make sure that you’re on the All notes screen and then navigate to the little + PDF icon. Next, simply select the PDF or PDFs that you want to import and then tap Done.

If you choose to import multiple PDFs at the same time, then they will be saved under one Note. To keep PDFs as separate notes, import them one by one.

2. Reorganize Your Note Pages

One of the latest features to be added to the Notes app is the ability to reorganize your notes with Page Sorter. This feature lets you add, delete, copy, and move the pages of your notes quickly and easily. What’s more, you can also use this feature on your PDFs.

To access the Page Sorter feature, open your Note or PDF, then head to the three-dots menu option in the top right-hand corner. From here, select Sort pages.

Each page of the note or PDF will now have its own little ellipsis in the bottom right-hand corner. Tap it to add, copy, cut, delete, or erase the page. Pages can also be moved around with a long press. Simply select the page you want to move, hold down your finger and then drag the page to where you want it to be.

To copy, share or delete multiple pages at the same time, tap Edit and then select your chosen pages. Next, tap either Copy, Share, or Delete from the bottom of your screen.

3. Create Folders

As you start using your Notes app a little more, folders make it easy to keep your notes organized.

To create a folder on your Samsung Notes app, head to the menu icon in the top left-hand corner of your screen and then select Folders.

From the Folders page, tap the ellipsis in the top right-hand corner and select Create Folder. Give your folder a name and assign it a color, and once created, you’ll see it added to the top of your Folders page.

To add a pre-existing note to a new or existing folder, head to All notes and then long-press the note you wish to move. At the bottom of your screen, you’ll see the option to move the note. Tap Move and then select either a pre-existing folder or tap + Create Folder.

To add a new note to a folder, tap the grey Folders icon underneath the title and select the destination folder.

4. Share Your Notes in a Variety of Formats

The notes that you make within the Notes app can be shared in multiple formats, including a Word doc, PowerPoint presentation, PDF file, Samsung Notes file, an image file, or a text file.

To share a note, you can either long-press the note from a folder or the All notes screen and tap Share, or open the note and head to the ellipsis in the top right-hand corner and then tap Share.

5. Assign Hashtags to Your Notes

Another great way to organize and find your notes is by assigning them hashtags. Hashtags can be used to group notes together by category or topic and can also be used to highlight keywords.

To add a hashtag to an open note, head to the ellipsis in the top right-hand corner and select Add tags. Type in the tags you wish to use, and then tap Save.

You can view all notes listed under a certain tag by heading to the menu icon in the left-hand corner of the All notes screen and then tapping # Tags.

To search for a note, tap the search icon at the top of your screen and begin typing your hashtag. Recent tags will appear beneath the search bar to help you find recently tagged notes more quickly.

6. Sync Notes With Microsoft OneNote

If you regularly use Microsoft apps such as OneNote or Outlook, then it’s worth syncing your notes with your Microsoft OneNote account.

To synchronize your Samsung Notes with Microsoft OneNote, tap the menu icon in the top left-hand corner of your screen and then open Settings by tapping the gear icon.

From here, you’ll see the option to Sync to Microsoft OneNote. Now you'll be able to access all of your notes within Microsoft OneNote on any device

7. Move the Toolbar as You Write

Typing notes on a small phone screen can be quite frustrating. While there’s not a lot you can do about the size of your screen, what you can do is move the Notes toolbar around as you write to give yourself more space and visibility.

To move the toolbar, simply press and hold, then drag it to another position on the screen.

8. Lock Your Private Notes

Locking your notes can come in extremely handy, especially if you like to jot down those PIN codes or passwords you always forget, are organizing a surprise party, or just value your privacy and like to lock your photos and documents.

Once locked, only the title of your note is visible from the All notes screen, and users will need to unlock the note using either a PIN code or fingerprint before they can access whatever is inside.

To lock a note, open it and then head to the ellipsis in the top right-hand corner. Tap, Lock. If it’s your first time locking a note, you will be asked to enter a passcode and confirm whether you’d like to use your fingerprint. Once you’ve gone through these steps, you’ll be able to lock notes with one click.

To open a locked note, tap it and enter your passcode or use your fingerprint.

To unlock the note permanently, head to the ellipsis again and, this time, tap Unlock. You’ll be asked to verify your identity one last time, and then your note will be unlocked. For security purposes, Samsung does not allow screenshots to be taken of locked notes.

9. Use Page Note Templates

Finally, did you know that there are dozens of great note templates available within the Notes app? That’s right, you can transform one page or all pages of a note into a lined page, a grid, a bullet journal, a list, or even a calendar. There’s also the option to upload your own image as a template if you’ve designed your own.

To use a template, open a new note or an existing note and make sure that you’re in edit mode by tapping the pen and paper icon in the top menu. Next, tap the ellipsis in the top right-hand corner and then select Page template.

From here, select the template you want to use and then select Apply to all pages if you wish to apply the template to the whole document.

Take Notes Like a Pro With Samsung Notes

If you’re a big note taker, then it’s time to give up the pen and paper and give digital note-taking a try. If you don’t enjoy Samsung’s own Notes app, dozens of other great note-taking apps are available in the Play Store.

While nothing will ever beat the feeling of a pen on paper, taking notes on your phone does have its advantages—most notably, the option to share your notes instantly, to secure them with a lock and pin, and to keep them on you at all times.