Read-only guards a note against a stray tap or keystroke. It is meant for reference notes you want to keep exactly as they are, not a passcode lock: anyone with access to your account can still turn it off in a couple of taps.
Turning it on
Open a note's actions menu (the ... menu) and choose Make Read-Only. On iPad, Mac, and the web app, a dedicated toolbar button also appears once a note is read-only, so you always have a quick way to see the state and reverse it.
What gets blocked
While a note is read-only, its editor will not accept:
- Typing or pasting text
- Checking off tasks
- Drag and drop
- Voice dictation
- The formatting toolbar and undo/redo
What still works
Read-only only blocks editing. Everything else on the note works exactly as before: pinning, tags, archive, trash, sharing, reminders, and export.
Turning it off
Tap the read-only button (or the actions menu entry) and confirm Make Editable. The confirmation step exists so re-enabling the keyboard is always a deliberate choice, not an accidental tap.
Where you can toggle it
The lock and unlock actions are available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web app. On Apple Watch there is no toggle: the watch simply respects whatever state the note is in, hiding the append and voice-note buttons and disabling task check-off for read-only notes. Flip the guard from your phone, Mac, or the web app instead.
Spotting read-only notes
A small read-only indicator appears next to the pin, share, and reminder icons in the note list, so you can tell at a glance which notes are locked. The read-only state syncs across your devices like any other note property.