Though Google Keep is about a decade old, it’s experiencing a resurgence in popularity. While even more organizational and list-taking apps have emerged, Google Keep has some standout features that set it apart. Keep is a free, minimalist tool that simplifies the process of sharing information across devices and platforms. Perhaps you haven’t tried Google Keep yet - or maybe you’re not even familiar with it, as lots of other options are out there - but it’s time. In this post we are covering not only the impact of Google Keep, but the best ways to use it and how to take advantage of a browser for increased performance. Install Shift as your browser to combine the power of Google Keep with Shift’s productivity-focused design.

What is Google Keep?

Google Keep is a note-taking and productivity application developed by Google. It’s essentially their version of a note-taking app, but with a lot more. Going far beyond checklists or jotting down quick notes, Keep offers a user-friendly experience that automatically syncs with other Google products. You can access Keep from any device where you have a Google account, whether that's your computer, a phone, or a tablet. It’s built right into Gmail, and you can record plain-text notes and organize, edit, or share them with others using a suite of collaboration tools. Other features include the ability to create voice notes, set reminders, and sync notes to other programs. Google Keep can be used in any web browser, or you can download the app on your Android or iOS device, or get the extension for Chrome.

Here is what users say they love about using Google Keep:

Intuitive interface

With an easy and user-friendly interface, it’s easy to create and organize notes. The overall experience is simple to learn and navigate, so that you can complete the tasks you need to efficiently, and find notes quickly later on.

Cross-platform compatibility

Keep is available on multiple platforms, including web, Android, and iOS devices. Users can access their notes from anywhere, using any device, as long as they have an internet connection. Obviously this is particularly beneficial for people who bounce between a laptop and phone, or phone and tablet, throughout the day.

Integration with other Google services

Since Keep is a Google product, it seamlessly integrates with other platforms like Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Drive. You can easily add reminders from Keep to your Calendar or save notes to your Drive, and it’s much easier to collaborate using these products. One of the biggest time-savers of Keep is the ability to quickly make an item from Gmail into a note in Keep, or share transcriptions that were created with others in Docs.

Color-coded labels

Keep allows you to assign colored labels to your notes, which makes it easy to visually organize and categorize your information. If you’re a person that likes a visual representation of information, then the color system will help you to find and manage items in Keep.

Robust reminders

Set reminders for your notes in Google Keep, so that you never again miss an important task or deadline. The app can send notifications to your devices or email, and you can even set place-based reminders so that you get a notification to do something when you go to a certain place. You can set reminders based on time or location, and you can set a regular reminder that reoccurs as well.

Collaboration features

As mentioned, Google Keep allows you to work with others in real-time. Share notes with family or coworkers and easily collaborate on projects or share new ideas. This really streamlines the communication necessary when a group is working together on a deliverable or brainstorming ideas, and is particularly helpful for remote groups with a shared goal.

Voice notes and transcriptions

Keep has a voice recording feature that lets you quickly capture audio notes. There is also the ability to transcribe the voice recordings into plain text, which makes things easier to search and organize. You can even save and share these transcriptions to keep everyone in the loop.

Image and text recognition

We’ll cover this below, but one unique feature is the ability to extract text from images, making it convenient to save and search for information from graphics or screenshots.

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5 Great Ways to Use Google Keep

In the event that this article is introducing you to Google Keep, you might be unsure of just how powerful a tool it can be. Obviously you can keep basic checklists or jot down quick thoughts, but the app goes far beyond that. In addition to complementing Gmail’s capabilities (you can add a Note simply by clicking on the yellow “Keep” icon in the right-hand toolbar menu), there are other ways that you can use Google Keep to improve your overall note-taking and documentation processes. Try the following:

1. Take voice notes

You know how handy it is to ask Google questions by clicking on the microphone icon in the Chrome app? Well, you can do the same with Keep notes taken on your mobile device. Every voice note is automatically transcribed as you speak, which allows for much easier search. This is particularly helpful if you use this feature a lot and have a lot of information to get through. And of course, that makes it easy to share with others. For example, a colleague can quickly browse a transcript to find a point that was covered in a meeting, without listening through the entire audio exchange.

2. Collaborate with colleagues

It’s easy to add collaborators to your notes to keep everyone in the fold. This is helpful for teams that work together or to assign tasks to others. You simply need to add their name and email address, and you can also remove collaborators later on. So, when something is no longer relevant to someone, they can drop off. Plus, it’s easy to transfer notes over to Google Docs or another platform that you use for cooperating with others. Note: to do this, tap the “hamburger” menu and then select “collaborator” to add coworkers’ email addresses; then click “Share” to copy the note to Google Docs or other places.

3. Create reminders

You can add a time or place-based reminder to each note. You can also set reminders to repeat on a certain schedule, or have a reminder pop up when you enter a certain location by tapping “Remind me” at the top right of a note. Additionally, each time-sensitive note will show up in your Google calendar, enhancing the cross-device compatibility and usefulness. Many on-the-go professionals find these features extremely helpful.

4. Copy text from an image

In Keep, you can also add things like photos, drawings, recordings, and checkboxes. For photos, you can take one on your device or choose from an existing album, and drawings can also be layered on top of photos. If there is text within your uploaded images, you can copy it at the bottom of a note. As far as checkboxes, items are automatically hidden as you check each one off, but the note remains unless you delete or archive it.

5. Better organization

If you want to create more useful and dynamic lists, then Keep can help. For one thing, you can view your notes as a list or as a grid, and you can drag and drop individual notes to re-order and re-prioritize as needed. Plus, there’s color-coding capabilities that make it easy to differentiate between categories and scan quickly for what you need, as well as labels and pinning (for highly important notes). Notes are searchable and can be copied, which means you always have quick access and can shuffle things around as needed. Many people use lists as their preferred form of organization, and the app will give you suggestions as you type. You can also create sub-items for checklists, which is really handy for listing out steps and processes. In general, if you’re a list-keeper, then Keep offers a lot of customization options to make your life easier.

Accessing Google Keep from a Browser

To use Google Keep over the internet, you can follow these steps after downloading and installing Shift, the desktop browser that allows you to access multiple web apps in one place:

1. Download and install Shift from the official website.
2. Launch Shift on your computer.
3. Once Shift is open, click on the "+" button at the bottom left corner of the Shift window to add a new app.
4. In the search bar, type "Google Keep" and select it from the list of available apps.
5. Click on the "Add" button to add Google Keep to your Shift workspace.
6. After adding Google Keep, you will see its icon appear in the Shift sidebar.
7. Click on the Google Keep icon to open the Google Keep web app within Shift.
8. If you are not already signed in to your Google account, you will be prompted to sign in. Enter your email address and password to proceed.
9. Once signed in, you will be taken to the Google Keep interface where you can start creating and organizing your notes.
10. To create a new note, click on the "Take a note" field at the top of the page and start typing.
11. Use the various options available on the toolbar to add reminders, labels, colors, images, and more to your notes.
12. To access your existing notes, scroll down the page to view all your notes in a grid layout.
13. Organize your notes using labels, colors, and the search bar at the top of the page to find specific notes.
14. To edit or delete a note, simply click on the note to open it, make your changes, and then click outside the note to save your changes.
15. You can also use the sidebar on the left-hand side of the page to access your archived notes, reminders, and trash.

By following these steps, you can utilize Google Keep within the Shift browser, allowing you to access and manage your notes conveniently from one centralized application.

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The Benefits of Using Google Keep in Shift

You might be wondering why you would need to use a browser to access Google Keep, but the truth is there are several advantages to using the platform within a browser environment. Here are some of the benefits to accessing Google Keep in Shift:

Accessibility

Using Google Keep in a browser allows you to access your notes from any device with internet access. You can easily view, edit, and organize your notes from your computer, laptop, or tablet without needing to install the app on each device.

Multitasking

When using Google Keep in a browser, you can have multiple tabs open, allowing you to work on other tasks while referring to your notes at the same time. This can enhance your productivity and efficiency by enabling you to switch between different applications seamlessly.

Integration

Google Keep in a browser can easily integrate with other web-based tools and services. You can easily copy and paste information from websites, emails, or other applications directly into your notes. Additionally, you can use browser extensions to enhance the functionality of Google Keep and integrate it with other tools you use regularly.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Browsers often have a wide range of keyboard shortcuts that can make navigating and using Google Keep more efficient. You can quickly create new notes, search for specific notes, switch between views, and perform other actions using keyboard shortcuts.

Larger Screen Space

Browsing on a computer or laptop typically provides a larger screen space compared to a mobile device. This can be beneficial when working with complex or detailed notes, as you can see more content at once, making it easier to organize and manage your information.

Using a browser is a great way to take advantage of the flexibility that Google Keep offers. You can utilize the features that a desktop environment provides to unlock many of the benefits of the note-taking app and use it for a variety of purposes.

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Use Popular Apps in Shift for Better Performance

The usefulness of Shift as your browser goes far beyond Google Keep. In fact, with Shift you can generally do everything you would normally do in your browser - but faster and more efficiently! If you’re not already using Shift, you may want to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the platform so that you can learn about the benefits that set it apart from other browsers. This includes using apps that are traditionally stand-alone like Gmail, Google Keep, etc. Shift was created as a productivity tool and is a fully app-integrated option that was designed to streamline all of your work from account access to casual browsing and search.

Specifically, here are five unique benefits that come with using Shift as your browser vs. the other options available.

1. Limited cross-app interference

Because of an isolated environment for apps to run in, there is no cross-app interference. That means each app can operate independently without affecting the performance of anything that you already have open.

2. Helpful resource allocation

Shift can help with sufficient memory and processing power so that all of your apps run as smoothly as you need them to. By optimizing the resources used for every app, Shift can help to prevent app crashes, slowdowns, or conflicts that sometimes occur with browser extensions.

3. Designed for productivity

Hopefully by now you understand that Shift was designed with productivity in mind. All of the features of Shift were thoughtfully curated to help you work faster and smarter. The goal of Shift is to provide a more responsive experience for web apps by reducing memory usage and minimizing background processes. You can expect improved app performance, faster loading times, and better responsiveness in general.

4. Personalization

With Shift, you can make adjustments that enable you to manage the apps and accounts that matter to you. Organize and categorize your apps, create Workspaces, and switch between accounts seamlessly without logging in and out. All of these features enhance efficiency with multiple web apps or tabs, and are extremely helpful for creating an online environment that works for each individual.

5. Security and privacy

Shift prioritizes security and takes your privacy seriously. By implementing strict isolation measures between apps, possible security vulnerabilities are reduced. Plus, there are measures in place to protect sensitive data and ensure that each app operates within its own secure environment without accessing data from another system.

For more tips, tech reviews, and trends, make sure to follow Shift’s blog. That’s where we share all of the latest information to help you become a browser pro.