There is a workaround to this missing feature, one so convoluted it feels like a hack. By using the Shortcuts app (to access otherwise hidden properties of your Notes files), you can copy a note’s secret URL and use it to link back to that specific note from anywhere you can tap on a link—including other notes.

Here’s how to create links to specific notes in the Notes app on iOS and iPadOS.

A workaround that requires accessing hidden identifiers might seem like overkill to generate a link, but this step-by-step guide will make it simple.

First, you’ll use the Shortcuts app to extract the note’s URL and copy it as a rich link to the clipboard. Then, you can simply paste it into the Notes app.

These links go directly to other Apple Notes, and they’re fully functional on macOS, too!

With internal links, you can make simple connections, mimic the backlinking capabilities of Obsidian, and build the kinds of personal wikis that people create in Microsoft OneNote.

If you’d prefer not to build the shortcut from scratch, this iCloud link will open the Shortcuts app and install it automatically.

1. Create the Shortcut to Show the Note’s URL

Follow these steps to create the first half of the shortcut:

In the Shortcuts app, tap the plus button to create a new shortcut. Type a name for your shortcut in the Shortcut Name text field. Tap Add Action and search for the Find Notes action. Tap the action to add it to your shortcut. Tap the Sort by variable and change it to Last Modified Date. Then, change the order to Latest First to make it easier to find recent notes. Repeat step 3 to add each of the following actions: Choose from List View Content Graph Get Clipboard

Next, you need to use a simple regular expression to capture just the URL from the note’s hidden data (more on that later). Here’s how to do it:

Continue working in the same shortcut and add a Match Text action. In the action’s Pattern text field, paste the following regular expression: mobilenotes://. *(?=;) Next, add a Text action. In the empty text field, type the following: Put the cursor between the square brackets you’ve just typed and tap Select Variable in the suggestions above the keyboard. Then, tap Chosen Item below the Choose from List action to insert your chosen note as the variable. Then, put the cursor between the parentheses and choose the Matches variable from the suggestions. Finally, add the following three actions: Make rich text from Markdown Copy to Clipboard Get Clipboard

Running this shortcut will present a list of notes, but choosing one might not do what you expect.

2. Find the Note’s Hidden URL

When you run the shortcut and choose a note, you’ll see a list with one item: the note you just chose. Tap it, and things get stranger.

Now, you’ll see the Content Item Graph. This is a graph view of all of the data contained in the note, including text, images, files, and other properties.

Tap the circle labeled Note and you’ll see another list. This time, tap the INNote option.

What you’re looking at is the text of your note, along with its related data. At the bottom, there’s a line that begins with identifier and contains a URL that starts with mobilenotes://. That’s the note’s hidden URL.

3. Capture the URL to Use in the Shortcut

You need this URL but, because of a bug in the Shortcuts app, you probably can’t select and copy it.

As of iOS 15.1, the bug prevents you from scrolling down once you’ve tapped in the text field and shown the keyboard. That means the URL becomes hidden, and you’ll have to restart the shortcut.

Luckily, there’s yet another workaround:

With the keyboard showing, tap the cursor once to display the text actions and tap Select All. Then, copy all of the text. Finally, dismiss the two sheets showing the INNote and the Content Item Graph.

The shortcut will automatically run the next steps, which use a regular expression to extract the URL, convert it to a rich link with the note’s title as its anchor text, and copy it to the clipboard.

Finally, you can open any note in the Notes app and simply paste your newly created rich link into it. Tapping the link will take you instantly to the linked note!

Cross-linking between notes is a great way to use Notes for research, enabling you to build a connected database of information.

Linking to Notes Isn’t Simple, But It’s Powerful

You might think it’s not worth it to go to all this trouble for internal links when some third-party apps have the feature built-in. But with its rich support for media, text, files, and more, Apple’s Notes app remains one of the most powerful note-taking apps available on iOS.

For even deeper connections between your notes, you can also create and assign tags to them in iOS 15 and later.