Note-taking apps are a very handy addition to a mobile phone. We may all be big fans of Moleskine notebooks here at PC Advisor, but it isn’t always practical to have one in your pocket. And, even if you do there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to find a pen when you need one. See also: Get started with Evernote

A smartphone, of course, is pretty much always with you and has the added advantage of audio and photo capabilities with which to record your thoughts.

Google’s new Keep app is a simple, fast way to create notes of various types, organise them, and synch your creations directly with Google Drive on your desktop.

In this guide we’ll show you how to get started with Keep, and the different things it has to offer.

See also: How to back up your digital photos online for free with Google Drive

How to use Google Keep

Step 1:

At the moment Google Keep is only available on Android, although we’re sure an iOS version will appear in due course. To download the app head to the Google Play Store and search for Keep.

Step 2:

Once you’ve installed Keep, launch it and you’ll be asked which email account you wish to use. If for some odd reason you haven’t already got a Google account, now would be a good time to set one up.

Step 3:

Next we arrive at the Keep home screen. In typical Google fashion, it's mainly white and empty. We can change this by adding a note, so tap the note icon on the left-hand side of the bar at the top to begin.

Step 4:

Now you have a page with a title and note section. As you’d expect, tapping on either area will allow you to enter the relevant text. Tapping the three dots in the top right corner will also give you more options.

Step 5:

The drop-down menu from the three dots allows you to archive or delete notes, but possibly the most useful feature is that of Show Checkboxes. This instantly turns your note into a list with boxes you can tick for completed tasks.

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