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How to Create and Format Tables in Google Keep Note Taking App

Google Keep is a popular note taking app developed by Google that allows users to easily create notes, lists, reminders, and more. It syncs across devices and has apps available on iOS, Android, and the web.

While Google Keep doesn’t natively support adding tables to notes, there are a few workarounds you can use. Here are the best methods for creating and formatting tables in Google Keep.

Use Google Docs

The easiest way to create a table in Google Keep is to actually create it in Google Docs first, then take a screenshot and insert the image into a Keep note.

Here are the steps:

  1. Open Google Docs and start a new document
  2. Click Insert > Table and specify the number of rows and columns you want
  3. Customize the table by adding borders, changing column widths, merging cells, etc.
  4. Once the table is formatted how you want, take a screenshot
  5. Open the Google Keep app and create a new note
  6. Tap the image icon in the bottom toolbar and select the screenshot you just took
  7. The table will now show up as an image in your Keep note

The benefit of this method is you can fully customize and format the table however you want using Google Docs’ tools before bringing it into Keep.

Use Markdown Tables

Google Keep doesn’t support markdown formatting out of the box, but there are Chrome extensions you can install to allow markdown in Keep notes.

Here are the steps to create markdown tables:

  1. Install the Markdown for Google Keep Chrome extension
  2. In Google Keep on the web, create a new note
  3. Type markdown syntax to add a table:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
| -------- | -------- | -------- |
| Row 1    | Row 1    | Row 1    |  
| Row 2    | Row 2    | Row 2    |
  1. Click the Markdown for Google Keep browser extension icon to toggle markdown formatting
  2. Your table will now render properly inside the Keep note

The benefit of using markdown tables is you can quickly create tables by typing markdown syntax instead of taking screenshots. However, formatting options are limited compared to creating the table in Google Docs.

Use HTML Tables

Similar to markdown tables, you can also add HTML table syntax to a Google Keep note to render a table:

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Column 1</th>
    <th>Column 2</th> 
    <th>Column 3</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Row 1</td>
    <td>Row 1</td>  
    <td>Row 1</td>
  </tr>
</table>

The steps are:

  1. Install a markdown extension like Markdown for Google Keep
  2. Paste the HTML table syntax into a Keep note
  3. Click the markdown extension icon to render the HTML
  4. A table will now show in your note

The benefit of HTML tables is you have more formatting control over styling, borders, alignment, etc. However, it requires writing more complex HTML markup.

Tips for Formatting Tables in Google Keep

When you’ve inserted a table into Google Keep as an image or using markdown, there are a few tips for formatting:

  • Add borders – Use markdown syntax or HTML attributes to add borders to cells
  • Align text – Use alignment syntax in markdown or HTML to left, center, or right align text
  • Change size – Edit column widths and table size in Google Docs before taking screenshot
  • Merge cells – Use HTML attributes to merge cells vertically or horizontally
  • Add color – In Docs, highlight cells and change background color before screenshot

Overall, inserting tables into Google Keep takes a bit more work since the app doesn’t natively support them. But using Google Docs, markdown, or HTML provides some helpful workarounds.

The easiest and most flexible way is to create the table in Google Docs first, customize the formatting, then bring it into Keep as a static image.

About the Author

I’m a freelance writer and avid Google Keep user. I use Keep daily to take notes, organize projects, and create checklists. I’ve also used a variety of note taking apps over the years before settling on Keep as my favorite option.

In testing out the best ways to add tables for more structured notes, I discovered the workarounds with Google Docs, markdown extensions, and HTML code. I’m hopeful someday Google officially supports tables in Keep, but until then these methods get the job done nicely.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

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