11 Useful Navigation Features in Notion to Keep You Organized (2024)

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Once you get started with Notion, you’ll find yourself making more and more pages and sub-pages. With unlimited pages in a workspace and up to 5,000 blocks available per page on a free plan, all of this content quickly becomes hard to manage.

Luckily, countless different features make navigating around your Notion workspace and organizing your pages easy.

Creating Pages and Sub-pages

To start off, you’ll have to create a new page. You can do this by clicking on New Page at the bottom of the Notion sidebar to start a blank page. You can also pick from a list of pre-made templates, which will also create a new page for you.

However, you can also create a new sub-page within a page. On the current page you’re working on, create a new block and select Page. When you do this, a new sub-page is created, and the link is embedded. You can directly access this new page from the linked block.

Related: Notion Templates to Inspire You

1. Navigate From the Top Bar

The top bar of Notion shows you the path of pages and sub-pages that the current page you’re on came from. You can easily navigate back to previous pages that are within that pathway. However, Notion will only display three of them, so it will not show sub-pages in the middle.

11 Useful Navigation Features in Notion to Keep You Organized (1)

Notion’s sidebar gives you a look at all the pages you’ve created. You can open up the drop-down arrows to take a look at all the sub-pages that exist on the main page. This is an easy way to navigate around Notion to get to the page you’re looking for.

You can rearrange the order of pages by clicking and holding on a page and dragging it above or under other pages. Dropping it into another page will turn it into a sub-page of that page.

Databases are also listed under the main page in the Notion sidebar. If you open the drop-down arrow for a database, you’ll also see the different database views it exists in. Clicking a database from the sidebar opens it up as a full page, even if it was inline.

Related: Get Started with Using Database Properties

Want more room for your Notion spread? Hide the sidebar by clicking the arrows at the top. It will reappear whenever you move your mouse over to the lefthand side of the screen.

3. Add Favorites Pages for Easy Access on the Sidebar

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You can favorite a sub-page that you often visit, so you don't have to search for it constantly.

To add a page to your Favorites, open it in Notion and then click Favorite on the top right corner. This will pin it to the top of your sidebar. Another way to do this is by clicking on the three dots that appear on the right side of any page on the sidebar and clicking Favorite. You can once again rearrange the order of pages under Favorites.

4. Use the Quick Find Feature

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The Quick Find feature at the very top of your Notion sidebar is an underrated feature that helps you quickly find specific pages or content. Type in the page name or subjects you’re searching for, and Notion will then show you pages that either has the same name or contain the keywords.

5. Use Handy Keyboard Shortcuts

To simply go back and forth between previous pages, you can use the handy arrow keys at the top left of the screen next to the sidebar. Keyboard shortcuts are also available. To go back to the previous page you were on, use Cmd + [ on a Mac or Ctrl + [ on a Windows device. To go forward, use Cmd + ] or Ctrl + ].

Related: Reasons to Use Notion for Your Productivity Needs

6. Link an Existing Page

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Sometimes you just want to go to be able to quickly access an existing page when you’re on your current spread. You can add a new block and choose Link to Page. Then select from the existing pages you’ve created.

The list will only show the main pages, but you can search for the title of the sub-page to find it. Select the page you want. Now you’ll be able to open up the linked page from that block, and it will also show up as a sub-page under the page you linked in on.

7. Mention an Existing Page

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Mentioning a page is similar to linking a page, but the key difference is that you can mention a page in the same line as other text, and it won’t show up as another sub-page under the page it’s being mentioned on.

When you’re typing with text on Notion, using a @ symbol will make a search bar appear in the line. Search for the page you want to mention and click the result. You can now click on that link to go directly to the page.

You can also do this by creating a new block and choosing Mention a Page.

8. Use Backlinks

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When you link or mention a page somewhere else and click on it, it’ll direct you to the original location for the page. This is where backlinks come in.

Every page that gets linked will now display the backlinks under their title. Clicking on one will take you back to any of the pages that this page was linked from.

Note that databases that are linked do not include backlinks.

9. Use the Breadcrumbs Feature

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Adding a Breadcrumbs block to a page is useful for subpages that are buried deep within other sub-ages. This feature shows the current page’s location in the same way as the top bar, except it will show every single previous page on the path.

10. Hyperlink Text

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Sometimes you want to link a page discretely, without showing the page’s title and icon, in which case you can hyperlink it to text.

Write some text, and then highlight it. A small editing menu will pop up. The second option on the menu is to add a link. Click Link and then search for the page you want to link it to and select it. The highlighted text should have an underline, which shows that it’s successfully linked.

While it works the same way the previous methods of linking or mentioning a page do, pages linked through hyperlinked text will not show a backlink.

Related: How to Embed Links in Notion

11. Create a Table of Contents on a Page

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As a bonus, you can easily navigate around a page with a lot of text by making a Table of Contents block. Create a new block and pick Table of Contents.

When you want to add a section of your Notion page to the Table of contents, creating a heading using H1, H2, or H3. The headings will automatically appear on the Table of Contents, and you'll be able to jump to specific sections from there.

Navigate Notion Like a Pro

At first, it can seem overwhelming to navigate and organize your pages with so many options available. However, the wide range of options means that you will be able to select the one which best fits your style of work. Try these tips and tricks and learn how to navigate Notion like a pro.

11 Useful Navigation Features in Notion to Keep You Organized (2024)

FAQs

What are breadcrumbs in Notion? ›

Breadcrumb. The breadcrumb is a secondary navigation pattern that helps a user understand the hierarchy among levels and navigate back through them. Notion • Navigate through pages. Notion • Navigate through pages. Notion.

How do you use Notion effectively? ›

Here are a few examples of how you can use Notion in your daily life.
  1. Periodic journaling for better mindfulness.
  2. Tracking individual or family expenses.
  3. Managing household projects.
  4. Organizing ideas about specific 'life buckets'
  5. Create a to-do list or note-taker template for off-the-cuff ideas.
Jun 1, 2023

How do you use Notion as a daily planner? ›

How to Plan Your Day in Notion
  1. Create a "Daily Page" for Each New Day of the Week. ...
  2. Create an “Unordered” Heading for Tasks With No Time Frames. ...
  3. Use Toggle Headings to Break Down Your Day. ...
  4. Apply Formatting Tools to Plan Your Day. ...
  5. Link to Other Pages in Your Calendar.
Jan 20, 2023

What is the best way to organize notes on Notion? ›

If you simply create a new page each time you take a note, your Notion sidebar will get crowded. To prevent this, create a main page to store all of your notes, and add a subpage with each new document. That way, all your notes are in one place, and they're much easier to find later.

What is a backlink in Notion? ›

What Are Notion Backlinks? Backlinks are links from one Notion page to another. To give an example, say I'm reviewing my book summary for, 100 Great Copywriting Ideas by Andy Maslen, or more specifically, its bibliography.

What is the difference between mention and link in Notion? ›

Mentioning a page is similar to linking a page, but the key difference is that you can mention a page in the same line as other text, and it won't show up as another sub-page under the page it's being mentioned on. When you're typing with text on Notion, using a @ symbol will make a search bar appear in the line.

What are the benefits of breadcrumb navigation? ›

Breadcrumbs are a secondary navigation aid that helps users easily understand the relation between their location on a page (like a product page) and higher level pages (a category page, for instance).

Can you have folders in Notion? ›

This is a super-useful feature for Notion users because managing content on the platform can become difficult quickly because there is so much of it. Additionally, by creating folders, you can also control access at the folder level. This means you can share that specific folder and subfolders with a selected audience.

What do most people use Notion for? ›

People Use Notion Because It's Versatile. Notion is both a project management and note-taking software. The ability to write and add elements anywhere makes it one of the closest things to sketching your own to-do lists and trackers on paper.

Should I use Notion for everything? ›

Notion is a fantastic platform that is widely recommended by productivity experts worldwide. The beauty of Notion is that it can fulfill multiple needs of a business, such as documentation, knowledge base, project management, task tracking, roadmap planning, and more. It's even great for personal use as well.

Can anyone read your Notion? ›

To make a Notion page viewable as a site on the web or to share it with people who don't use Notion, you can turn on Share to the web . Anyone with the link will be able to see it.

Can you use Notion as a planner? ›

The Notion weekly planner is one of the best features of the app. Being able to view your weekly schedule in Notion weeks in advance with the different tasks you and your team have to accomplish each day is a great way to stay on track and complete your projects within the desired deadline.

Can you use Notion for planning? ›

All-In-One Planner

This notion planner has everything you'll need to organize your life!

What can you automate in Notion? ›

  • Automation #1: Copy profiles from LinkedIn to Notion.
  • Automation #2: Enrich email contacts and save them to Notion.
  • Automation #3: Create tasks on the go.
  • Automation #4: Create a Notion page for meeting notes.
  • Automation #5: Save contacts from email thread to Notion.
  • Automation #6: Copy all browser tabs to Notion.

How do you use Notion as a notebook? ›

Just click "New" and start typing. Create views to see separate notebooks for different parts of your life. Invite friends or your team, and see who added what and when — all at a glance. View notes as a simple list or a visual gallery.

How do you organize or arrange notes? ›

Organising your notes
  1. Try using coloured paper so that all related notes are made on sheets of the same colour. ...
  2. You could use a concertina file, a folder, or a file with dividers to organise your notes according to topic, module or as part of an assignment. ...
  3. Devise an index to your notes and keep it up to date.

How do you make a Notion spreadsheet? ›

Log onto your Notion account on notion.so .
  1. Click on "Add a page" from the Notion side panel.
  2. Click on "Table".
  3. Link a Notion database or create a new Notion database by clicking "New Database".
  4. Name your new Notion spreadsheet and fill in table information.

What is a database in Notion? ›

Think of Notion databases as filing cabinets or notebooks. Each database serves as a container, letting you easily organize multiple Notion pages in a single structure. In the screenshot below, every row of the table is a page within the database "Roadmap."

What is anchor on Notion? ›

Every content block in Notion has its own anchor link that can be copied and shared. Great for directing someone's attention to a specific section of a long Notion page! To link to a block, hover over it and click the ⋮⋮ icon that appears to the left. Choose Copy link .

What is a rollup in Notion? ›

Rollups help you aggregate data in your databases based on relations. Going back to our customers and items example above, let's say you wanted to know how much each customer spent based on what they bought. First, create the relation so you know who bought what.

What does the Notion API do? ›

The API allows for programmatic interaction with databases, pages, and content within Notion. This is done through a series of endpoints — places where the API is communicating and working with Notion to collect and organize information from other sources (like apps).

What are connections on Notion? ›

What is a Notion integration? Notion integrations connect tools like Jira, Google Drive, and Slack to Notion, to help supercharge your workflow. Integrations are built using Notion's API.

How do I create a link database in Notion? ›

Create a linked database
  1. Hit + that appears in the left margin on hover, or type /linked and press enter .
  2. A menu will pop up that allows you to type to search for specific databases in your workspace. You can also scroll to browse.

What is the difference between attach and link? ›

In simplest terms, a link is when a file controls the item and feeds property info to the Item. An attachment is just when a file is attached, appended onto an item, it has no control over the item at all.

When should you use breadcrumbs? ›

Convenient for users Breadcrumbs are used primarily to give users a secondary means of navigating a website. By offering a breadcrumb trail for all pages on a large multi-level website, users can navigate to higher-level categories more easily.

Why do guys like to breadcrumb? ›

Breadcrumbing can help establish a sense of power and control — something those with low self-esteem might be lacking in other areas of their life. Leaving a trail of crumbs and seeing you coming back for more can also make them feel wanted and worthy.

Does breadcrumb help indexing? ›

Breadcrumbs and indexing strategy

As a form of internal linking, breadcrumbs increase the chance that Google will find and index your pages. Without this, they can't appear in search results.

How do I switch between pages in Notion? ›

To simply go back and forth between previous pages, you can use the handy arrow keys at the top left of the screen next to the sidebar. Keyboard shortcuts are also available. To go back to the previous page you were on, use Cmd + [ on a Mac or Ctrl + [ on a Windows device. To go forward, use Cmd + ] or Ctrl + ].

How do you switch between tabs in Notion? ›

To switch between tabs, simply click on the tab you want to view. You can have multiple tabs open at the same time, and they will be accessible at the top of the page.

How do you move text to the right in Notion? ›

Notion doesn't have any traditional alignment options at the moment, unfortunately 😕But you can still make this happen. Drag and drop an empty line into the column next to your text to align it to the right or left.

Can Notion admins see private pages? ›

Every user's workspace comes with a Private section for their own pages. Anything you add here can't be seen by the people in your workspace. This is useful for your own tasks or notes, or anything you want to work on individually before sharing with others.

How many workspaces can you have in Notion? ›

Notion lets you have as many workspaces as you want with a free plan. If you get a paid version of Notion, keep in mind that your subscriptio only applies to one workspace at a time.

How do you anchor text in Notion? ›

Every content block in Notion has its own anchor link that can be copied and shared. Great for directing someone's attention to a specific section of a long Notion page! To link to a block, hover over it and click the ⋮⋮ icon that appears to the left.

How do you put two things next to each other in Notion? ›

Simply drag a block from one area of your Notion project and hover it next to another block. When the blue vertical line outline appears, let go and you'll see that both blocks will be placed side by side in a single row - this is essentially creating columns.

How do I reduce the space between lines in Notion? ›

To change text size, go to ••• and switch on Small Text . You can shrink the margins on any page and widen your content area by going to ••• at the top right of your Notion window and toggling on Full Width .

Can you change Notion background color? ›

How to Change the Background Color of a Block in Notion. Hover over the block you want to change the color of, then click on the menu icon that appears to the left (next to the + symbol). Scroll down to Color, then choose an option from the Background section.

How do I create columns in Notion? ›

Columns
  1. Click and drag the text you want to put in another column. (The ⋮⋮ symbol in the left margin is your handle for drag and drop.)
  2. Follow the blue guides that appear.
  3. Drop it where you want it. You just created a new column!
  4. You can create as many columns as you want across the width of a page.

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