A practical, visual guide to getting on RedNote and finding your footing. The app officially supports English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, and Russian alongside Chinese. Posts, comments, and even text within images are all translated automatically so the language barrier is smaller than you'd think!
Part 1 — Download & Sign Up
Step 1: Download the App
Search “RedNote” or “Xiaohongshu” in your app store — either keyword will bring up the official app. It's available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, so no region switching or workarounds needed.
Step 2: Create Your Account
When you first open the app, you'll be prompted to sign up or log in. RedNote offers several registration options, but phone number verification is the most straightforward: no Chinese ID, no international ID, and no extra steps required.
Note that even if you choose to sign up with an email address, the app will still require a phone verification code, so you're not saving any steps by going that route.
Set your language first
Once you're logged in, set your language before anything else: Tap the menu icon in the top left corner → Settings → Language & Translation, and select your preferred language. This applies to the app interface as well as the automatic translation of posts and comments.
Step 3: Set Up Your Profile
Once you're in, take a few minutes to set up your profile before you start exploring — just like any other social media platform.
- Username: You are welcome to use any nickname you want! Have fun with it. If you're drawing a blank, I can give you a choice: countless users go by “momo” which is the platform's unofficial default for anyone who wants to stay low-key.
- Profile photo: Any photo works. Accounts with a photo feel more trustworthy to other users.
- Bio: A one-liner about who you are and what you're interested in. English is completely fine!
Part 2 — Finding Your Way Around RedNote
The Home Feed
When you open RedNote, you'll land on the home feed — a scrollable mix of photos and short videos. There are three tabs and a search bar at the top:
- Following: Posts from accounts you follow.
- Explore: Content the algorithm thinks you'll like. This is where most people spend their time, and the more you engage, the better it gets at knowing your taste.
- Nearby: Posts from users around your current location.
- The Search Bar: The search bar is arguably the most important feature on RedNote. Unlike most Western social platforms where you can only passively scroll and let the algorithm decide, a large portion of RedNote users open the app and search first. Think of it less like Instagram and more like Google — except every result is a post from a real person.
RedNote Market
RedNote also has a built-in shopping feature — a curated marketplace where users browse and buy products directly in the app. It's worth exploring just to see how seamlessly shopping is woven into the content experience.
That said, purchasing as an international user can be complicated, and most overseas users won't be able to complete transactions. Browse freely, but don't expect to check out when you are not in China.
Messages
On RedNote, you can send a message to any user without being mutually connected, but there's a catch: you're limited to one message within a 24-hour window for each of the users. If the other person replies, the conversation opens up from there.
It's a small but intentional friction that keeps cold outreach from getting out of hand.
Me
Everything lives here: all your notes, comments, saves, and likes in one place. It's also where other users land when they want to learn more about you, so a filled-out profile goes a long way.
Part 3 — Posting Your First Note
Choose Your Format
Tap the + button at the bottom of the screen to start a new Note. You'll have three options:
Choose from album
Select existing photos or videos from your camera roll. The most common starting point for most users.
Camera
Take a photo or record a video directly in the app.
Text to Image
Type out your content and RedNote will automatically convert it into a shareable image. All Notes require at least one image to publish — this feature makes text-based posts possible.
Write a Caption That Gets Seen
On RedNote, the caption is more important than most people expect. The algorithm reads the text in your post to decide who to show it to and how to display in the search result. Don't worry about language barriers — RedNote automatically translates your content into each user's preferred language.
- Lead with a strong title: This is the first thing users see in the feed before they click in.
- Use natural keywords in the body: Write the way someone would search for your content. If you're reviewing a café, include the neighborhood, the city, and what kind of experience it is.
- Tags are one of the most important things you can add to a post: They directly shape who sees your content by placing it in front of users who are already interested in that topic. Think of tags less as decoration and more as a targeting tool. You can have up to 10 tags in your content.
Once you've gone through all the steps above, you're ready to publish. After that, it's a waiting game! Sit back and let the interactions come to you. And if you notice something you want to tweak or edit after posting, no need to take it down. Notes can be edited directly after publishing, so you can update your caption or tags anytime.
Community First
Rednote's community is what makes it worth being on, and that's something every user plays a part in maintaining. Be respectful in the comments, post content that adds something genuine to the conversation, and engage the way you'd want others to engage with you. The platform works because people show up honestly. Keep that going!!