OneNote: the basics for beginners

OneNote is a digital notebook. It is perfect for meeting notes, to-do lists, ideas and anything you would otherwise scribble on paper. It saves itself as you type, so there is no Save button to worry about.

How it is organised

A OneNote notebook works like a real binder.

• Notebook: the whole thing, such as Work Notes.
• Sections: coloured tabs along the top, like dividers.
• Pages: the pages inside each section, listed at the side.

Get started

1. Open OneNote and sign in with your work or school account.
2. Click File, then New (or use the notebook menu) to create a notebook. Choose OneDrive or SharePoint if asked, so it is saved online.
3. Click the plus sign to add a section, then Add Page.
4. Type a title at the top of the page, and click anywhere to start typing. Unlike Word, you can put text anywhere on the page.

Useful things to try

• Tick boxes: on the Home tab, click To Do Tag to make a checklist.
• Pictures and files: use Insert, then Pictures or File Attachment.
• Draw or handwrite: the Draw tab has pens and highlighters. It works best with a touchscreen.
• Headings and bullets: use the Home tab, like Word.
• Search: press Ctrl+E to search every page.

Share a notebook

Click Share at the top right, type the person's name, choose whether they can edit or only view, and send. Then you can work together on the same pages.

Where are my notes?

If your notebook lives on OneDrive or SharePoint, you can open it on a phone, tablet or the web, using the same sign-in. On the web, go to the Microsoft 365 home page and look for OneNote.

Common problems

• Notes look out of date: check the sync status by clicking the Sync icon. A notebook saved only on one device will not appear elsewhere.
• OneNote has several versions: the older one can look different. Ask us if your screen does not match.

When to get more help

If a notebook will not sync or you think notes have gone missing, do not delete anything and contact us.