One Note

Quick Start Guide – OneNote

New to OneNote? Use this guide to learn the basics.

Quick Access Toolbar

Keep favorite commands permanently visible.

Share your notes with others

Give other people permission to view or edit your notebooks.

Get help with OneNote

Select the question mark icon (?) to learn how to use OneNote.

Select or move paragraphs

Select or drag the gripper to the left of a note to move it or right-click for more options.

Instantly find everything

Search the current page or all notebooks at once and navigate the results easily.

Discover contextual commands

Select any part of a table or inserted recording to reveal additional tabs.

Explore the ribbon

View tools by selecting the ribbon tabs.

Control the ribbon

Select the pin icon to keep the ribbon displayed or hide it using the arrow.

Notebook Pages

Select these tabs to switch between pages in the current section.

Notebook Sections

Select these tabs to switch between sections.

Resize Note Containers

Drag the edge to fit notes to the page or move them elsewhere.

Type anywhere on a page

OneNote’s flexible canvas lets you type anywhere.

Notebooks List

Select the notebook name to switch notebooks or pin the pane open.

Access your notes anywhere

Sign in with your Microsoft account to access notes on all devices.
Use the free OneNote app across devices to stay synced.

Never run out of paper

Create a new page:
- Select (+) Add Page, or
- Right-click → New Page, or
- Press Ctrl + N.
Create a new section:
- Select the (+) tab next to section tabs or
- Right-click → New Section.
Create new notebooks:
- Go to File > New.
A default notebook with a “Quick Notes” section is automatically created.

Don’t worry about saving

OneNote automatically saves all your work continuously.
To view sync status: File > Info > View Sync Status.
You can store notebooks locally or in OneDrive for cloud access.

Tag important notes

Use the Tags gallery on the Home tab to visually categorize notes.
Helps prioritize and follow up on action items or to-do lists.

Organize information in tables

Use simple tables to organize data (no need for a full spreadsheet).
Create columns with Tab and rows with Enter.
You can also insert tables via Insert > Table.
Edit or format via Table Tools tab or right-click options.

Create wiki-style hyperlinks

Turn your notebook into a wiki by linking to specific pages or sections.
Right-click a tab → Copy Link to Page or Copy Link to Section → Paste where needed.

Copy text from pictures

OneNote can recognize text in images.
Insert an image → Right-click → Copy Text from Picture → Paste it anywhere.

Share notes with others

Cloud-based notebooks are private until shared.
To share: File > Share → Choose to invite people or generate a link.

Get help with OneNote

Select the "?" icon on the top-right of the ribbon to open the Help window.
Search for assistance on features, commands, and tasks.

More Learning & Resources

Get other Quick Start Guides:
https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2008317
What’s new in Office:
https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=871117
Free training & tutorials:
https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=871123
Send feedback:
Go to File > Feedback to share suggestions with the OneNote team.