Are you new to OneNote? Maybe you have recently switched from Evernote to OneNote. Or, you may still be looking for a note-taking app that fits your day-to-day workflow.

Whatever the case, you probably have some doubts about the app. We’ll discuss some frequently asked questions to clear all your concerns so that you can make the best use of OneNote.

What Is Microsoft OneNote?

OneNote is a personal information management app (PIM) to help you gather notes into one digital notebook. You can organize the notes in any way you want and sync them across different platforms and devices. If you use Office Online, it’s available as a web-based application too.

You can add notes, drawings, and other types of media in a freeform manner. The app is not a word processor, i.e., creating documents for publishing. OneNote is meant for organizing and storing your ideas, thoughts, research, and more.

What Is OneNote Used For?

OneNote is different from the constraints of other Office applications because it is not limited to any particular role, work activities, or use case. Here are just a few of the many uses of OneNote.

  • Manage your daily to-do lists, plan a trip and store itinerary details, record family’s after-work activities, collect ideas from the web on hobbies you enjoy, maintain a journal, and more.
  • Take meeting minutes, integrate your notes with Outlook, brainstorm ideas with the team from different locations, archive important emails, import spreadsheet/slides for the record, and more.
  • Join a shared notebook with teachers or classmates, collaborate on assignments and essay writing, import handouts, keep a timetable, and record school activities.

Is OneNote Free?

The OneNote desktop app is a part of the Office suite and Microsoft 365. By default, it gets installed alongside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Or, you can download it from the OneNote website without spending a dime.

OneNote for Windows 10 is already pre-installed, but you can download it free from the Microsoft Store. Similarly, OneNote for Mac is a part of Office suite and Microsoft 365, but you can download it from the Mac App Store running 10.13 or later. When you pay for an Office 2021 license or have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you’ll get additional benefits. To know more, read our guide on choosing the best Office suite for your needs.

OneNote Desktop: Local notebook support, i.e., store notebooks on your PC. It’s an important feature for users not comfortable with storing data in the public cloud.

local notebook support in OneNote desktop

OneNote for Windows 10: Ink replay like a video (handy for teachers), Researcher to find a reliable resource for your research paper, Math Assistant to solve math problems, and Stickers.

built in researcher OneNote Windows10

OneNote for Mac: As of now, only stickers. Click the Insert menu and select Stickers.

stickers built into OneNote Mac

How to Use OneNote

OneNote organizes your data into notebooks, sections, and pages, like a digital version of a three-ring binder. The program mimics a real notebook with color-coded section tabs to flip between pages of notes. The main workspace is lean and leaves plenty of room to work with your notes. See our guides for using OneNote Desktop for Windows and OneNote for Mac.

difference between notebook section and pages

Each notebook contains one section, which in turn consists of one page. You can add as many notes as you want and organize them by creating, moving, or deleting sections. The way how you organize notebooks is a matter of individual preference. Read our guide to understand different strategies and methods to organize notebooks in OneNote.

OneNote is a free-form canvas. You can start a new note anywhere on a page. Notes appear in their own “containers” (as a border) on the screen when selected. They make it easier to move, resize, and merge various note objects on the page. By default, OneNote doesn’t have a Save button because it automatically saves everything you add to a notebook.

OneNote containers

Notes can be just about anything. It could be text, pictures, links, tables, files, audio, or video. Once you type in a note, you can apply various formatting options. Head to the Home tab to see all editing and formatting controls.

Where Are OneNote Files Stored?

By default, OneNote saves your notebooks to the Documents folder in OneDrive.

OneNote notebooks saved in OneDrive

If you own an Office license, you can create local notebooks that get saved to the Documents folder unless you choose another location (File > Options > Save and Backup).

When you insert a file on the OneNote page, it’ll get uploaded to the OneNote Uploads in your OneDrive account.

files uploaded to the OneNote upload folder

A link to that file is then inserted to that page. This option can help you reduce the size of the notebook considerably.

upload to onedrive and insert link OneNote app

Otherwise, you can always insert your files as attachments or printouts if needed.

How to Export OneNote Page, Section, or Notebook

OneNote Desktop has a rich set of options to export your notes into different file formats. You can export a single page, section, or notebook as Word, PDF, XPS, MHT (Single file web page), .ONE (Section file). Currently, OneNote for Mac only lets you export the page as PDF.

OneNote export options

Is There a Way to Backup Notebooks?

Having a backup of your notebooks always comes in handy in case things go wrong. To export entire notebooks:

  1. Head to OneNote for the web and sign in with your Microsoft account.
  2. Under My Notebooks, right-click the notebook and choose Export notebook.
  3. Follow the prompt to save your file.
export notebooks to your pc or mac

With version 16.60, OneNote for Mac automatically backup your notes. If you need to recover a note, go to OneNote Preferences > Backups. From here, you can customize backup preferences and access your backed-up notes. Backups are located in.

        /Users/rahulsaigal/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft User Data/OneNote/15.0/Backup
    

backup OneNote notebook MacHow to Sync OneNote Notebooks

Notebooks saved to your OneDrive account are automatically saved and synced. Local notebooks are automatically saved, but not synced with any other devices. While sync happens in the background, you can trigger it manually.

Right-click your notebook and select Sync This Notebook Now. Similarly, in OneNote for Windows 10, choose Sync > Sync This Notebook. If you see a cross symbol (X) in your notebook, right-click the notebook again and select Notebook Sync Status.

sync this notebook OneNote

On the Shared Notebook Synchronization dialog box, you’ll see a progress bar to the left of the Sync Now button for each notebook that’s syncing. Click Sync All to sync all open notebooks.

shared notebook synchronization OneNote

If you use both OneNote apps, remember that the OneNote Desktop is built upon the old sync architecture model. The syncing process will not be instant. Recently, the Microsoft tech community blog shared a plan to roll out a major update to the OneNote app with the latest sync engine.

How to Print From OneNote

OneNote simulates taking notes on a paper. It employs a freeform entry method, wherein you can type your notes anywhere on the page. Consequently, there is no fixed page layout structure of pages. The effect of this structure is seen when you take a printout of your notes.

To take a printout, go to File > Print > Print Preview and see a preview of your printed note beforehand. You can change the Print Settings and click Print to print your note.

print preview OneNote

If you’re concerned about the format and layout of a printed note, copy and paste the content into Word and fix the formatting/layout to your liking. While you can configure the Paper Size to your specification, you’ll have a tough time arranging the containers.

How to Delete Notebooks in OneNote

Deleting notebooks in OneNote is not as simple as it might sound. OneNote does not include a delete option for notebooks. There is a workaround, but before you delete them, take a backup of your notebooks.

We’ll first close the notebook in OneNote. Right-click the notebook name and select Close This Notebook. The notebook will vanish from the view in a matter of seconds.

close this OneNote notebook

Now go to OneDrive > Documents folder, check the icon next to the notebook, and click Delete.

delete notebooks OneNote from OneDrive

To delete a notebook stored locally on your PC, go to Documents > OneNote Notebooks folder and proceed. You can also delete sections/pages from your notebooks. Right-click the section or page and choose Delete. A copy of the deleted section/page remains in the recycle bin for that notebook for 60 days.

Deleted pages are stored in a Deleted Pages section of the notebook recycle bin. To open it, go to your notebook and click Notebook Recycle Bin. See our guide to restore delete notes and never lose a notebook for more information.

OneNote recycle bin

Troubleshoot OneNote With These Quick Fixes

Hopefully, we have covered all the common questions that a OneNote user might have while using the app. If you’re just getting started, then read this guide carefully.

At times, you might run into issues with OneNote, and it stops working properly. There could be a problem with sync, sign-in credentials issues, crashes, and other problems. Read our guide to explore ways to fix your OneNote problems.