When you use OneNote on a Windows PC, you have two options:the desktop app or the Microsoft Store app. Which free OneNote app should you use on Windows? desktop app vs. store Which free OneNote app should I use on Windows? Desktop app vs. Store OneNote comes in two different versions:a desktop app and a Windows Store app. Both are free! Let us show you how they are different, so you can choose the one that suits you best. Read more . While both are fully functional, OneNote 2016 (the desktop app) has always been more advanced and flexible than OneNote for Windows 10 (the Store app).
But all that is changing.. Microsoft has been rolling out OneNote for Windows 10 for the past few months, adding all sorts of new features regularly. It got to the point where most users could easily switch and not miss a thing, and we expect to see many more updates and additions over the next year.
Here are some of the latest and notable OneNote for Windows 10 features that you may have missed. None of them require an Office 365 subscription.
Instead of printing individual pages one at a time, OneNote for Windows 10 now supports printing entire sections or even entire notebooks.
This is how it works:
If you navigate between many pages, sections, or notebooks frequently, you'll love the new Back and Forward buttons found in the title bar at the top left.
They work just like the buttons on your web browser, allowing you to go back and forth between pages.
Wherever you are in your OneNote page stack, you can switch to View Menu on the ribbon and click on New window to create another instance of OneNote for Windows 10. You can keep clicking it to create more and more windows, however many you want.
Each window can navigate to its own page independently of the others. This is great for multitasking, especially when combined with Snap Assist, which is one of the best and least rated features of Windows 10. 6 Underrated Windows 10 Features You Should Try 6 Underrated Windows 10 Features You Should Try Windows 10 is different and it changes constantly. You will never end up exploring new features and tools. This article will help you discover tricks that you might have missed so far. Read more . Run two OneNote windows side by side for productivity!
Until recently, the page list in OneNote for Windows 10 was nothing more than the titles of each page. This made it hard to spot certain pages at a glance, unless you kept everything neatly organized by hand, like manual sorting into alphabetical order.
You can now toggle previews by going to the View tab, by clicking Navigation Panels , and selecting Show page previews . This takes the first sentence found on each page, plus a thumbnail of the first image if it exists.
If you right-click on a page in the current notebook section, you can now select Subpages> Create Subpage to make that page a subpage of the page above it. When a page has subpages, it gets an arrow next to it that you can use to collapse and hide. This is great for that little bit of organizational waste we all need.
Subpages can have subpages, but only top level pages can collapse. You can turn a subpage into a normal page by right-clicking on it and selecting Subpages> Promote Subpage .
OneNote keeps track of changes made to pages and labels each one as a "page version." You can view the history of a particular page by right clicking on it and selecting Page Versions . You can then go back to a previous version by selecting it and clicking Make Page Current .
Note that OneDrive also has a similar feature of File Version History OneDrive Quick Guide in Windows 10 OneDrive Quick Guide in Windows 10 Can OneDrive replace Google Drive or Dopbox? Depends. To help you decide, we'll tell you all about OneDrive's best features and how to set it up. Read more . By combining OneNote and OneDrive, you'll never make unrecoverable mistakes again.
For pages full of handwritten or hand-drawn notes, you may get tired of constantly scrolling to jump between everything. Use the new Page Width button (located under the View menu) to instantly zoom out and see everything on the page.
If you want to zoom in again, click on the Zoom to 100% button right next to it. You can also use the Zoom In and Zoom out On-demand zoom buttons for certain areas.
Customizing your notebooks makes it easier to jump between them at a glance. And if the notebooks are shared with you, you might want to rename them, but it's not practical. Fortunately, you can now right click and select Nickname Notebook change his name just for you .
You can also right click and select Notebook Color To give each notebook a different color, which also helps with the set. “changing at a glance” aspect of productivity.
One thing missing from OneNote for Windows 10 was the ability to search and find text. Well now you can! Simply press the Ctrl + F Shortcut to open the search panel. Type what you want to search for, then select whether you want to search the current page, current section, current notebook, or all notebooks.
Note that this search will also return images and handwritten notes that contain text that matches your query. This is made possible by OneNote's excellent support for optical character recognition (OCR). Free versus paid OCR software:Microsoft OneNote and Nuance OmniPage. Free vs. Paid OCR Comparison Software:Microsoft OneNote and Nuance OmniPage Compared OCR scanner software lets you convert text to images. or PDF files into editable text documents. Is a free OCR tool like OneNote good enough? Let's find out! Read more.
OneNote can link to specific notes on a specific page. Simply right-click on the text you want to link to, then select Copy Link to Paragraph . You can now use the copied URL in a link anywhere else in OneNote. Clicking that link will open the page containing the paragraph you linked to.
Note that you can also send these copied URLs to others who have shared access to the page being linked to. If you need a co-worker to review a certain section of notes, for example, you can link to it in an email and they can instantly check from anywhere.
OneNote's ability to draw and handwrite notes directly within the app is one of the reasons we prefer OneNote over Evernote Evernote over OneNote:Which note-taking app is right for you? Evernote vs. OneNote:Which Note-Taking App Is Right For You? Evernote and OneNote are amazing note-taking apps. It is difficult to choose between the two. We compare everything from the interface to the organization of notes to help you choose. What works best for you? Read more.
As of September 2017, you can use the Lasso Tool to select handwritten text, then click Ink to Text in the Draw menu to instantly convert it to text, all while preserving colors, capitalization, and relative size.
Creating tables in OneNote has never been easier. You can now use the easy insert button (located below the Insert Menu) to instantly create as many rows and columns as you need.
When any table cell is selected, you will see a new Table Menu on the ribbon. Use it to insert new rows and columns relative to the selected cell. You can also use it to sort the table rows alphabetically or delete the table entirely.
If you ever want to do something but don't know how, click the Light Bulb Icon and start writing what it is. OneNote will provide results in real time, and when you find the right one, click on it to get instructions and/or helpful resources on the topic.
Use the Alt + Q Shortcut key to quickly open the Tell Me search. You can also use the same function to type in a query for Smart Search, which provides definitions (for words) or performs a wiki search (for concepts).
In addition to the above features, there are other ways to extract value from OneNote as a productivity tool. We recommend reading the best way to organize OneNote How to organize OneNote for a productive system How to organize OneNote for a productive system OneNote has organizational features that allow you to do more with it than just keep notes. We show you how to use them effectively. Learn more, Lesser Known OneNote Features 7 Little Known OneNote Features You'll Love 7 Little Known OneNote Features You'll Love OneNote is 100% free and packed with advanced features. Let's take a look at some of the ones you may have missed. If you're not already using OneNote, these may beat you to it. Read More It is cross-platform and well integrated with Microsoft Office. Read this guide to become a OneNote pro! Read more.
One big takeaway from all of this is that Microsoft Store apps are catching up with standalone desktop apps, and OneNote is proof of that. Learn more about the differences between desktop apps and UWP Desktop vs. Windows Store Apps:What Should You Download? Desktop vs. Windows Store Apps:Which Ones Should You Download? In Windows 10 and 8.1, you can download and install desktop apps from the web, or you can get an app from the Windows Store. We explore the differences between Desktop and Store... Read More Microsoft Installing software can be a hassle. But Windows 10 is making it easier. That is if you install apps from the Microsoft Store. Here's why you should! Read more . Get started with these popular official UWP apps worth using 9 Official Windows Store Apps to Replace Popular Desktop Apps 9 Official Windows Store Apps to Replace Popular Desktop Apps If you want to try Windows Store apps, why not start with apps you know from the desktop. Here is a beginner's pick. Read more.
Are you using OneNote 2016 or OneNote for Windows 10? What are your favorite OneNote features? Did we lose some good ones? Share with us in the comments below!
