OneNote video training. Intro to OneNote. Draw and sketch. OneNote on mobile devices. OneNote 2013 training. LinkedIn Learning. Additional help. Keyboard shortcuts. OneNote for Mac. OneNote is your digital notebook for capturing and organizing everything across your devices. Jot down your ideas, keep track of classroom and meeting notes, clip from the web, or make a to-do list, as well as draw and sketch your ideas. Make learning more powerful and dynamic with Microsoft OneNote digital notebooks. Use OneNote to compile and organize information, research, and content; support research, collaboration, note taking, journaling, and reflection. OneNote is your digital notebook for capturing and organizing everything across your devices. Jot down your ideas, keep track of classroom and meeting notes, clip from the web, or make a to-do list, as well as draw and sketch your ideas.
If you ever looked through the list of apps on your Windows 10 PC, you might have noticed that two versions of OneNote are installed. Well, you shouldn’t be too confused.
If at one point you installed the Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) in your PC, you would have gotten a dedicated OneNote app installed as part of your Office purchase. However, most new PCs also come with another OneNote app (known as OneNote for Windows 10) installed as well.
Both versions of this app share the same codebase and will help you take notes (and do the same thing,) but there are actually quite different. OneNote for Windows 10 is a dedicated desktop app that you can install via the Microsoft Store, while OneNote is a classic Win32 program (like Google Chrome.) But the differences don’t end there. Today, we’ll explain how these two apps are unique.
OneNote
First up, there’s OneNote, also known as the OneNote desktop app. This version of OneNote is bundled with Office 2016, Office 2019, and Office 2013 versions, but it also can be downloaded on its own from Microsoft’s website. This desktop app was also known as OneNote 2016 or OneNote 2013, in the past, but it is now known as just “OneNote.”
When you open the OneNote desktop app, you’ll notice that it looks quite familiar to the other Microsoft 365 apps. It has a full Office ribbon, just like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint might have. It also has colorful section tabs, and things are displayed vertically across the screen, with a list of page tabs being shown on the right side of the screen. Keep this in mind, as this one of the core differences of the app compared to OneNote for Windows 10.
Additionally, to update OneNote, you’ll have to update it just as you would any other Microsoft 365 app. You’ll need to click File, followed by Account. Then, next to Office Updates, you’ll have to click the Update Options button, followed by Update Now.
We’d also like to mention that if you prefer to store your notes on your computer’s hard drive, you’ll need to use OneNote. The OneNote for Windows 10 app won’t be able to read your disk-based notebooks.
OneNote for Windows 10
Now, for OneNote for Windows 10. This version of OneNote comes pre-installed on all editions of Windows 10 and is available as a free download in the Microsoft Store. Visually, you will see that this app is a bit different from OneNote desktop as it doesn’t feature a ribbon. Instead, you’ll see that it has a smaller single-line interface near the top of the screen.
Additionally, the navigation pane and navigation of Notebooks works a bit differently. When the navigation pane is revealed, it displays colorful notebook section tabs vertically on the left side of the screen. The list of page tabs is also shown directly to the right of the section tabs.
Updating OneNote for Windows 10, meanwhile, is a bit easier. It is updated on a much more regular basis than the standard OneNote desktop app. Just click the Start button, open the Microsoft Store, and then click the See more button followed by Download and Updates. In the Downloads and updates window, click Get updates in the upper right corner. OneNote will then update.
The differences
Finally, we’ll end with the differences. Cleanmyphone 3 6 3. First, there are some important notes about what you can ONLY get in the OneNote desktop app. These features will be appreciated if you’re using OneNote alongside the other apps like Outlook or Teams. Some of the features that plugin with the rest of Microsoft 365 are only available in the desktop version. We’ve gathered these into a list below.
- Embedding Outlook Tasks
- Send emails and meetings from Outlook
- Sorting your notes with custom tags
- Applying templates to pages
- Storing notebooks on your hard drive instead of on the cloud.
![Onenote Onenote](https://miro.medium.com/max/5998/1*tHAWxQzWBZKtP1It3zBLDA.png)
Now, for OneNote for Windows 10. This version of OneNote has more features that will be appreciated by general consumers. It now shares the same codebase as the desktop app, but there are some cool features. One of those is being able to sync your notes through OneDrive, and view them across the OneNote app all your devices, even if they’re not Windows-based (like iPhones) See the others below.
- Share notebooks with your colleagues and work on notebooks with them at the same time
- Replay your inking and handwriting to provide step-by-step instructions, or to better understand the flow of others’ thoughts
- Use the Math Assistant so OneNote can help you graph or solve it step-by-step
- Enjoy new ink colors like rainbow, galaxy, gold
- Use a researcher tool to help you during projects to find quotes, articles, sources, and more
- Use an immersive reader
Check out our other OneNote coverage for more
Now that you know the differences, we invite you to check out our other OneNote coverage. We’ve previously explained how you can use OneNote 2016 with Outlook for your productivity advantage. We’ve also explained some of our favorite tips and tricks for OneNote on Windows 10, too. Which version of OneNote do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.
Share This Post:
Tags: Microsoft | OneNote | OneNote 2016 | Windows 10
Microsoft OneNote often makes the list of best note-taking apps irrespective of which blog you land on, and for a good reason. You can create text, voice, video notes and attach pretty much any file right inside a note. But there are other features hidden beneath the surface.
Onenote
Here are some of the coolest and most productive OneNote tips and tricks for power users who are looking to boost their productivity. Also, if you are just getting started it with, these tricks will certainly benefit you too.
Let's get started.
1. Keyboard Shortcuts
Let’s begin the guide with some handy, time-saving keyboard shortcuts.
- Press Windows+Alt+N to open small note window without opening the whole app
- Press F7 to check spelling and Shift+F7 to open thesaurus for a selected word
- Press Shift+F10 to open the context menu
- Press Ctrl+Shift+H to highlight selected text
- Press Ctrl+/ to apply/remove number list
- Press Ctrl+. (that’s a period) to use/remove bullet list
- Press Ctrl+1 to create, delete, or mark to-do list item
Are you looking for more shortcuts? Thankfully, Microsoft has compiled a lengthy list of OneNote shortcuts. Bookmark the page for future reference.
2. Grab Text from Images
OneNote supports OCR (Optical Character Recognition), which means you can now grab text from your images to the clipboard directly without typing it.
Add the image to note and right-click on it to select Copy Text from Picture option. Results are not very accurate in case of handwritten notes but otherwise, works like a charm.
3. Tag Individual Parts of Notes
Tags are an amazing way to categorize notes, especially if they are related but saved in different notebooks or sections. But what many users don’t realize is that you can also tag individual parts of notes.
You can start writing anywhere inside a OneNote note. Simply right-click on the header of the part you want to tag and choose one from the drop-down menu. That will give you a lot of freedom to work between sections and notebooks. You can also create custom tags if you want.
Also on Guiding Tech
Apple Notes vs Microsoft OneNote: Which App Wins
Read More4. Integrate with Outlook Tasks
Do you use Outlook? If so, you will find this feature useful. You can create to-do lists in OneNote and then flag it to link with Outlook. The same to-do list will also appear in the Microsoft To-Do app, if you are using one.
Right-click on the to-do list item and use one of the flags to mark it. The one that says Outlook Tasks when you hover over it. You can also assign a date and time there. On the flip side, it only works on desktop, and there are rumors about retiring it by 2025. So enjoy while it lasts.
5. Math Calculations
I love this feature. You can perform reasonably complex math calculations right inside OneNote. Just type the formula followed by the = symbol and Space key to get the answer. Again, it works anywhere and even with handwritten formulas.
Microsoft recently updated OneNote with a new feature where it will read aloud the math solutions. As far as I know, no other note-taking app has this feature.
6. Edit Embedded Files
You can attach any file to OneNote, including all Office 365 supported formats like Word, Excel, and PDF files. After you attach the file, you can open and edit it right inside OneNote. There is no need to open the folder location where the file is saved and then open it, edit it, and then attach it back again. That’s so 90s.
Simply double-click on the embedded file and start editing. Once done, hit Ctrl+S to save changes and close the file.
7. App Integrations
Microsoft has developed one of the best scanner apps in the form of Microsoft Office Lens. Its super simple to use and works flawlessly. You can use it to scan documents and turn them into images, Word, PowerPoint, and PDF files. Once done, save it directly to OneNote.
Another notable app integration is IFTTT and Zapier. For the uninitiated, these two apps will automate pretty much every aspect of your note-taking experience with OneNote. These two automation apps connect with hundreds of other apps to bring interoperability between apps.
Also on Guiding Tech
Notion vs OneNote: Should You Switch to Notion
Read More8. Sticky Notes
I know, I know. That’s so old school but is it? Did you know that Sticky Notes now sync between multiple devices, including your desktop? Open OneNote on your smartphone, and there is a dedicated tab for Sticky Notes.
Any note that you create here will instantly sync to your desktop. Useful for when you want to take some quick notes or when you want to copy text or link from one device to another.
9. Group Sections Together
The OneNote functions in a simple way. It works like a diary where you create notes. OneNote stores those notes inside sections which are then stacked inside notebooks. You can group sections from different notebooks together, bringing more sanity to your notebooks.
Right-click on the section heading to select New Section Group. You may create as many as you like. After creating a new section, drag and drop the section to the section group that appears next to the section tabs.
10. Onetastic
Onetastic is a fantastic addition to your OneNote tools arsenal. It brings so many features to OneNote that even Microsoft recommends it. Once you add it, new features like OneCalendar, favorites, macros, custom styles, and ability to crop images will be visible.
Discussing all the features of Onetastic is not possible here, so I suggest you give it a try. Check out their demo video in the link below.
Visit Onetastic11. OneNote Templates
OneNote comes with a bunch of templates. If they’re not enough for you, then you can always search for more. You can always check our guide on how to use OneNote templates and find more on the web.
One Place to Note
OneNote is an amazing note-taking app, and when you start taking advantage of all the features it has to offer, it becomes truly empowering. I hope this guide speeds up your learning process and is helpful to you. Share your OneNote tips and tricks in the comments below that you use often.
Next up: Confused between picking Evernote and OneNote? Click on the link below to learn about the differences and similarities between Evernote and OneNote. Indivisible rally 2019.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextEvernote vs OneNote: The Battle for Note Taking DominationAlso See#onenote
Onenote Login
#productivityDid You Know
You can also solve calculus equations on OneNote.