Notes and Step-by-Step Guide to Microsoft OneNote

This video provides an introduction to Microsoft OneNote and its core features, structured as a guide for new users.

Part 1: Understanding the OneNote Structure

• The Big Picture: Think of OneNote as a digital three-ring binder.
• Hierarchical Organization: Your notes are organized in a clear, three-tiered structure:
  1. Notebooks: These are the main “binders” that hold all your content for a specific subject or project (e.g., “History Class,” “Work Projects,” “Personal Life”).
  2. Sections: These are the equivalent of the tabs within your binder. They group related pages together (e.g., “Chapter 1,” “Meeting Minutes,” “Recipes”).
  3. Pages: These are the individual sheets of paper where you write your notes. You can have as many pages as you need within a section.

Part 2: Navigating the App and Creating Content

• Finding Your Notes: Your list of Notebooks is on the left-hand side of the screen. Clicking on a Notebook will reveal its Sections, and clicking on a Section will show you its Pages.
• The “Quick Notes” Section: OneNote has a dedicated “Quick Notes” section. This is a great place to jot down information quickly without having to worry about where to file it immediately.
• Creating a New Section:
  1. Look for a “plus” button with a circle (or a similar icon) next to your current list of sections.
  2. Click the plus button and give your new section a name.
• Creating a New Page:
  1. Click the “plus” button next to your current list of pages.
  2. Give the new page a title.

Part 3: Inserting Different Types of Content

• OneNote allows you to insert a wide variety of content directly into your pages, making it more than just a text editor.
• Inserting Files: You can embed Word documents, PDFs, or other files directly into a page. The file will be available for you to open with a single click.
• Inserting Screen Clippings: The “Screen Clipping” tool is perfect for capturing a specific part of your computer screen. This is useful for saving images, diagrams, or text from websites.
• Inserting Pictures: You can insert images from a file, an online source, or directly from your computer’s camera.
• Adding Audio and Video: You can record audio or video clips directly into your notes. This is especially useful for capturing a lecture or meeting and reviewing it later.
• Using Tags: The “Tags” feature allows you to categorize and highlight specific parts of your notes. For example, you can tag items as “To-Do,” “Important,” or “Question.” These tags are searchable.

Part 4: Utilizing Templates and Sharing

• Using Page Templates: To save time and maintain consistency, OneNote offers a variety of pre-designed page templates.
  1. In the “Insert” tab, click on “Page Templates.”
  2. Browse and select from templates for school notes, meeting minutes, to-do lists, and more.
• Creating a Default Template:
  1. You can set a template as the default for a specific section.
  2. Whenever you create a new page in that section, it will automatically use your chosen template.
• Sharing Your Notebooks: OneNote makes collaboration easy.
  1. Click on the “Share” button.
  2. You can choose to share the entire Notebook or just a single page.
  3. Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with. You can also send a link.
  4. You can set permissions to either allow others to edit the notes or just view them.

Glossary of Key Terms

• Notebook: The highest level of organization in OneNote, functioning as a digital binder that contains sections and pages.
• Section: A tab or divider within a OneNote notebook used to categorize and group related pages.
• Page: An individual note-taking canvas within a OneNote section, where users can add various types of content.
• Quick Notes Section: A default section in OneNote that provides an introductory overview of the application’s basic features and capabilities.
• OneDrive: Microsoft’s cloud storage service, which OneNote integrates with to enable syncing, accessibility across devices, and collaborative sharing.
• File Printout: A feature in OneNote that allows users to insert a printable version of a file (e.g., PDF, Word document) directly onto a page, making it annotatable.
• File Attachment: The ability to embed a file (e.g., SQL file, spreadsheet) directly into a OneNote page, allowing it to be opened or run from within the note.
• Screen Clipping: A tool within OneNote that allows users to capture a selected portion of their computer screen and insert it as an image into a page.
• Page Templates: Pre-designed layouts available in OneNote that users can apply to new pages to structure their notes for specific purposes (e.g., lecture notes, to-do lists, meeting minutes).
• Default Template: A user-specified page template that automatically applies to all newly created pages, streamlining the note-taking process.
• Collaboration: The ability for multiple users to work together on a single OneNote notebook simultaneously, typically facilitated through OneDrive sharing.
• Timestamps: A feature that allows users to insert the current date and time onto a OneNote page, useful for chronological organization of notes.

Notes and Step-by-Step Guide to Microsoft OneNote was originally found on Access 2 Learn