How to Use OneNote Features in Office 2016

Edited 4 months ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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OneNote is a digital notebook that's part of the Office 2016 suite, designed to help you organize your information. Think of it as an electronic version of the notebook you use to write notes, make plans, and keep track of important details. With OneNote, you can seamlessly capture thoughts, ideas, and tasks across all devices.

Getting started with OneNote

To get started with OneNote in Office 2016, you must first open the application. This can be done by clicking the OneNote icon in your list of programs. Once open, you will be presented with options to open an existing notebook or create a new notebook.

Creating a new notebook

Creating a notebook in OneNote is very easy. You can create it like this:

• Open OneNote and select "File" from the menu.
• Select "New" from the sidebar.
• Choose where you want to save the notebook, either locally on your computer or in the cloud using OneDrive.
• Provide a name for your notebook.
• Click "Create Notebook."

You now have a new, blank notebook ready to use. You can create as many notebooks as you want for different projects or subjects.

Organizing with sections and pages

Notebooks in OneNote are made up of sections and pages. Think of sections as individual chapters of a book, and pages as individual sheets of paper within those chapters.

Creating sections

To add a new section, follow these steps:

• Go to the notebook where you want the new section.
• Click the “+ Section” button at the top.
• Give the section a name that best describes its purpose or content.

Sections are useful for categorizing your notes, such as separating personal notes from work notes.

Creating a page

Pages allow you to further organize notes into sections. Here's how you can create pages:

• Click "+ Page" to add a new page to a section.
• Title your page with a descriptive name.
• Start typing your notes directly on the page.

Remember, each page can have as much or as little information as you need, and it's completely customizable.

Formatting your notes

OneNote provides various formatting options to help you organize and emphasize information. Here's how you can format your notes:

Text formatting

You can use standard text formatting options such as bold, italic, underline, and font color to make your notes stand out:

• Highlight the text you want to format.
• Choose a formatting option from the Home tab, such as "Bold" or "Italic."

Adding colored or bulleted lists can help identify key points or action items.

Inserting tables

Tables can help organize information in a neat way:

• Go to the Insert tab.
• Select "Table" and specify the number of rows and columns.

This feature is especially useful for comparisons or tracking information that is best displayed in a grid layout.

Inserting files and multimedia

OneNote isn't just limited to text. You can also insert files, images, and videos directly into your notes.

Adding an image

To insert an image, follow these steps:

• Click the Insert tab.
• Select "Picture."
• Select an image from your computer or connected device.

Pictures can help supplement your notes with visual information and context.

Embedding files

You can attach documents and files to your notes:

• Go to the Insert tab.
• Select "File Attachment".
• Select the file from your computer to insert.

This ensures that all relevant documents are stored in your notes for easy reference.

Use tags for better organization

Tags are an effective way to categorize notes and make it easier to find key points:

Placing a tag

Here's how you can tag your notes:

• Select the text you want to tag.
• From the Home tab, click "Tags."
• Select the desired tag from the list, such as "To do" or "Important".

Tags serve to highlight essential notes, action points, or organization methods that suit your individual needs.

Search and find notes

OneNote includes a powerful search feature that helps you quickly find notes, no matter where they're saved in your notebook:

Using the search function

To use the search feature, follow these steps:

• Tap the search box in the upper-right corner of your OneNote window.
• Enter the keyword or phrase you want to search for.
• The results will be displayed, and the notebooks, sections, and pages that contain the search term will be highlighted.

Efficient searching saves time and reduces frustration in finding specific information, thereby increasing productivity.

Synchronization and sharing features

OneNote comes equipped with robust syncing and sharing capabilities that make collaboration easy:

Sync across devices

To ensure your notes can be accessed from any device, make sure you're signed in to OneNote with your Microsoft account. Notebooks stored on OneDrive will sync automatically, ensuring real-time updates.

Sharing with others

Share your notes with others for collaboration:

• Click the File tab and select "Share."
• Select a notebook to share.
• Enter the email address of the person you want to share the notebook with.
• Select the permission level for the person, either “Can View” or “Can Edit”.

Sharing allows multiple users to access and contribute to the same notebook, making it ideal for project team collaboration.

Taking advantage of Quick Notes

Quick notes are a great way to quickly jot down ideas. These can be accessed quickly, ensuring no ideas are missed:

Creating Quick Notes

To use Quick Notes:

• Press Win + N on your keyboard to open the Quick Note window.
• Start typing your note straight away.
• Quick notes are automatically saved in the Unfiled Notes section until you organize them in the proper place.

Quick Notes help capture fleeting thoughts without having to navigate through the notebook structure first.

Advanced multi-user collaboration

OneNote not only simplifies note taking, but also enhances teamwork through shared notebooks:

Simultaneous editing

Multiple users can edit shared notebooks at the same time. Everyone's updates appear in real time, facilitating team discussions and brainstorming.

Review of changes

OneNote provides tools for reviewing previous changes made to a shared notebook:

• Go to the History tab.
• Select "Page Versions" to review prior edits on a specific page.

Tracking updates improves accountability and provides insight into the team’s collaborative efforts across projects.

Keyboard shortcuts to boost productivity

Mastering keyboard shortcuts can significantly increase your speed and efficiency in OneNote. Here are some useful shortcuts to get you started:

• Ctrl + N: Create a new page.
• Ctrl + T: Add a new section.
• Ctrl+1: Apply the "to do" tag to the selected text.
• Ctrl + E: Find a note.
• Ctrl+Shift+G: View the notebook version.

Using keyboard shortcuts executes commands instantly and keeps productivity at the highest level.

OneNote in Office 2016 is a powerful tool that goes far beyond just note taking. Using its features, including sections, pages, formatting, multimedia, and sharing capabilities, you can effectively manage and organize your information. Understanding and using this tool will aid in personal organization and promote collaborative efforts with teams, making workload management convenient and more efficient.

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