How To Use Microsoft OneNote Like A Pro

Microsoft Office 365 is widely recognised as one of the most important pieces of office software out there. This means that Microsoft Office 365 support is also one of the most in-demand IT services out there. But you shouldn’t need to contact your Microsoft Office support team to learn how to use Microsoft OneNote like a pro.

OneNote is one of the most popular programs out there, and it’s great for keeping your notes and thoughts organised. OneNote can even be a great way to collect research materials and organise for a big project or presentation, but only if you know how to use it well.

Here are some of the best tips and tricks to help you make OneNote work for you.

Create Different Notebook Sections

Microsoft Office OneNote is designed to be just one big digital notebook, a place to gather your thoughts, save links, and collect other useful information before you put it into a final presentation. But you won’t be able to stay organised if you try to keep everything in one location.

Instead, create different sections to help keep your information organised. Each section can act as its own notebook, with its own pages, tags, and other markers to make it easier to find.

We’d recommend having a section for every important project, notes for different subjects, and anytime you need to collect information for more than a day or two on the same subject. That way you can organise based on internal subjects and have easy to find places for everything you're working on.

It's also important to get rid of other sections if you aren't using them anymore. Think of this like getting rid of an old notebook that doesn’t have any more pages. You can store it somewhere out of the way if you might need the information inside, or you can delete the section if you don’t need it anymore.

Use Pages and Subpages to Organise Information

Pages are one way to help organise the information inside of each OneNote notebook, or section. Pages can contain more focused information and are a great way to store links and other critical references somewhere easy to access.

That way you’ll be able to quickly go back to your core supporting arguments, reference tables, and any other material that hasn’t made it into your main notebook yet.

Subpages can contain even more detailed or focused information and are a great way to start building arguments or the details of a presentation. You can also use subpages to ask questions or collect less relevant data that might still be useful.

Subpages are also great for tracking detail over time, linked to the main information page.

Click and Drag to Reorganise 

Microsoft Office One Note is designed to be a little more adaptive than other Microsoft programs. That adaptability is actually one of the reasons people often need Microsoft Office 365 support for OneNote though. Since OneNote has some features and functions the other Office programs don’t, it can be confusing for users who aren’t prepared for the functions, like click and drag reorganisations.

Click and drag a section or a piece of information to move it elsewhere on the page. Almost all information can be reorganised this way.

Of course, that can be confusing if you accidentally move something you don’t intend to. So, remember you can click and drag to reorganise, but that you might have accidentally moved any information you’re struggling to find later.

And if you’re struggling with any of the other adaptive features of Microsoft Office 365, we can help.

We offer comprehensive Microsoft Office support in Australia, including Microsoft Office Business support.

Use Control + F to Search

One of the biggest advantages of using Microsoft Office OneNote is that it’s a great place to collect a lot of information that’s easy to find and use. The problem is, once you have enough information stored in OneNote it can be hard to find the exact details you need.

That’s where hotkeys like Control + F come into play. Control F lets you search OneNote for the specific word or phrase you’re looking for. That way you can go directly to the information you need and ignore the extras.

Combine control + f with other advanced search features like tags, and you’ll have a powerful tool to help you navigate your notes.

Looking for even more hotkeys? We’ve got you covered with our list of the most common and useful hotkeys in Microsoft Office.

Use the Quick Access Toolbar to Make Commands Easier

The quick access toolbar at the top of OneNote is one of the most ignored features of the program, but it’s also one of the most useful. Adding functions to the quick access toolbar is simple, just go into the Commands list, choose the command you want, and click Add.

This makes even the most complicated commands easy to access and use. More importantly, choosing the right commands to add to the toolbar will make it easier to be more productive.

Try experimenting with different commands to see which options suit your note-taking style best. It's alright to try things you haven't used much before, that's how you'll discover new functions that are more effective for what you want to do.

Collaborate in Real-Time

For businesses, OneNote can be a powerful tool thanks to the ability to collaborate with your coworkers in real-time. You can share your notes either as live documents or as PDF reference materials to make collaboration easier.

Plus, since you can password protect OneNote as well as individual notes and pages inside the program, you can also control who has access to what. That will make it easier to prevent collaboration from going too far, or from losing details when other people go to edit your notes.

Get Microsoft Office 365 Support for your Business

If you're looking for help with Microsoft Office 365 support, with OneNote, or any other program, we can help. Feel free to contact us for local Microsoft Office support in Sydney. We also offer local Microsoft Office support in Melbourne and Brisbane and remote IT support Australia wide.