Share notebooks in OneNote 2010

Ways to share notebooks in OneNote

In Microsoft OneNote 2010, you can share a notebook so that you can access it on other computers or on the Web, or so that you can work in it together with other people.

Taking notes as a group is a collaborative process. As a collaborative tool, OneNote offers far more than the ability to send static notebook pages via e-mail. Depending on the nature of your projects, you can use OneNote to brainstorm together with other people in meetings, use the notebook pages as a virtual whiteboard, and set up shared notebooks in which everyone can view, add, and edit information.

Unlike other programs that "lock" files for editing by one person at a time, OneNote 2010 lets multiple authors access a shared notebook at the same time. Anytime someone edits to the pages and sections in the shared notebook, OneNote automatically synchronizes the changes so that the notebook is always up-to-date for everyone.

OneNote also maintains a separate offline copy of the notes on each user's computer. That way, shared note-taking participants can continue to edit the notes locally even when they are temporarily disconnected from the network. The next time they connect to the shared notebook, OneNote automatically merges their changes with the changes made by everyone else.

Create a new shared notebook

1. On the File menu, click New.

2. Under Store Notebook On, choose where the new notebook should be stored:

   • Click Web if you want to be able to use the notebook from any computer or from a Web browser. You will need to sign in or sign up for an account, after which you can control whether your notebook can be accessed only by you or also by other people.

   • Click Network if you want to share the new notebook with other people on the same computer network or on a SharePoint site (for example, at your work or at your school).

3. In the Name box, enter a descriptive title for the subject of the new notebook (for example, Team Notebook).

4. In the Web Location or Network Location field, do one of the following:

   • Specify a Web Location    If the Web service is available, sign in with an existing account (such as Windows Live) or sign up for a new one. When you are signed in, you will see a list of your Web folders where you can create shared notebooks. If you don't need to share with other people, select one of the Personal Folders. If you do need to share with others, select a Shared Folder to which others will have access. To set sharing permissions for new and existing folders, OneNote will launch your Web browser, where you can finish creating the new folder for your notebook. Return to OneNote and then refresh the folder list in the Web Location field to see the folder that you just created. Now select this folder and then proceed to Step 5 below.

   • Specify a Network Location    You can enter the full path of a network file share, enter a mapped network drive, or paste the full address of a SharePoint document library where you want to create the shared notebook. You can also select from one of the recent SharePoint locations, if available. Note that the notebook will be accessible to anybody who has permissions to this network location or SharePoint site.

5. Click Create Notebook.

Share an existing notebook

1. On the File menu, click Share.

2. Under Select Notebook, select an existing notebook that you want to share with other people or between other computers that you will be using.

3. Under Share On, choose where the notebook should be shared

   • Click Web if you want to be able to use the notebook from any computer or from a Web browser.

   • Click Network if you want to share the new notebook with other people or computers on the same network or SharePoint site (for example, at your work or at your school).

4. In the Web Location or Network Location field, do one of the following:

   • Specify a Web Location    If the Web service is available, sign in with an existing account (such as Windows Live) or sign up for a new one. When you are signed in, you will see a list of your Web folders where you can create shared notebooks. If you don't need to share with other people, select one of the Personal Folders. If you do need to share with others, select a Shared Folder to which others will have access. To set sharing permissions for new and existing folders, OneNote will launch your Web browser, where you can finish creating the new folder for your notebook. Return to OneNote and then refresh the folder list in the Web Location field to see the folder that you just created. Now select this folder and then proceed to Step 5 below.

   • Specify a Network Location    You can enter the full path of a network file share, enter a mapped network drive, or paste the full address of a SharePoint document library where you want to create the shared notebook. You can also select from one of the recent SharePoint locations, if available. Note that the notebook will be accessible to anybody who has permissions to this network location or SharePoint site.

5. Click Share Notebook.

Note: If a Web or Network location that you want to use is shown as unavailable, make sure you are connected to the Internet or your network and that you have the necessary permissions before attempting to save and use notebooks in such locations.

Create an e-mail message with a link to the shared notebook for yourself or others

After you create or share a notebook, OneNote will ask you if you want to create an e-mail message with a link to the shared notebook.

If you are sharing the notebook with other people, click E-mail a Link to compose the e-mail message for your recipients. This message will include a link to the shared notebook, which recipients can click to open the shared notebook on their computer.

Note: Mail recipients who do not already have permission to access the shared notebook location will not be able to use the shared notebook. The e-mail link only points to the location; it does not provide automatic access.

If you won't be sharing your notebook with others but you want to use it on multiple computers, you can click E-mail a Link and then send the e-mail message with the link to your own Web-based e-mail account. This way, you can easily open the shared notebook from another computer.

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