Basic tasks in onenote for the web

With OneNote for the web, you can use your Web browser on your PC, Mac, or mobile device to create, open, view, edit, format, and share the OneNote notebooks that you store on OneDrive.

This article summarizes the basic tasks and commands to help get you started with OneNote for the web. Don't see what you're looking for? Visit All support content for all OneNote for the web. Or use the Search box in the upper right corner.

Create a new notebook

1. From any page on OneNote for the web, click or tap the Notebook List button in the upper left.

2. At the bottom of the pane that appears, click or tap + Notebook.

3. When prompted, enter a name for the new notebook. For best results, use a meaningful name that describes the type of notes that the notebook will contain.

4. Click or tap Create Notebook.

   OneNote switches to the new notebook, which contains a new section and a new, blank page.

5. When OneNote has created the new notebook, click or tap the + Section button. Sections contain the pages in your notebook on which you take notes.

6. In the Section Name dialog box, type a meaningful description for the new section, and then click or tap OK.

As soon as your first section and page are created, you can continue editing in your browser window or click or tap Open in OneNote on the top menu bar to switch to the full OneNote app installed on your computer or device. To download the OneNote app for the operating system you're currently using, open a new browser window and go to www.onenote.com/download.

Create a notebook directly from OneDrive

You can also create a new notebook directly from OneDrive.

1. Sign into OneDrive with the same free Microsoft Account (Hotmail, Live, Outlook.com) that you'll want to use for OneNote.

2. When signed into OneDrive, navigate to the folder where you want to create the new notebook (for example, Documents).

3. On the top menu bar, click or tap + New > OneNote notebook.

As soon as your first section and page are created, you can continue editing in your browser window or click or tap Open in OneNote on the top menu bar to switch to the full OneNote app installed on your computer or device. To download the OneNote app for the operating system you're currently using, open a new browser window and go to www.onenote.com/download.

Type or write notes in the browser

OneNote for the web lets you edit notes in your browser by typing anywhere on its pages. In addition to typing and formatting text, you can also add images, tables, and inserted files in your notes.

There's no Save command in OneNote for the web. That's because all of your work is saved automatically and continuously. If you change your mind about something you've typed, added, or deleted in your notes, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or ⌘+Z (Mac) to undo your last action.

Add links

Whenever you type text that OneNote for the web recognizes as a link (also known as a hyperlink), it automatically formats it as a link. For example, if you type www.onenote.com into your notes, OneNote for the web turns the text into a link. In this example, click or taping the link will open the OneNote website in your browser.

You can also manually insert links into your notes by doing the following:

1. Click or tap or tap the text you want to format as a link.

2. Click or tap Insert > Link.

3. Type the link's destination URL into the Address field and then click or tap Insert.

Tip: To edit or remove a link, right-click it (PC) or Control-click it (Mac), and then click or tap Edit Link. To remove the link and retain the link text, click or tap Remove Link.

Insert pictures

With OneNote for the web, you can easily insert pictures into your notes.

1. On any page, put the cursor where you want to insert the picture.

2. Click or tap Insert and then do one of the following:

   • Click or tap Picture to insert a picture file from your computer.

   • Click or tap Online Pictures to search for and insert pictures from Bing Images.

Note: When using pictures or clip art from Bing, you're responsible for respecting copyright. The license filter in Bing can help you choose which images to use.

Draw a table

Tables are a great way to organize information in your notes. To create a table in OneNote for the web, start by drawing a simple grid.

1. Click or tap Insert > Table.

2. Move by hovering the mouse pointer over the grid to select the table size you want, and then click the left mouse button to create the table. For example, selecting a 4x6 table would create a table with 4 columns and 6 rows.

   If you're using a touch-enabled device, when you touch Table, a two-column table is automatically inserted.

To quickly modify a table or any of its parts, click or tap in any table cell, and then click or tap the Layout tab that appears on the ribbon. The table tools you find here let you insert and remove rows and columns, select cells and cell ranges, show or hide table borders, and align table cells the way you want.

Tip: To select or modify parts of a table quickly, right-click or tap (PC) or Control-click (Mac) any cell or a selected range of cells, and then click or tap the Table options at the right of the menu that appears (Cell Shading, Insert, Delete, or Select.

Learn about formatting a table.

Add more pages

For more room in any section of your notebook, you can add as many pages as you need.

1. At the bottom of the page list, click or tap + Page.

2. Type a title into the heading area at the top of the page, and then press Enter.

Note: To change the order of your pages in the list, click and drag any page name to a new position. For a device that is touch-enabled, you can press and hold the page name until you see the move handles.

Add more sections

To better organize your notebook into different categories, you can add as many sections as you need.

1. At the bottom of the section list, click or tap + Section.

2. In the Section Name dialog box, type a meaningful description for the new section, and then click or tap OK.

Note: To change the order of your sections in the list, click and drag any section name to a new position. For a touch-enabled device, you can press and hold the section name until you see the move handles.

Save your notes

OneNote for the web doesn't have a Save button. That's because you never have to save your work in OneNote.

As you work in your notebooks, OneNote for the web automatically saves everything for you — no matter how small or large the changes. This frees your mind to let you think about your projects, thoughts, and ideas instead of thinking about your computer files.

If you change your mind about anything you've typed, added, or deleted in your notes, press Ctrl+Z (on your PC) or ⌘+Z (on your Mac) to undo your last action.

Share notes online

Your notebook is stored online, so you can easily share it with others for viewing or editing.

Note: Single notebook pages can't be shared without the entire notebook being shared.

1. Click File > Share > Share with People.

2. Do either of the following:

   • Click or tap Invite people to share the notebook with others. Enter their email addresses and a quick welcome note. To share a notebook that others can modify, make sure Recipients can edit is displayed. To share a notebook for viewing only, make sure Recipients can only view is displayed. Click or tap the blue text to change the current setting.

   • Click or tap Get a link to create a link to the current notebook that you can manually copy and paste in an email, blog post, or Web page. In the Choose an option list, click or tap or tap View only or Edit to set the permissions level, and then click or tap Create link.

Note: To change the permissions or to stop sharing, click or tap Share, and then click the person's name you're sharing with. Click or tap Can edit, and then in the list, change the permission or click or tap Stop sharing.

Learn more about sharing notebooks with others.

See who's working on a shared notebook

If you've shared your notebook with someone else and you have given them permission to edit your notes, OneNote for the web can show you updates as they happen, and you can see who modified specific parts of your notes.

• Click or tap View > Show Authors to see the name of the person who last modified or formatted notes or inserted items on any page.

• Click or tap View > Show Authors again to hide author names again.

OneNote keeps the notebook in sync with everyone who has access to a notebook you've shared, even if they're using different devices. Your friends, family members, and co-workers can be using OneNote for the web, OneNote 2016, 2013, or 2010, OneNote for Windows 10, or OneNote for iOS or Android on their mobile devices.

Tip: When a notebook is shared, email notifications are automatically sent when changes are made. You can stop receiving these email notifications. Go to https://www.onenote.com/sharenotificationsettings.. Clear the check boxes for those notebooks for which you don't want email notifications sent.