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Microsoft OneNote

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Microsoft OneNote for Microsoft 365
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseNovember 19, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-11-19)
Stable release(s)
Microsoft 365 & Retail[a] (Windows)2410 (Build 18129.20158) / 12 November 2024; 12 days ago (2024-11-12)[1][2]
Microsoft 365 (Mac)16.91 (Build 24111020) / 12 November 2024; 12 days ago (2024-11-12)[3]
Office 2021 (LTSC)2108 (Build 14332.20812) / 12 November 2024; 12 days ago (2024-11-12)[2]
Office 2019 (LTSC)1808 (Build 10416.20007) / 12 November 2024; 12 days ago (2024-11-12)[4]

OneNote app
Android16.0 (Build 18025.20060) / 27 September 2024; 58 days ago (2024-09-27)[5]
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows,[6] macOS
TypeNotetaking software
LicenseProprietary software, Freeware (OneNote 2013 and later)
Websiteproducts.office.com/onenote Edit this on Wikidata
Microsoft OneNote (UWP)
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseJuly 16, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-07-16)
Stable release
16001.14326.21942.0 / 2024
Operating systemWindows 10,[6] Android,[7] ChromeOS, iOS,[8] iPadOS,[9] Windows Phone, MacOS
TypeNotetaking software
LicenseFreeware[6][7][8][9]
Websiteproducts.office.com/onenote Edit this on Wikidata
OneNote.com
Notes being created and organized on OneNote.com
Type of site
Notetaking software
OwnerMicrosoft
URLonenote.com
CommercialNo
RegistrationRequired

Microsoft OneNote is a note-taking software developed by Microsoft. It is available as part of the Microsoft 365 suite and since 2014 has been free on all platforms outside the suite.[10] OneNote is designed for free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration. It gathers users' notes, drawings, screen clippings, and audio commentaries. Notes can be shared with other OneNote users over the Internet or a network.

OneNote is also available as a free, stand-alone app via the official website and the app stores of: Windows 10/11, MacOS, iOS, iPadOS and Android.[11] Microsoft also provides a web-based version of OneNote as part of OneDrive and Office for the web.

Overview

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OneNote was announced by Microsoft's Bill Gates on November 17, 2002.[12] The software allows users to create notes that can include text, pictures, tables, and drawings. Unlike a word processor, OneNote features an almost unbounded document window, in which users can click anywhere on the canvas to create a new text box at that location. OneNote saves data automatically as the user edits the file.

OneNote saves information in pages organized into sections within notebooks. Microsoft designed this user interface to resemble a tabbed ring binder, in which the user can directly make notes and gather material from other applications. OneNote notebooks collect, organize, and share possibly unpublished materials—as compared to word processors and wikis, which often target publishing in some way. The difference shows in certain OneNote features and characteristics:

  • Pages can be arbitrarily large
  • There is no enforced uniform page layout or structure.

Users can move pages in the binder and annotate them with a stylus or word-processing or drawing tools. Users may add embedded multimedia recordings and hyperlinks. They can also add embeddable content, such as YouTube videos.[13] OneNote also integrates search features and indexing into a free-form graphics and audio repository. It can search pictures (e.g., screen captures, embedded document scans, photographs) for depictions of text. It also searches "electronic ink" annotations as text and phonetically searches audio recordings on a text key. It can replay audio concurrently with notes taken during the recording. It can also extract and copy texts from pictures and documents using optical character-recognition.[14]

Its multi-user capability allows offline editing with later synchronization and merging. More than one person can work on the same page at the same time using OneNote as a shared whiteboard environment.

On March 17, 2014, Microsoft released the OneNote cloud service API, which allows third-party application developers to integrate the service into their apps. The API runs on Microsoft's globally available cloud and sends data from applications into the user's OneDrive. OneNote can render webpages as snapshot images.[11][15]

Microsoft also announced several new features in OneNote that use the service API:

  • OneNote Clipper: A browser bookmarklet, which uses the OneNote service API and enables users to save a screenshot of a webpage to OneNote along with the URL. The text in the screenshot is searchable.[16]
  • Email to OneNote: A feature enabling users to send emails to the address me@onenote.com from specified email IDs to have the contents of the email saved to OneNote.[17]

File format

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.one file icons for sections (left) and notebooks (right)

A OneNote notebook is stored as a folder with a separate data file for each section. OneNote files have a .one filename extension.[18] A .one file can be a OneNote notebook or a OneNote section.

Microsoft upgraded the file format twice after it had introduced OneNote 2003 — first in OneNote 2007, then in OneNote 2010.[19] OneNote 2003 files can be opened by both OneNote 2007 and OneNote 2010 in read-only mode and subsequently upgraded to the later versions of the file format.[20][21] OneNote 2010 can read and write OneNote 2007 file formats. It can also convert back and forth between the 2010 and the 2007 formats.[21]

Microsoft has documented the OneNote file format. It is an open format that can store varied multimedia content in a single .one file.[18][22][23]

Multiple .one files can be exported to a .onepkg file, which stores multiple .one files (corresponding to the individual notebooks) in cabinet file format.

Platform support

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OneNote supports simultaneous editing of shared OneNote documents by multiple users when the document is stored in a shared folder in OneDrive. Dropbox was supported for some time as a sync protocol, but after Windows Live Mesh was discontinued, OneNote supported it for cloud-based storage and synchronization of OneNote files. OneNote clients, including the OneNote web app of Office Online, can view and edit them.

Microsoft made OneNote 2013 for Windows desktop available for free. OneNote for Windows and Mac are both based on a freemium model. Premium features such as SharePoint support, version history and Microsoft Outlook integration were previously available only to Office 365 and Office 2013 customers,[11][24] but on February 13, 2015, Microsoft removed all feature restrictions, except creation of local notebooks — the free edition only stores notebooks on OneDrive — from the programs, essentially making the program completely free to use.[25]

Windows

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The first version, OneNote 2003, was only sold as a separate product for Windows[26] compatible with Windows XP and Windows 2000 as well as for Microsoft Tablet PCs with pen input.[27] Starting with Office 2007 it was then included as part of the Office suite, as the software was positioned more as a student tool rather than business.[28]

A Microsoft Store version of OneNote (formerly known as OneNote MX) was available for Windows 8 and RT, using OneDrive as a storage place. It is optimized for use on tablets by implementing a pie menu interface and invoking operating system's tablet-specific functionality.[29]

In 2018, Microsoft announced that for OneNote on Windows, the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) based OneNote for Windows 10, would be the default experience for Office users on Windows. The Win32/Win64 "desktop" version would remain known as OneNote 2016 despite the release of Office 2019, would no longer receive new features, and would not be installed with Office by default, but remain available as an option.[30]

However, Microsoft reversed this decision in 2019; in the same year, the company announced that both versions would receive active development and the desktop version would once again be installed with Office by default.[31] The desktop application was renamed to simply OneNote,[32] matching the other programs in Office 365. OneNote is no longer installed with Windows starting from Windows 11, but is still available from Microsoft Store.[33]

In 2021, Microsoft announced that OneNote for Windows 10 would be discontinued and that they were working on migrating users and features to the desktop version. They also announced that it would be receiving some user interface changes to be more in line with Windows 11.[34]

Mobile

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OneNote is also available for cell phones. Microsoft currently has a stand-alone OneNote app for iOS[35] and Android.

OneNote Mobile for older Windows Mobile smartphones and pocket PCs was included with OneNote 2007.[36] It was released with Windows Phone 7 in 2010.[37] In 2011, OneNote Mobile went multi-platform as it was released for iPhone[38] followed by a version for Symbian as part of Microsoft Apps.[39] In 2012 Microsoft released OneNote for Android in a surprise move.[40]

On July 1, 2013, Microsoft released version 2 of its app for iPad, containing significantly updated features, to correspond more closely to those available on the Windows platform. On August 19, 2014, Microsoft updated OneNote for Android tablets to include handwriting support and touch-friendly navigation.[41] This version supports notebooks stored on OneDrive or SharePoint. In 2022, the Android version got a major refresh.[42]

Mac

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On March 17, 2014, Microsoft released OneNote for Mac. It is compatible with OS X Mavericks and above and can be downloaded for free from the Mac App Store.[43]

The release of OneNote for Mac was part of Microsoft's broader strategy to make its Office suite more accessible across different platforms. This move was seen as a response to the increasing number of users who were working on multiple devices, including those running macOS. By offering OneNote for free, Microsoft aimed to attract new users and integrate their note-taking service into the broader ecosystem of Microsoft Office applications.

Version and licensing differences

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The desktop OneNote and OneNote for Windows 10 have different functionality and user interfaces, which also differ from the versions for other platforms. Compared to OneNote for Windows 10, the desktop OneNote has a full Office ribbon interface, features the most customization options, runs on multiple versions of Windows, and provides the possibility of local notebook support as opposed to OneDrive cloud storage; it is the only version for any platform to offer the latter feature,[44] even as a paid option.

In addition to the version differences, OneNote features on Windows and Mac vary according to whether it is installed as a free or paid program. If a "compatible"[44] Office license (whether for the subscription Office 365 or the perpetual Office 2019) is present on the machine, the Windows desktop, Windows 10, and Mac versions all unlock additional functionality, which varies depending on the version: the desktop OneNote adds local notebook support, the Mac version adds stickers and OneNote for Windows 10 gains several features including stickers, ink replay, Researcher and Math Assistant. More premium features are in development for the Mac and Windows 10 versions.[32]

Reception

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Christopher Dawson reviewed OneNote 2010, titling his favorable review "OneNote is Office 2010's killer app in education".[45] He speculated that the app would be particularly useful as a tool for student notetaking.

Release history

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Microsoft OneNote 2010 with an open side note

All release dates pertain to general availability. Release to manufacturing is usually two or three months in advance. This table only includes editions released for Windows.

Product release Release date[46] Editions of Microsoft Office included in
Microsoft Office OneNote 2003[47] November 19, 2003 None
Microsoft Office OneNote 2007[48] January 27, 2007 Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student, Enterprise, Ultimate
Microsoft OneNote 2010[49] July 15, 2010 Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student, Home and Business, Standard, Professional, Professional Plus
Microsoft OneNote 2013[50] January 29, 2013 Microsoft Office 2013 (all editions)
Microsoft OneNote for Windows 10 July 29, 2015[51] Microsoft Office 2019 (until 2020)
Microsoft OneNote 2016 (now known as Microsoft OneNote)[52] September 22, 2015[53] Microsoft Office 2016 (all editions)

Microsoft Office 2019 (from March 2020)[54] Microsoft Office 2021
Microsoft 365

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Including Office 2021, 2019 and 2016

References

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  1. ^ "Release notes for Current Channel". Microsoft Learn. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Update history for Office LTSC 2021 and Office 2021". Microsoft Learn. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  3. ^ "Update history for Office for Mac". Microsoft Learn. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  4. ^ "Update history for Office 2016 C2R and Office 2019". Microsoft Learn. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  5. ^ "Microsoft OneNote: Save Notes". Google Play. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Protalinski, Emil (February 13, 2015). "Microsoft makes OneNote for Windows completely free by removing all feature restrictions". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Microsoft OneNote". Android Market. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Microsoft OneNote". App Store. Apple Inc. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Microsoft OneNote for iPad". App Store. Apple Inc. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  10. ^ Thurrott, Paul (March 17, 2014). "It's Official: OneNote is Now Free for Everyone". ITPro Today. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c "OneNote now on Mac, free everywhere, and service powered". Office Blogs. Microsoft. March 17, 2014. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  12. ^ "Bill Gates Announces Microsoft OneNote, a New Application To Make Note-Taking More Productive". Stories. November 17, 2002. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  13. ^ "Embed content in OneNote". Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  14. ^ "Copy text from pictures and file printouts using OCR in OneNote". Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  15. ^ "Getting started with the OneNote service API". Office Dev Center. Microsoft. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  16. ^ "Clip the web, right to OneNote". Microsoft. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  17. ^ "Email Settings". Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  18. ^ a b "[MS-ONE]: OneNote File Format Specification". Microsoft. December 7, 2022. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  19. ^ "Error message when you try to open a OneNote 2007 or 2010 file in OneNote 2003: "This section is from a later version of One Note and cannot be opened" (Revision 4.0)". Support. Microsoft. September 12, 2011. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  20. ^ Rasmussen, David (October 8, 2006). "Why the OneNote 2007 and 2003 file format are different". David Rasmussen's Blog. Microsoft. MSDN Blogs. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "About file format changes in OneNote 2010". Microsoft Office website. Microsoft. Archived from the original on November 16, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  22. ^ "[MS-ONESTORE]: OneNote Revision Store File Format Specification". MSDN. Microsoft. June 10, 2011. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  23. ^ "OneNote 2010: XML Schema Definition (XSD) File". Download Center. Microsoft. September 13, 2011. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  24. ^ Sinha, Robin (March 18, 2014). "Microsoft releases OneNote for Mac, makes it free on all platforms". NDTV. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  25. ^ Corob, Brad (February 13, 2015). "OneNote is now (even more) free!". Office Blogs. Microsoft. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  26. ^ Thurrott, Paul (October 19, 2003). "Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 Preview". ITPro Today. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  27. ^ Sanjey, Sachin (January 6, 2006). "OneNote 2003 - An Introduction". C# Corner. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  28. ^ Bott, Ed (February 15, 2006). "For Office 2007 at home, Outlook is out, OneNote is in". ZDNET. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  29. ^ Foley, Mary Jo (October 26, 2012). "Microsoft's Lync and OneNote apps for Windows 8, Windows RT now in Windows Store". ZDNet. Archived from the original on February 28, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  30. ^ Devereux, William (April 18, 2018). "The best version of OneNote on Windows". Microsoft Tech Community. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  31. ^ "Your OneNote". Microsoft Community Hub. November 4, 2019. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  32. ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions about OneNote in Office 2019 and Microsoft 365". Microsoft Support. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  33. ^ "Windows 11 Specs and System Requirements". Microsoft.
  34. ^ "What's Coming to OneNote". Microsoft Community Hub. August 5, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  35. ^ uzair (January 21, 2011). "Microsoft OneNote App for iPhone and iPod free for limited time". NewsDen. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011.
  36. ^ "OneNote 2007 review". Alphr. October 7, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  37. ^ "Windows Phone 7 Wins With Office Mobile Revamp". PCWorld. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  38. ^ "OneNote Mobile for iPhone: OneNote Mobile Goes Multi-platform | An Introduction to OneNote Mobile for iPhone | Que". October 25, 2012. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  39. ^ Blandford, Rafe (September 8, 2011). "Microsoft Business Apps for Symbian Belle". All About Symbian. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  40. ^ "The Significance of Microsoft OneNote Mobile for Android | Introducing OneNote Mobile for Android | InformIT". www.informit.com. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  41. ^ "Delivering improved handwriting capabilities, including OneNote for Android tablets". Microsoft Office Blogs. Microsoft. August 19, 2014. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  42. ^ "Microsoft Tests Beautifully Redesigned OneNote Android App". July 12, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  43. ^ "Introducing OneNote for Mac". Office Blogs. Microsoft. March 17, 2014. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  44. ^ a b "What's the difference between the OneNote versions?". Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  45. ^ Dawson, Christopher (May 12, 2010). "OneNote is Office 2010's killer app in education". ZDNet. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  46. ^ "Microsoft OneNote Life-cycle Information". Archived from the original on July 1, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  47. ^ "Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 Product Guide". Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  48. ^ "What's new in Microsoft Office OneNote 2007". Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  49. ^ DavidRas (July 14, 2009). "OneNote 2010 What's new". Blogs.msdn.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  50. ^ "What's new in OneNote 2013". Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  51. ^ Goldman, David (June 1, 2015). "Microsoft announces Windows 10 release date: July 29". CNNMoney. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  52. ^ "What's the difference between the OneNote versions?". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  53. ^ "Office 2016 for Mac is available now". Macworld UK. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  54. ^ Protalinski, Emil (April 18, 2018). "Microsoft drops OneNote desktop app from Office, pushes users to Windows 10 version". VentureBeat. Retrieved October 23, 2022.

Further reading

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  • Pratley, Chris (January 30, 2004). "OneNote genesis". Chris Pratley's Office Labs and OneNote Blog. Microsoft. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
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