Microsoft OneNote is an excellent tool for gathering information and collaborating with other users online. While many versions of OneNote are available in the market, the OneNote app for Windows 11/10 is a bit different. One major difference is that OneNote for Windows 11/10 app is updated with interesting new features regularly.
What is OneNote used for and what are its features?
OneNote, as the name indicates, is a note-taking application (by Microsoft). It comes with the Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft 365 subscription, and Microsoft Store app, and you also use OneNote on the web. It has some really good and interesting features like syncing notebooks, converting handwritten equations, Lasso Select, revision history, and many more.
OneNote features
We have already covered some basic OneNote tutorials, now let’s cover some of the latest OneNote features you want to know:
- OneNote restructured
- Easier to manage page conflicts
- Customize your pens
- Immersive Reader
- Multitasking made easy
- Page previews
- Make subpages
- ‘Tell Me’ feature
- Researcher on OneNote
- Check what has changed in a document
- Ink to Math
- Give different Notebooks different colors
- A smarter find option
- Print to OneNote directly
- Advanced meeting details
- Page versions
- Select multiple pages
- Cut, copy and paste become easier on OneNote
- Proof-read text in a different language
- Correct the accidental undo.
1] OneNote restructured 
OneNote has improved its ability to organize your pages, notebooks, and sections on the side of the app separately. This is shown in the image.
2] Easier to manage page conflicts
A general rule with page conflicts when multiple users are editing a Notebook is that whatever change is made later, is saved. However, OneNote allows you to review all these changes and restore them if needed. They are arranged according to date.
3] Customize your pens 
This is an additional feature on the Draw menu in OneNote. It allows you to customize the type and color of your pens, pencils, and highlighters. Just click on the ‘+’ symbol which is next to the pens and select the element you wish to customize.
4] Immersive Reader
The immersive reader option is added to the View menu on OneNote. It has options using which the reader can read the text. Voice recognition recognizes the sound and highlights every word as you pronounce it. It differentiates between syllables, nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
5] Multitasking made easy
You could choose New Window in the View tab or press CTRL+M. It opens a new tab in a smaller view. You can work on both of them simultaneously. While creating new windows was always an option, the new feature allows you to create a sub-window along with an existing window.
6] Page previews
This option allows users to check the first few changes on a page. It is disabled by default. To enable this feature, click on Navigation panes on the View menu and then select Show Page Previews.
7] Make subpages
If you multitask with Notebooks, it’s difficult to handle too many tabs. Making subpages would make things easy. To do this, you may select the pages, right-click the selected pages and select the option Make Subpage. The list of subpages can be expanded or compressed using the forward-pointing arrow on the left-hand side.
8] ‘Tell Me’ feature
The Tell Me feature can be accessed by either clicking the light bulb on the top right of the screen or pressing ALT+Q. While it looks similar to the Help feature, it is different and more advanced. It makes learning OneNote easier.
9] Researcher on OneNote
The Researcher option lets you check the for quotes, information, etc. from Bing and copy it while adding the source for credits, automatically. To use this option, click on the Insert tab and check the option Researcher.
10] Check what has changed in a document
In the newer versions of OneNote, the app highlights the changes that were made. This is brought to the notice of any person who may be editing the note subsequently.
11] Ink to Math
One of the interesting features of the OneNote app is you can turn handwritten Math equations into symbols and typed numbers that look beautiful as well. Use the Draw menu and click on Ink to Math option. An Insert Ink Equation box will open. There, write the Math equation using the free-hand mode, preview it, and press the Insert button.
12] Give different Notebooks different colors 
While the Nickname is a good way of classifying Notebooks, a better option would be to categorize different types of Notebooks with different colors. Just right-click on your Notebook, select Notebook color, and choose your favored color.
13] A smarter find option
We know about the Find option, which we can access using CTRL+F. OneNote made it better by allowing the user to search for images, handwritten notes, and other customized features. It is different from the usual Find option.
TIP: OneNote UWP app is missing? You can download OneNote desktop software.
14] Print to OneNote directly
This is a feature added to the Send to OneNote app. You will have to download this app from here.
15] Advanced meeting details
The Meeting Details option under the Insert tab offers more options than its predecessors. You can add a note specifying the date and time and attendee names, etc. It simply makes organizing and managing meetings easier.
16] Page Versions
OneNote keeps a note of every page version that is saved, along with the date and time. In case you wish to get it back, just click on Make Current Version. Thus, data is almost never lost unnecessarily on OneNote.
17] Select multiple pages
Click on the top-most or bottom-most page in the list, and press CTRL or Shift to enable this mode. Then use the arrow buttons or the mouse to select the pages or Notebooks.
18] Cut, copy and paste become easier on OneNote
Unlike earlier, we can cut, copy, and paste pages within a OneNote Notebook. The options are available on right-clicking the page. This is different from using these options with files in general.
19] Proof-read text in a different language 
In case you have text in a different language and are unable to understand it, or even recognize the language, just right-click on it and click on Set Language. Those who use this feature for the first time might get an option to set the default language.
20] Correct the accidental undo
We often depend on the CTRL+Z feature to undo unwanted changes. But what if we do it accidentally? OneNote has introduced little curved arrows on the top that let you scroll forward and back through the changes.
What are some of the things you can do in OneNote?
Despite being a note-taking app, there are a lot of interesting things you can do in OneNote. For example, you can attach files, collaborate with multiple people on the same Notebook, Record Video, translate text into a different language, insert online videos from different sources, password protect a particular section, format background with Grid Lines, Rule Lines, etc.
Want more? Take a look at these OneNote Tips and Tricks. Incidentally, the OneNote Windows app is different from the OneNote desktop software – you might want to take a look at it too!
