Organize your info: OneNote basics
Microsoft OneNote 2010 lets you create a convenient digital notebook where you can store all of the information you need for a project, so you can easily manage it and work with others more effectively. Unlike most paper-based systems and productivity programs, OneNote gives you the flexibility to gather up text, pictures, digital handwriting, audio and video, and more. With all your info at your fingertips—whether you’re collaborating on a quarterly report, completing an end-of-term project, or simply planning a family picnic—OneNote can help you stay organized and be more productive. Read on for some basics to get you started.
Get the software
You may already have OneNote. OneNote is included in all three editions of Office 2010, as well as in many earlier editions of Office. To find out if you have OneNote, click the Start button, click All Programs, and then click Microsoft Office. If you see Microsoft Office OneNote in the list of Office products, then you have it.
Purchase OneNote. If you don’t have OneNote, you can purchase it as a standalone.
Try the free trial. You can download a free trial and give it a test run before purchase.
Create a OneNote notebook
Follow these steps to create a OneNote notebook:
Click the File tab, and then click New.
Under Store Notebook On, select a place where your notebook will be stored. (You’ll need Internet access to store your notebook on the web, and you may need a user ID and password to store your notebook on a network.)
In the Name box, enter a name for your new notebook.
Under Location, type or browse to the location where you want your notebook to be saved.
Click Create Notebook.
Add and find information in your notebook
You’ll see the name of your newly created notebook displayed vertically along the left side. Notebook sections appear on tabs near the top of the screen, and the pages for each section appear on the right. If you’re not familiar with OneNote 2010 or you’re used to an earlier version, you can get help getting started and see what’s new.
You can start using your notebook immediately. The Home, Insert, Share, Draw, Review, and View menus are similar to those in other Office applications, and you’ll use them to enter and format information—such as text, images, tables, and annotations—and to control how you see and share your notebook. You can quickly customize general settings by clicking the File tab and then clicking Options. You can also quickly Share and Send notebooks via the File tab. Using templates can simplify things further, and there are many to choose from.
The information you enter into the notebook is saved automatically, and you can quickly search through all of it and retrieve important notes based on criteria that you specify. Just type the words you’re searching for in the search box at the upper right of the notebook, and indicate what you want searched.
Learn more
On the File tab, click Help, and then click Microsoft Office Help to display the OneNote Help pane. Look for specific information by typing questions into the Search box, or browse the topics listed below the Search box.
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