I’ve used OneNote for years, which apparently gave me just enough confidence to assume I knew what I was doing.I have notebooks for work, random ideas, recipes, travel plans, and all the little things I swear I’ll come back to later.Then I started poking around OneNote on a random Monday morning.
Bad idea.I found features I had somehow missed all these years, despite using OneNote regularly.They weren’t buried in some secret Microsoft vault either.
Some were sitting on menus I’d apparently never bothered to explore.And now that I know about them, a few have already made their way into my everyday routine.OneNote can save your sources My research just got less messy Before I start writing an article, I usually go down the research rabbit hole first.
I’ll open one source, then another, then somehow end up with 20 tabs open because every page has one useful detail I want to come back to.And that’s before I even started writing.Once I’m deep into writing, though, I often need to check where a particular fact came from.
And with so many sources involved, going back through my browser history or trying to match random links to specific notes is the last thing I want to do.I’d rather have the source attached to the information while I’m taking notes, so I don’t have to retrace my steps later.That’s why I turned on OneNote’s “Include link to source when pasting from the Web option.
On the Windows desktop version, go to File -> Options -> Advanced -> Editing, then check the box.Now, when I paste content from the web into OneNote, it can automatically include the source link.One less thing for me to remember — and one less browser tab graveyard to maintain.
If you’re on Android, though, you won’t find this setting.It’s a Windows desktop thing.Let OneNote lock your notes Because I won’t remember to lock them I have a few OneNote sections that I don’t want just anyone opening.
They have personal notes, saved information, and a few things I’d rather keep private.OneNote lets me password-protect these sections on Android, while on Windows, you can control when OneNote automatically locks protected sessions.So, I can keep them away from curious eyes.
On Android, just open your section list, long-press the section you want to protect, tap the three dots, and choose Password protect.On Windows, head to File -> Options -> Advanced, scroll down to the Passwords section, and choose how long OneNote should wait before locking your protected sections.You can choose from several time intervals ranging from one minute to one day, or have it lock as soon as you navigate away.
It’s a small setting, but one less thing I have to remember.OneNote can capture notes faster Stop opening the app every time Close I’m always thinking of something I need to remember at the most random times.It could be an article idea while I’m away from my desk, something I need to add to my shopping list, or a random thought I know I’ll forget five minutes later.
Usually, I’d open OneNote, find the right notebook, and then start typing.By then, I'd sometimes forgotten what I wanted to write.That’s why I like the OneNote badge on Android.
It gives me a small floating shortcut for creating a quick note without opening the full app first.To turn it on, open OneNote -> tap on the three dots -> Settings -> OneNote floatie and enable it.Once it’s set up, I can tap the floating badge whenever I need to jot something down.
The OneNote floatie is an Android feature, so you won’t find this shortcut on Windows.It’s a small shortcut, but it makes capturing random thoughts much faster when I’m in a hurry.OneNote lets you pick a default section So my notes stop going everywhere I have different OneNote sections for different parts of my life, so I like keeping things in their proper place.
My work notes go in one section, travel ideas in another, and I have a separate place for random things I don’t want to forget.But quick notes can easily mess up that system when OneNote saves them somewhere I’m not expecting.That’s why I started using OneNote’s default section setting on Android.
It lets me choose which section new notes should be saved to, so I don’t have to choose a section every time.To set it up, open OneNote -> tap on the three dots- > Settings -> Notebooks -> Default section, then choose the section you want.I set mine to the section where I keep my everyday notes.
Now, when I save something quickly, I already know where it will show up.I don’t have to move it later or wonder which section I should put it in.It’s basically giving my quick notes a permanent address.
Related I’ve used Google Keep for years, and these 5 features still surprise me Keep keeps my life together.Posts 4 By Sanya Shah I guess I’m falling for OneNote again After using OneNote for years, I clearly still had a few tricks to learn.These aren’t huge OneNote upgrades, but they can make a difference in how I use the app every day.
I’m glad I finally stumbled across them, and I’ll definitely be keeping them turned on.Related The Best Microsoft OneNote Keyboard Shortcuts You Need to Know Become a power user in no time! Posts By Tony Phillips
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