OneNote

Sharing notebooks with anyone.

Sync account on any computer and access notes.

Easy to use interface allows for easy organization.

Shortcuts for linking.

Use of templates.

Different versions of OneNote have changes that take getting used to.

There is a difference between the OneNote Windows App and the OneNote program that seem restrictive.

There are things you can do in Word that it seems like you should be able to do in OneNote.

Offers collaboration for multiple users to work on a product

Excellent tool for taking notes at a conference

Keeps documents organized in a searchable manner

I really don't see any needed areas of improvement

Data Gathering - It is extremely easy and efficient to get information into OneNote. Outlook has a button to send emails directly to the program, there are browser add-ons to clip research, and you can print to OneNote from any program. Once in the program, filing the information into the right note/tab is a sinch.

It is not complicated. Several of my tech-challenged coworkers, use this program with ease. I even hear comments about how much they like it.

The styling and formatting options of the notes are limited.

Sizing an embedded spreadsheet is challenging.

Table columns auto size unnecessarily.

OneNote is very easy to navigate and is user-friendly, and Notebooks within the application are convenient to share making it easy to scale to new users who are not familiar with the platform

I enjoy being able to house meeting notes, agendas and other collateral content for different projects and programs with both individual stakeholders as well as with different project team using different notebooks and sections.

I can use OneNote to share documents, edit files and collaborate with other stakeholders offline.

While OneNote is easy to use overall, sharing Notebooks with different stakeholders can be challenging and I often have syncing issues with notebooks that are shared with other users.

Because of its flexibility and ability to hold different types of content (text, images, tables), it is a great tool for collecting content from different resources and organizing it in one place.

Technical support analysts are using sections for their support case analysis; they paste pieces of logs, screen-shots, document their steps in troubleshooting etc., all in one section, to get the full picture yet stay organized.

The logic of content structure; Notebook>Section>Page>Paragraph, allows you to manage and collect all needed information by the areas of the user's responsibility. For example; each of my projects has its own section, in which each page is a task.

Using the search functionality isn't comfortable; the search is run from a small text box at the corner of the window, and results are listed there as a narrow list of pages, without the context of the search-terms (no snippet, in other words). Searching by Tags is also uncomfortable and not intuitive.

Lacking integration with Outlook; because many people are using Outlook as their main tool for time management and self-productivity, it would have been great to have more options to export, or even better, export and link paragraphs to Outlook items like the Calendar and Tasks list.

Although there is an option to open an Outlook Task linked to a tag in Onenote, that isn't enough. Also, there is no option to tag people from the organization's directory, and that would have been great, especially for teams that are sharing sections.

The Draw options are not as far-reaching as in other Microsoft product (e.g. Word). Especially important is the option to group objects together and keep them as one image.

OneNote has an excellent organizational system. Users can create a multitude of folders and subfolders, then drop whichever notes and files into each that they'd like. It's quick and easy to create notes and begin typing away. You can also draw images or insert pictures and hyperlinks.

OneNote has a great mobile app. You will need to wait for it to sync, but once this is done, you are able to take notes on the go, or reference notes taken on your laptop/PC.

OneNote makes locating notes/files easy and fast. You can search for keywords and instantly be able to reference any notable files or notes you've taken. Finding specific information is extremely fast, which makes for quickly referencing things in meetings on demand.

OneNote's interface is very quick to learn. It is not dissimilar to Office and other software, so the learning curve is short.

OneDrive can sync into OneNote, making for fast usability between the two.

You can import catalogs of notes from other users, but this process is not an easy one. It messes up some of the functionality of previous notes, and it's not user friendly to import. This is mitigated by sharing your notebook with another user instead of exporting it. This process is simple, but if you want a separate copy of a catalog, it's not easy to do.

You are able to click anywhere into a note to begin typing in that location. It's a nice feature because it's more freeflow than other document process programs (Word or Google Docs) but it's a learning curve, honestly. You won't think much of it at first, but if you prefer a more straightforward document style, it's a bit jarring.

OneNote synchronizes across platforms very quickly. I often find that notes entered, or updated, on my desktop are synchronized to my laptop and smartphone well before I ever open them up to access the information.

OneNote has apps for just every major platform available. This includes Windows, iOS, and Android. The web app has plenty of features so you won't feel let down if you have to access your notebooks through a browser.

The multimedia features of OneNote are wonderful. I can draw pictures, add sound bites, add videos, add files, and much more. This helps me capture the full context of a note, including any references that I might need, all within the note itself. I don't have to go outside of OneNote to find a video clip, logo, or soundbite.

It is not always clear where your OneNote files are kept. I prefer to keep all my OneNote files in the cloud, but the actual location of those files in OneDrive can sometimes be a mystery. If I install OneNote on my home computer, I have to open up my work OneNote in the browser and then sync it to my PC. I'm not able to find and open the file in OneDrive through File Explorer.

The ability to find notebooks that are shared with you is getting better, but it can sometimes be difficult to locate the right one. I often see duplicate notebooks and end up opening up the wrong one. Would be great if Microsoft only showed you links to notebooks that were actually available to you.

Microsoft is shifting away from OneNote 2016 and moving people on to OneNote that comes native with Windows 10. The interface is different enough that I don't like it. I am staying with OneNote 2016 because of the ease of seeing multiple notebooks open at the same time and being able to get to the exact information I need quickly. If you don't like the native OneNote built into Windows 10, you won't like the future of OneNote.

Works seamlessly with Outlook so creating and sending out your meeting notes is as simple as selecting OneNote. It creates the meeting template for the meeting notes (including participants) and once you have completed the meeting, it's as simple as selecting 'share' and it sends to all participants.

Tracking all your meeting notes is made easy through a simple interface/structure which can be customized to your liking.

Can get to your meeting notes through all devices remotely.

There are times that formating can be difficult, especially if you're copying from other sources.

It is a very easy notetaking platform. It allows the user to create their own electronic notebook, organizing it in sections and pages. It autosaves as well.

It integrates with Microsoft Office suite very well, especially Outlook. Content can be initiated from other Office applications and sent to OneNote. I particularly liked bringing scheduled meeting information in Outlook directly into OneNote before taking meeting minutes or personal notes.

If your organization uses SharePoint, then it can be a great collaboration tool. Notebooks can be shared among teams to collaborate and share notes, ideas, and documents.

I would like to see some sort of validated version where notebook entries could be published in some kind of locked-down fashion inside an enterprise version, and have digital signatures built in for legal purposes. For example in a research laboratory environment.

Easier video and audio recording capture right into the notebook.

Ability to play a video file that is stored in a OneNote page.

Organizes notes logically into NoteBooks. This way I can keep certain topics separate from others but still only be a few short clicks away.

Syncs across all my devices seamlessly

Has rich formatting options, which is extremely helpful

The mobile app can sometimes feel clunky to use

The Mac OS integration is lacking compared to the Windows functionality, especially regarding shortcuts.

Having multiple accounts (e.g. personal and business) on one platform has caused issues in the past.

Organization

Collaborating with colleagues

Easy to search within your notebook

OneNote app is very useful when I'm not able to use my laptop

I would love to have more visual organization options (borders around text boxes to distinguish notes from each other when they are all on one page).

It does well for note-taking and organization. It allows me to label and color code everything--making information easy to find

It does well with synchronization across devices. I am able to take notes on my computer or phone and always have them with me in one centralized place.

It does well with ease of use. It is a very simple software with little to no learning curve.

OneNote could improve by allowing users to create a customized note template.

It can improve by allowing graphic design orientation features like guidelines and snap lines.

It can be improved by letting users import document links into the notes window so it is easy to track a topic.

It makes it really easy to capture notes in different formats - text, pictures, copy & paste, videos, etc.

It makes it really easy to organize notes by using the concept of notebooks - which are thematic ways to organize your notes

The mobile app is easy to use and navigate, which means I can always have my notes with me, even if I'm not in front of my computer

OneNote should integrate with meeting management tools (e.g. Zoom) and automatically transcribe meetings and provide all attendees with notes

OneNote should integrate with workflow processing tools so that any deliverables or goals coming out of a meeting can be captured and tracked against resources & timelines

At a corporate level, OneNote should help companies find which employees are SME's in particular areas by analyzing their data and content

Easy to use tab structure to separate note topics.

Ability to create new notebooks for different projects/clients.

Great at attaching other files to the notebook like pictures, powerpoints, etc.

The tree structure on the right side could be better at allowing adding/subtracting child sub-sections

Opening new notebooks forces you to select who you are sharing the contents with - no need for this to appear by default

Collaboration with colleagues - edit the same doc in real-time - leverage as a repository for knowledge sharing

With iPad app and Apple Pencil, you can take handwritten notes and quickly organize them

Syncs seamlessly with OneDrive

I find the organization of the notebooks, sections and pages a little clunky compared to Evernote.

Not quite as intuitive as Evernote for me

Tabs-Enabling quick look up even without using the search feature. Also, because of the sub-tabs, items can be updated quickly and neatly.

Search-As the content grows, this is without a doubt one of the more used features and it does not disappoint.

Multi-Format and document linking. If there is something that is customer facing, I put these things into the short version when I am giving my presentations.

Writing - With the growth of tablets, this seems to be a no-brainer. However, I use it to overwrite illustrations. Again as with the advantage of presenting in a more natural flow, using the pen/highlighting tools to draw attention is invaluable.

The phone app is too 'heavy.' A large download.

Lists - I still keep the ToDo's on Evernote but hope that OneNote updates this to something a bit more friendly and maybe even something that can be written at the desk and then deployed to the phone.

The cells on top of cells sometimes are frustrating when you are copying and pasting from one document to OneNote.

Create pages that can contain a vast amount of information in there.

Provides the option to share any page that you like with someone else.

Can create tables.

Can insert images.

Syncs perfectly with OneDrive (for those that want all their work to be on the cloud and across devices).

The current features are more than enough for my work, so currently there is nothing else that I would want in there. Adding more features to this application might just make it complicated and would lose its simplicity that it has currently.

Easy to create a note/notebook any time, from any device.

NoteS are saved on the cloud and synced frequently.

More flexible than Word or another text editor to quickly create documents of different formats/media types.

It tries too hard to be used every time. Taskbar icon begs to be used. Sometimes I don't need OneNote.

Pen recognition is not as quick for handwriting as other alternatives (e.g. S-Note from Samsung on Android devices)

OneNote relies on OneDrive, which is does not do as great as other cloud storage providers in terms of reliability/speed

Taking notes during meetings

Attaching pictures to your notes to allow for more detailed notes.

Creating different workbooks for different projects that you are working on.

The ability to either type or use a stylus for your notes.

Should allow your notes to be stored in more 3rd party cloud providers instead of Microsoft OneDrive.

Should be able to link your notebooks to multiple accounts. This would allow you to see notebooks from your personal and work for example.

Should be able to secure and manage more features with MDM products.

The mobile version is wonderful.

Love being able to use a stylus.

Android has a floating badge that stays on screen to allow quick access to notes anytime.

Updates can cause more problems than they solve sometimes.

Note updating and taking.

Office OneNote does really well in history and comparison of notes. This helped us to know when the Business Analyst or Product Team updated what.

The recently available OneNote Online, is also an addition.

OneNote and OneDrive should have some kind of link. If they bring that it would be excellent.

In Windows 10, the OneNote App needs some improvement from a UI perspective.

Cross-device syncing (I can get my notes nearly anywhere). Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and the web. Linux is a notable omission, but the OneNote webclient is acceptable for now.

Rich data capabilities. Photos, videos, drawings, voice recordings, files, tables, etc.

Ease of use is quite high. The mobile app is very smartly designed with a UI that morphs based upon orientation and screen resolution, exposing finer controls when needed.

Quick start-up time, especially with more recent builds of the mobile app

Linux support with a native program. Office for Linux wouldn't hurt, either.

Ability to log more rich data from various attached sensors on devices: Geolocation, temp, humidity, RSSI, etc. Anything that Windows can access.

Improve first-use sync/download time and experience. Toggling an option to enable background downloads of all content is not intuitive, and waiting to retrieve content when you view a note is not pleasant.

Better Share To OneNote functionality from Windows 10.

Note sync

Easy collaboration

Cloud backup of notes

Ability to make templates that are shared

Better layout

Make templates easier

More sharing options

My Outlook tasks can be synchronized between Outlook and OneNote.

Clip web articles from webpages into OneNote.

Easy to organize my collection and notes.

The webpages clip results aren't as good as Evernote.

Android app sync speed is slow.

Organizing items so I can go to one place rather than having to fish through my folders to find the related items.

Easy way to set agendas and keep minutes for meetings and have the team review the info when it's shared.

I can clip and paste items that I want to save that are related to the project -- easy to find so I don't have to have a lot of notes.

I haven't really found anything particularly difficult other than when my company installed Office 365 to my laptop before I had an ID, I had difficulty saving and sharing.