10 Shortcuts for Microsoft OneNote

27 december 2019
Blog Editorial Team

Create mind maps, make lists or paint little pictures. Everyone has their own way to record brainwaves and ideas. But no matter which method you prefer, Microsoft OneNote is a great way to keep notes clearly ordered, to add or alter contents easily and to retrieve thoughts with no trouble at all. The right keyboard combinations can even make management of the digital notebook a fair bit easier. We’ve picked ten keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft OneNote and put them together in one cheat sheet. The cheat sheet is available for download or to read together with the explanations right here .

#1 - Open a notebook

It really doesn’t matter whether you want to open a new notebook or access a current one, it will all be a little bit quicker using the keyboard combination "Ctrl" + "O".

#2 - Create a new section

Various sections can be defined within a notebook. This is a good way to introduce clearer structure to complex notes and other things. Press "Ctrl" + "T" to open a new section without taking your hands off the keyboard.

#3 - Open a small OneNote window to create a side note

There is a separate window to accommodate side notes. This small window for additional information opens by pressing the keyboard combination "Ctrl"+ "Shift" + "M" or "Windows" + "Alt" + "N".

#4 - Highlight selected text

You can underline or mark texts to your heart’s content and in an amazing array of colors in the digital notebook as well. Press "Ctrl" + "Shift" + "H" or "Ctrl" + "Alt" + "H" to highlight your selected passage of text.

#5 - Insert documents, files, pictures etc. on the current page

Sometimes bullet point notes are just not enough. It certainly is handy that OneNote lets you link Excel tables, images and other objects to your notebook. The keyboard combination "Alt" + "N" (then choose a letter) opens the Insert tab, and each option on the task bar is assigned a letter. Pick your preferred letter to create a more lively design for your notebook.

#6 - Indent a paragraph from the left

Indents bring clarity to your bullet points and to do lists. The keyboard combination "Alt" + "Shift" + "→" (right arrow) is a convenient trick to make this step a little easier.

#7 - Insert the current date and time

It is important to keep a clear overview of notes for longer projects, also in terms of time. Press "Alt" + "Shift" + "F" to automatically insert the current date and time.

#8 - Apply, mark, or clear the 'To Do' tag

What do I need to get finished by next week? Use the convenient "Ctrl" + "1" combination to create to do lists. The same combination lets you remove the day’s list once you have completed all the items.

#9 - Apply, mark, or clear the 'Important' tag

9 Apply, mark, or clear the 'Important' tag: You need to keep an eye on some notes in particular. The keyboard combination "Ctrl" + "2" allows you to mark certain notes as important, and is also used to remove the marking.

#10 - Send the selected pages in an e-mail message

Do you want to share your notes with your colleague Paul? No problem. Press the keyboard combination "Ctrl" + "Shift" + "E" to keep Paul up-to-date by e-mailing him selected pages from your notebook.