Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote is a digital notebook application developed by Microsoft that serves as a versatile tool for capturing, organizing, and sharing notes, including text, handwritten entries, drawings, images, audio, and video recordings, all within a flexible, hierarchical structure of notebooks, sections, and pages.[1] It enables users to manage personal, professional, and educational information in one centralized location, supporting freeform input and real-time collaboration.[2] Originally codenamed "Scribbler," OneNote was announced by Microsoft at COMDEX Fall 2002 and first released in November 2003 as part of the Microsoft Office 2003 suite, initially designed to leverage emerging tablet PC technology for digital inking and note-taking.[3] Over the years, it has evolved through multiple versions, including integration into Office 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019, with a free web and mobile version made available starting in 2014 to broaden accessibility beyond paid Office licenses.[3] OneNote for Windows 10 reached end-of-support on October 14, 2025, and has transitioned to read-only mode, with Microsoft recommending the new OneNote app for Windows for continued use.[4] Key features of OneNote include robust organization tools such as tagging for quick searches, optical character recognition (OCR) to extract text from images and handwritten notes, audio recording with synchronized playback, and mathematical equation solving and conversion.[2] It supports advanced formatting options like outlines for structuring complex documents up to five levels deep, insertion of files and printouts, and AI-powered capabilities for summarizing content and generating ideas.[5] Additionally, OneNote facilitates project management through templates for meetings, tasks, and brainstorming, as well as transcription of recorded audio into editable text.[6] OneNote is available as a free standalone app or as part of the Microsoft 365 subscription, with seamless synchronization across devices via OneDrive cloud storage, ensuring notes are accessible and editable from Windows, macOS, web browsers, iOS, and Android platforms.[7] This cross-platform consistency, introduced in recent updates, allows users to sign in with a Microsoft account for real-time syncing and sharing, making it ideal for collaborative environments in education, business, and personal productivity.[8] For developers, the OneNote API in Microsoft Graph enables programmatic integration, allowing apps to create, read, and update notebooks programmatically.[9]History and development
Origins and early development
Microsoft OneNote was conceived in 2002 as an addition to Microsoft's Office suite, aimed at fulfilling the need for unstructured digital note-taking that traditional applications like Word could not adequately address.[10] The application drew inspiration from physical paper notebooks and digital binders, seeking to replicate their flexibility while overcoming limitations such as lack of searchability and organization in analog formats.[10] Bill Gates announced the project, codenamed Scribbler, on November 17, 2002, at the COMDEX trade show, highlighting its potential to capture ideas in a freeform manner for information workers.[3] Initial development was led by a team at Microsoft, emphasizing a freeform canvas that supported diverse input types including typed text, images, audio recordings, and digital ink.[10] This approach was particularly tailored for emerging hardware like Tablet PCs, allowing users to write notes by hand directly on the screen.[10] A key innovation during early betas was the introduction of a hierarchical structure consisting of notebooks, sections, and pages, which provided an intuitive way to organize content akin to a physical binder system.[11] The first public preview came with the Office 2003 Beta 2 release in March 2003, distributed to over half a million testers, where OneNote was bundled as an experimental component.[12] The full version was released on November 19, 2003, as a standalone product accompanying the Microsoft Office 2003 suite.[13] Early adoption faced challenges, as users accustomed to structured tools like Word viewed OneNote's freeform style as less essential for everyday tasks.[14] In response, Microsoft pivoted marketing efforts to highlight digital inking capabilities, positioning OneNote as a companion for Tablet PCs to capitalize on the growing interest in mobile handwriting input.[14] Despite initial hurdles, this focus helped establish OneNote's niche in unstructured information capture during the mid-2000s.Release history and major updates
Microsoft OneNote was first released on November 19, 2003, as a standalone digital note-taking application designed primarily for tablet PCs with support for ink input.[13] In December 2011, Microsoft made OneNote available for free on the web and mobile devices, expanding access beyond paid Office licenses.[3] The 2007 version, integrated into Office 2007 and released on January 30, 2007, introduced significant improvements to ink-to-text conversion and handwriting recognition, enhancing usability for stylus-based input. OneNote 2010, bundled with Office 2010 and launched on June 15, 2010, added multi-touch support and linked notes functionality, allowing users to connect notes directly to specific cells in Excel or locations in Word documents.[3] With Office 2013, released on January 29, 2013, OneNote version 15.0 emphasized cloud synchronization via SkyDrive (later OneDrive), enabling seamless access across devices and introducing the ability to embed Office files directly into notebooks.[3] OneNote 2016, part of Office 2016 and available from September 22, 2015, brought real-time co-authoring capabilities, allowing multiple users to edit notebooks simultaneously with presence indicators. In the 2010s, Microsoft shifted toward standalone applications; OneNote for Windows 10, a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, was introduced in July 2014 as a preview and generally released with Windows 10 on July 29, 2015, focusing on touch-optimized interfaces and integration with Cortana. Support for this version ended on October 14, 2025, after which it became read-only with no further security updates or features.[15][16] Entering the 2020s, OneNote deepened its integration with Microsoft 365 starting in 2021, with the legacy OneNote 2016 becoming a standalone app while a unified "OneNote for Windows" app (available via the Microsoft Store) emerged in 2022, combining features from the desktop and UWP versions and receiving monthly updates.[4] Version numbering evolved from Office suite alignment—such as 11.0 for 2003, 12.0 for 2007, 14.0 for 2010 (skipping 13 to avoid superstition), 15.0 for 2013, and 16.0 for 2016—to app-specific builds in the Microsoft 365 era, now using a YYMM format like Version 2509 (September 2025 build 19231.20156) for ongoing Current Channel releases.[17][18]| Version | Release Date | Key Updates |
|---|---|---|
| OneNote 2003 (v11.0) | November 19, 2003 | Initial release with ink support for tablets.[13] |
| OneNote 2007 (v12.0) | January 30, 2007 | Enhanced ink recognition and audio recording. |
| OneNote 2010 (v14.0) | June 15, 2010 | Multi-touch and linked notes to Office apps. |
| OneNote 2013 (v15.0) | January 29, 2013 | OneDrive sync and embedded files. |
| OneNote 2016 (v16.0) | September 22, 2015 | Real-time co-authoring. |
| OneNote for Windows 10 (UWP) | July 29, 2015 | Touch-optimized, Cortana integration; end of support October 14, 2025.[15] |
| OneNote for Windows (Microsoft Store) | 2022 (ongoing) | Unified app with monthly YYMM builds, e.g., Version 2509 (September 2025).[17] |