Microsoft OneNote Reviews

Pros

OneNote is like a virtual whiteboard that collectively stores our ideas, tasks & file attachments of our current & accomplished construction projects in a singular platform accessible anywhere across any device. The user interface is generally butter-smooth & works amazingly well in split-screen mode on my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra phone using the S-Pen to jot notes & drag photos & files from the file manager or gallery to the OneNote application. It's a productivity-centric utility that's practically indispensable for my daily tasks.

Cons

As of the 22H2 Windows 10 update on my laptop, I've started noticing notes take a bit longer to synchronize my work in order to resume collaboration with the project team. I hope this gets resolved in a future software update on Windows. The mobile & web versions work great though.

Alternatives Considered

Nimbus Note

Reasons for Choosing Microsoft OneNote

Over the years, Evernote slowly began putting features that were once available in the free version behind paywalls & started increasing their subscription costs (especially the Plus version that I was using back then), whereas OneNote remained free with all the features offered by its competing alternative, which ultimately made no sense sticking any further with Evernote & consequently made the transition to OneNote.

Switched From

Evernote Teams

Reasons for Switching to Microsoft OneNote

OneNote was simply available out-of-the-box on my Windows machine & Galaxy phone, where most of the features that I'd use with Nimbus were already there on OneNote at no extra charge, thus I stuck to the latter.

Pros

The facility to take notes and share with other people is the selling point of the product. If you need a tool for doing that, OneNote is the right one. You can also organize simply your notes, write documents and add pictures/external content (the possibility to add media is another important feature to consider in the product). You can divide your notes/documents in sections/pages, this helps on searching for what you need. For example, you can have an entire section dedicated to a specific customer, in this section having the notes organized by date.

Cons

There are no particular pain points. I heard some complaints about the navigation but it follows the standard of other Microsoft products. I would only improve the search feature, in particular from a look and feel perspective.

Alternatives Considered

Notepad++

Reasons for Switching to Microsoft OneNote

I prefer using OneNote when you need to enrich your notes with pictures, tables, and other media content. When you are in this situation, OneNote is the best tool. If instead, I have only text notes, I prefer Notepad++- According to what I have to do, I choose the right tool.

Pros

This application has it all. From saving notes, links, files. We can add multiple notebooks and can sync it across many devices as the data is stored on one drive.

Cons

I cannot change the view. The task bar is now on the left pane but I liked it when it was on bottom.

Pros

Pros: Wide range of functionality. You can convert to different file types and insert files into it rather easily. It has great cloud support and is overall easy to access.

Cons

Cons:
There is great support for onenote on the web, but at least 90% of the searches I've done to troubleshoot an issue or functionality apply to one type of Onenote and not another... for some reason. I've spent many hours troubleshooting options that don't exist for one type or another. Example:
The ink-to-math is not present in this version. The ink-to-draw is not present in the office 365 version. Why?
There is a view option of fitting what's been drawn to the page width which will also show up if printed to a .pdf. What's bad is that there is no option for displaying where the pages end. I saw a comment from a developer about this saying that it would be too difficult. But I know they could figure out a way to do that. There are so many option. Just have the length of each page increase if a user increases the width to the right. That could cause issues if the user wants the content displayed on certain pages. So, have the page separators actually splice the content shown and add whitespace if page width/length grows ... or shrink/grow content of pages accordingly like a picture. Or, when in "page view mode" like this, warm the user if they are trying to grow pages sizes ... or just have a fixed page size in this mode!
My main issue: Why it is so glitchy with an epen. If I tap the screen it wants me to type - this happens a lot when I'm scrolling and not tapping also. The developers didn't input an option to make the pen the default and disable tap to keyboard.

Pros

I am a leader in my organization and because of my position I have tons of meetings. This an excellent program for meetings preparation, take meetings notes and keep tracking of meeting next steps. You can create independents notebooks and you can share the notebooks with your peers. I monitor group vacations, birthdays, recognition, project status, metrics, etc.As leader I keep tracking of 1:1 meetings that I have with my staff by person and by dates and can monitor developmental plans, performance status and next steps. This works perfectly with excel and Outlook. You can share by e-mails all the minutes taken in a meeting.

Cons

The program by itself it is simple to use, but if you are going to use linked with Outlook could be difficult to use. I asked for help to be able to do it.

Pros

Loved the ease of use and dependability on it for task management. We were able to create many project pages for all our templates and working sessions. Very good for cross-collaboration for our team and to track the status of our work and projects.

Cons

Sometimes it would glitch or take AWHILE to load. This could be very frustrating as we were all very busy and depended on it to see what action items needed to be completed.

Pros

Love the way that you can separate Notebooks in OneNote, great way to differentiate, and have breakdowns with the chapters and pages, which as mentioned are fairly good at being searchable.

Cons

The document storage. It’s a shame that you can’t upload a file and it acts as its own page which can open in a separate window, instead it will display badly and just act as a static image. Unfortunate but understandable considering it’s main usecases

Pros

I like the note taking feature of the pen tool where I can write in the space, plus I can add text as well as pictures and documents in the same space. This is really help full to analyze and document self written as well as internet documents.

Cons

The Flexibility to close the side panels while not is full screen mode is definitely going to help many to multitask and take notes. While splitting the window most of the working space is eaten up by side bars of the application.

Pros

Awesome tool for brain-dumping. You can link between sections, which is super convenient.

Cons

This can get kind of messy, and fast. You can take notes from anywhere on the page, which is convenient - but not neat.

Pros

multi platform useage. Take notes in a meeting on my tablet and can view on my laptop post meeting.

Cons

nothing currently. it does everything i need it to do

Pros

You can embed content from so many sites: Youtube, Thinglink, Coogle to name a few. Each notebook can contain as many section groups and sections as you want, with as many pages and sub-pages as you want. And each page is an infinite canvas. Bonus: You can store actual files on any pages that you can then later open in the appropiate app using a double click. The desktop version features OCR which is great for searching content in pictures.

Cons

The way the infinite canvas works. You cannot scroll left or up from the top of the page - only right and down. That feels somewhat counterintuitive at times. Also, there should be easy sharing on the page level - as of the writing of this review, you can only share entire notebooks, meaning you give access to it all, even if all you wanted to do was to collaborate on a single page.

Pros

OneNote beats Evernote in numerous ways, on account of its wide exhibit of highlights, including optical person acknowledgment (OCR), sound and video accounts, ink-to-message transformation, and directing. The best part is that OneNote's administrations are sans altogether. To utilize it, all you really want is a Microsoft account. On the off chance that you are now utilizing Office 365, Outlook, or other Microsoft applications, essentially sign in with your certifications.

Cons

One of the most disappointing parts of this program was the deficiency of data. Yearly program updates would lose information from the earlier variant to the refreshed adaptation. Having difficulties integrating with Outlook when need to transfer data.

Pros

I regularly use (and recommend to my colleagues) the templates for to-do lists within One Note, specifically the prioritized to-do list template which automatically inserts High, Medium and Low priority groupings into a to-do list where you can easily add, move (via drag/drop) and check off items.

Because of the ability to create multiple notebooks, have individual tabs within the notebooks, and then individual pages within the tabs, there is the ability to manage and organize the notes and to-do lists very granularly.

The digital notes sync across all devices so you are able to add/view/update notes from anywhere that you have access to the app.

Cons

The app consistently freezes when doing even the most minor of tasks. I will access it to enter in a new note, the app will freeze and lag sometimes as long as 30 seconds before the changes I've made appear on screen.

Additionally, we have regular issues where users across our organization are seeing entirely disparate versions of the software. It is not as simple as the GUI being slightly different, but that they have an entirely different layout and it appears that they have different levels of functionality which has caused frequent issues with training and adoption. Now, that may be in part an IT issue on our end if users are getting different versions installed when they begin - however, it's a cloud-based service and I don't think it is acceptable that we could have such issues. There should be a way to update from the app to the latest version.

Pros

This software is awesome for tracking projects, notes, and progress! It is customizable and can be used how ever the user would like! I personally like to section my work out in columns with bullet points, where may manager prefers tables. Some coworkers prefer multiple "books" instead of the method that I prefer is one book, such as Training with multiple pages underneath one book! The system is different if you are coming from a more "basic" system like I was, such as sticky notes! This is Highly Recommended for any member of you team that needs to keep track of notes and even project progress!

Cons

The only thing "negative", which is really not horrible, is I wish there was more customization to the "blocks". When you start typing on a page, you will see a "block" appear and you can customize the tab color, the size of the box, the font, color of font, and size but I wish you could add a "hue" to the back ground of the boxes to make them stand out a little more- almost as if you were adding different colored sticky notes to the pages! I did find a work around and I am able to highlight the typed notes with a "lighter" color highlight- which works just as well, just does not look as uniform as the rest of the program! Still a highly recommended product!

Pros

1.Microsoft One Note is a software package which enables individuals and organizations to create and share notes and diagrams. It is a simple, straightforward, powerful tool for recording important information.
2.It allows users to create individual notes, which can be attached to each other, to themselves or to websites. It also allows users to create digital flipbooks and create annotated PDF files.
3.It is a cloud-based notes program that has a focus on helping people to stay connected to their work even when they are away from their desk or desktop.
4.One note is a note taking application that is easy to use and very flexible. The application supports PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. This application is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems.
5.It is a free Office 365 service that makes it easy for you to create, organize, and share your ideas. It helps you take notes, brainstorm, and collect your thoughts with ideas that come to you anywhere, on any device.

Cons

1. The main disadvantage of using Microsoft One Note is that it can be difficult to use because of the way it is laid out. In order to find information, you need to scroll through the pages and pages of data.
2. It is difficult to share the content with the other users. As a result, the users have to re-enter the content which is very difficult and time-consuming.

Pros

OneNote offers an organic tool to create and curate a curriculum for an educational setting. It allows a great amount of freedom for users, you can create layouts that are free-flowing and visually engaging, or more linear structured documents.

Cons

There are difficulties exporting or printing pages from OneNote; as there are no page lines, if you export a page as a .pdf file it usually does not fit traditional A4/A3 measurements. Also, there is a current shift from OneNote for Windows 10 to the original app, which has a significant impact on how OneNote appears to users.

Alternatives Considered

Google Docs, OneDrive, Google Workspace and Google Drive

Pros

Rich with highlights
Can separate text from pictures
Liberal free form
A lot of capacity
Condition settling

Cons

Can be slow and cumbersome
Not terrible, but not great either sharing choices
Web trimmer necessities improvement

Pros

it gives you the ability to create your notes as you create on a physical notebook, moreover, this notebook can be accessed from anywhere as long as you have access to the internet. The most unique part of OneNote is you can add multimedia and create your documents as much presentable as want. These documents can also be shared with others like your friends or colleagues, it would make this software as a one-stop solution for most of the writing and editing of your notes. I used many older versions of OneNote and then after upgrading to new versions of OneNote I came to know that your older note will not get erased. you can also use OneNote app for your smartphones which makes easier to modify your changes or to view any documents on the go.

Cons

One thing I would ever want in OneNote is the integration between various platforms, Currently, Onenote allows you to create notes or documents to share it with only OneNote users, whereas if I want to share it with Evernote users it will not give me an option for that. Moreover, I can not even import Evernote's documents notes into OneNote or vice versa. There are other ways through which you can do it but for that one has to download a migration tool. The security is also one of the issues which I always take into consideration when creating any personal note where I wanted it to be encrypted with a password. There should be some ways into OneNote where you can have a personal space which can be used for those secure documents.

Pros

What I like most about OneNote is it is my one-stop-shop to staying organized and on track without having to open a bunch of tabs/folders &/or documents. My favourite feature within OneNote is the ability to search, so if i can' remember where i stored some text or a document it just takes a second to find. Super easy & very efficient!

Cons

I'm being very honest here, i can't think of anything that would make OneNote better, it's truly something I couldn't do my job without!

Pros

I have worked with OneNote for over 4 years now and I have been really impressed with the way it handles the data, Creating Workbooks and sheets, and sub-pages, and manages the sync with the cloud on all devices. It is very handy to keep note of every little detail and manage the To-Do List. Search functionality is great as it can scan through all pages and exporting the data is very easy.

Cons

OneNote should use Addin to extract the information, sometimes formatting with text from various sources/platforms develop issues with the OneNote and the format changes.

Alternatives Considered

Evernote Teams

Reasons for Switching to Microsoft OneNote

Ease of Use, Search features, Fast Sync

Pros

OneNote is easy to use and allows for easy documentation and filing for various notes. It’s appeal is that it actually closely resembles a digital notebook. This software allows for notes to be divided into sections which allow for the ease in note retrieval. I enjoy the ability to share and receive notes from other users as this enhances collaboration. This app is fantastic for organization as it allows for the creating of tables , the addition of pictures and embedding of videos.

Cons

My only qualm with OneNote is that when sharing, the files and documents are very choppy with some sync issues.

Pros

I think my favorite thing about OneNote is the ability to password-protect certain notebooks. Notion or Evernote doesn't allow that so I keep OneNote running as a backup specifically for this option. Once you dig in, the interface is intuitive and simple and just makes sense. Being able to highlight, draw and annotate is really great as well. I love Notion but it doesn't allow that quite yet so, again, OneNote has been a keeper for that reason as well.

I have notebooks from when I first started business (back in 2007, before Microsoft 365 came around) and they're still safe, password protected and sync flawlessly. I appreciate having that level of confidence in a piece of software that has stood the test of time and kept my data saved and intact.

Cons

There are times I wish I could transfer some of my notes easily to other platforms (like Notion) but haven't found a streamlined way to do this as of yet.

Pros

What I like most about this program is its connection with MS Outlook. It is to be able to transfer and pull business processes and tasks, calendars. Another important feature is the ability to attach files to the notes taken.

Since it is a member of the office family, its integration and management is simple and easy. An integrated product that you can activate and use in a few steps.

Cons

The interface of the program is somewhat plain. It should be more developable and appealing to the user. Although we do not use document management a lot, we unfortunately got some errors and we can get very little information about it. It should contain more instructional documents.

Pros

I use OneNote instead of a paper notebook and am very happy with it. I always have all my notes with me. Even if I have the iPad or my laptop in the office, I can access my notes from my phone or any other PC. So working becomes much more flexible. Also, having access to all my notes across my workspaces has proven to be very useful several times.
Thanks to the customizable and clear structure, you can quickly familiarize yourself with the program. If you know how to use MS Word or MS Outlook, getting started with OneNote is no problem. I really liked the fact that OneNote can be easily embedded in Teams and Outlook.

Cons

I find it a shame that you can't easily increase the font size of the right sidebar with the individual folders and tabs. Especially when I'm working on other people's equipment, it would make it a lot easier for me. The toolbar is also difficult to use for me as a visually impaired person in its standard form. Here I would still see potential in terms of accessibility.

Pros

The pros of Microsoft Onenote are that it saves and syncs as you work and notes can be taken in text, recordings, handwriting, or drawings. Web page clips can be added.
Notes can be labeled and organized by pages and subpages, sections, and notebooks. Everything is searchable and notes can be read outloud.
Emails can be sent and converted into a note and notes can be translated into an alternate language. Onenote came pre-installed on my desktop and saves to onedrive. I like taking notes on my phone with onenote.

Cons

If I don't keep the cache cleared Onenote gets sluggish and can freeze on both my laptop and desktop. Customization level isn't good. When I want to transfer a note from Onenote outside of Microsoft products it can be difficult.