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Introducing new layout options in OneNote on Windows

Feature deep dive
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Hi, Microsoft 365 Insiders! My name is Greg MacEachern and I’m a Product Manager on the OneNote team. I’m excited to announce a new way to navigate your notebooks, sections, and pages in OneNote on Windows.

New layout options

For those who love the left-sided layout on OneNote for the web, OneNote for Mac, and OneNote for iPad, you’ll be thrilled to hear that we’re now bringing this experience to OneNote on Windows client! Using the new Vertical Tabs layout option, you can use a navigation experience similar to other Microsoft 365 apps and services, such as Outlook and Teams.

Animation of the Vertical Tab layout option

How it works

  • Click View > Tabs Layout > Vertical Tabs.

Notice that your notebooks and pages now appear on the left.

NOTE: If you prefer having the section tabs at the top of the canvas, you can easily switch back by selecting View > Tabs Layout > Horizontal Tabs.

Scenarios to try

  • In Vertical Tabs layout, collapse the notebook list for a more focused view of your notes by clicking the three-vertical lines button at the top of the notebook list!
  • Try out Full Page View for a totally immersive note taking experience by clicking the double-sided arrows in the upper right corner of the canvas. Learn more

FAQ

In which version of OneNote is this feature available?

This new option is available for OneNote on Windows. It is not available in OneNote for Windows 10.

How do I get the OneNote app?

The OneNote app can be downloaded on the Microsoft Store or via onenote.com/download.

How do I move my Page list and Notebook list to other sides of the app windows?

The Page list and Notebook list can only appear on the right side while using the Horizontal Tabs layout.

To move them to another location, you must first switch to Horizontal Tabs. Then, go to the File > Options > Display, and then choose the option you want under Horizontal Tabs Layout.

We do not currently support right-sided layout when using the Vertical Tabs layout.

Availability

This feature is rolling out to Insiders running Version 2302 (Build 16124.20000) or later.

NOTE: This feature is currently only available for OneNote on Windows. It is not available for OneNote for Windows 10.

Don’t have it yet? It’s probably us, not you.

Features are released over some time to ensure things are working smoothly. We highlight features that you may not have because they’re slowly releasing to larger numbers of Insiders. Sometimes we remove elements to further improve them based on your feedback. Though this is rare, we also reserve the option to pull a feature entirely out of the product, even if you, as an Insider, have had the opportunity to try it.

Feedback

We want to hear from you! Please share your feedback with us right from the app by selecting Help > Send Feedback