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How to Create Additional Notebooks in Microsoft OneNote App

Microsoft OneNote is a popular note-taking and organization app that lets you capture ideas, notes, photos, audio recordings, web clippings and more in digital notebooks.

When you first set up OneNote, it automatically creates your first notebook. But you can easily create additional notebooks to organize your notes by topics or projects.

Benefits of Multiple Notebooks

Here are some of the benefits of using multiple notebooks in OneNote:

  • Separate personal and work notes – Keep personal notes and work/school notes in separate notebooks for better organization and privacy.
  • Organize by topic or project – Create notebooks for different classes, clients, business ideas etc to compartmentalize your notes.
  • Share select notebooks – Easily share full notebooks with others instead of individual notes.
  • Focus your thoughts – Switch between notebooks to change your context and focus.

Steps to Create a New Notebook

Follow these simple steps to create additional notebooks:

On Desktop App

  1. Open the OneNote desktop app
  2. Click on File > New
  3. Select a save location like OneDrive or SharePoint to store your notebook online
  4. Give the notebook a name
  5. Click Create

A new notebook tab will be created at the top.

On Windows 10 App

  1. Click on the Notebooks button on the top left
  2. Click on the + New notebook button at the bottom
  3. Enter notebook name
  4. Click Create notebook

On Web App

  1. Open onenote.com and login
  2. Click on the + New notebook button at the bottom left
  3. Give the notebook a name
  4. Select a save location like OneDrive or SharePoint
  5. Click Create notebook

The new notebook will open up automatically for you to start adding notes!

Organize Notebooks with Sections and Pages

OneNote notebooks contain sections that can in turn include many pages.

Here are some tips to organize your notebooks using sections and pages:

  • Create sections for different topics or categories
  • Add new pages under each section as you take notes
  • Give pages descriptive titles so you can identify them easily
  • Reorder pages and sections or move them between notebooks

For example, in a notebook for a Project Management class, you can create:

  • Planning section – Scope, Timelines, Budgeting pages
  • Execution section – Team, Quality, Risk pages

This keeps all project management notes neatly organized in one notebook!

Share Notebooks with Others

To collaborate with others on notes:

On desktop app:

  1. Right-click on the notebook tab
  2. Select Share
  3. Enter people’s email addresses or distribution groups
  4. Click Share

On Windows 10 app:

  1. Click File > Share
  2. Invite people with their emails
  3. Click Send

Once shared, others can view, edit notes and add their own notes to the shared notebook.

Access Notebooks from Anywhere

One of the best things about OneNote is that you can access all your notebooks from anywhere when you store them on the cloud.

Some ways to access your notebooks on different devices:

  • Windows devices – Use OneNote desktop or Windows 10 app
  • Mac devices – Use OneNote for Mac app
  • iOS devices – Use OneNote iOS app
  • Android devices – Use OneNote Android app
  • Web browser – Use OneNote web app by logging into onenote.com

So no matter if you use a phone, tablet or computer, you can organize and access your important notebooks on the go!

Tips for Managing Multiple Notebooks

Here are some additional tips for easily managing multiple notebooks:

  • Color code notebooks using different tab colors
  • Add notebook icons or images to notebook tabs to identify at a glance
  • Use keyboard shortcuts to quickly switch between notebooks
  • Pin frequently used notebooks to the top for quick access
  • Search across all notebooks to find notes even if you forget which notebook they are in!

Conclusion

Using multiple notebooks is a great way to organize your notes by topics and projects in OneNote. Notebooks can contain sections and pages to further structure your information.

Easily create new notebooks, share them with others, access them from anywhere and manage them effectively using the tips covered.

With some effort on organization upfront, you can make all your important information in OneNote easy to manage and access when needed!

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